|
|
|
Last Updated: Jul 15, 2008 - 11:41:04 AM |
It also accused him of abusing his office during the 11 months he first
spent as governor of the state.
Alao-Akala, a former deputy governor of the state, took over from
Alhaji Rahidi Ladoja, who was removed as governor in a controversial
circumstance by the State House of Assembly. But in April 2007, he
contested and won the governorship election in the state on the
platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The EFCC said in an interim report of an investigation into a petition
by one Mr. Kunle Jimoh and Mr. Julius Dada that Alao-Akala routinely
inflated contracts with a view to enriching himself during the 11 month
period.
In the report, which was exclusively obtained by our correspondent in
Abuja on Sunday, the commission said that the governor “conspired” with
an Ibadan-based book publishing firm and another company to perpetrate
fraud amounting to more than a billion naira.
The anti-graft agency said it found out that N631m contract Alao-Akala
awarded to the publishing firm for the supply of textbooks to the state
government was inflated to the tune of N488m.
Another contract for the supply of textbooks awarded to the same
company for N631m was also reportedly inflated by N395m.
The EFCC also said that it suspected that another contract awarded to
another book publishing firm, whose headquarters is said to be in
Ibadan, for N39.7m, was inflated.
The commission added that one of the publishing firms refunded N10m of
the money it was overpaid while the other returned N12m.
In the report, the anti-graft body also accused the governor of paying
out N190m to 19 members of the then state House of Assembly for
constituency projects.
It said that cheques for the projects should not have been written in
the names of the lawmakers.
The commission also queried the contract for the computerisation of
personnel payroll and identity cards production for the state which
Alao-Akala awarded at a cost of N182. 7m.
It said that N143.9m out of the total contract sum had already been
paid.
The report added that a comprehensive probe of “another company used by
the Akala government to inflate contracts” was in progress.
It said, “From the foregoing, it is clear that Otunba Alao-Akala abused
his office to enrich himself contrary to his oath of office.
“He has acted contrary to the provisions of the constitution and
betrayed public trust. In light of the above, therefore, it is
pertinent that he has a case to answer.”
The governor cannot, however, be tried in court until the expiration of
his tenure because he is covered by constitutional immunity.
When contacted on telephone on Sunday, the governor’s Special Adviser
on Public Communications, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, said Alao-Akala could only
make a meaningful comment on the report when a copy reached him.
Oyelade said, “We seek to see the report because there are so many fake
documents flying in an out of the newsroom these days.
“It is only when we see a copy of the said report that we can make any
meaningful comment.
“We seek the veracity of the so-called indicting document. We affirm
that it is another hoax strung up to exhume a dead issue.”
In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, the
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said that the
commission would not leave any case untouched in its efforts at
bringing corrupt public officials to book.
Babafemi said that the present leadership of the commission was
interested in all high-profile cases.
This, he explained, was why the commission would want to deal with such
cases now so that it could treat others it had received intelligence
reports on.
He said, “Ibadan is part of the Lagos/South West zone. There is a
committee working on the backlog of cases now and no stone would be
left unturned.
“About 70 per cent of the cases are in Lagos and the Alao-Akala case,
of which I do not know its current status, may be part of the Lagos
cases.
“If it is among the cases, she (the EFCC chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri)
will likely be briefed about it this week because the Lagos/South West
zone is the next region for her to deal with.
“The Director of Operations (of EFCC) is already in Lagos preparatory
to her arrival in Lagos this week.
“Since she resumed, she has been dealing with the backlog on regional
basis and there are six zones in the country that she will have to deal
with.”
Ladoja had, after his reinstatement, set up an Administrative Panel of
Inquiry in March 2007 to probe the Alao-Akala administration.
The panel said Alao-Akala failed to protect public funds as expected
from him during the 11 months he served as governor.
The Ladoja dministration in a White Paper published as Oyo State Notice
No. 7 in Gazette No. 05 of March 22, 2007 accepted the recommendation
of the panel indicting Alao-Akala.
But less than two months after he assumed office on May 19, 2007,
Alao-Akala got the state House of Assembly to quash the indictment.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
Top of Page
|
|
|
|