AKEREDOLU’S MISRULE IN ONDO STATE (10): FAMILY ON LOOTING SPREE
By: Kennedy Ikantu Peretei.
Every passing day in Ondo state, one is confronted with the reality that, there is a very slim possibility of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State and his All Progressives Congress to completely serve out his remaining tenure. This speculation is fueled by the financial recklessness, brazen lack of respect for rules by Akeredolu’s wife Betty, his son, Babajide and lately his daughter, Teniola and her husband Michael Olatunde.
Immediately Akeredolu was sworn in as Governor of Ondo State in 2017, he registered about thirteen companies. These companies have been shamelessly used by the first family to receive contracts from state ministries and departments.
Checks from the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, showed that all the companies have the same or related Directors and Secretary. When contractors in the state hardly get paid for jobs, those awarded to the first family get prompt payment and to rob salt on injury, they and some of their cronies brag about it.
A few months ago, the Ondo State government placed embargo on all forestry activities. This was done so as to hand over all forest operations to Babajide Akeredolu. When the operations were restored, a new sherif was already in town.
One Ilesanmi Brainbox was mandated to collect a handsome sum of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000.00) from the operators everyday and paid directly to Babajide’s bank account. Even if Ondo State was a territory conquered by Akeredolu, he should have acted with some modicum of decency.
The widely advertised and celebrated Sunshine Countdown Concert was anchored by Micheal Olatunde, Akeredolu’s son-in law. The Ondo State Ministry of Information parted with a whooping five hundred million Naira (N500,000,000.00) of taxpayers money.
There was no committee set up for the event, no State Executive Council approval was gotten for it. Just hurriedly put together to patronise Teniola, Akeredolu’s daughter. Everywhere you look in the state, what you find is Akeredolu, his wife, children and their spouses as though on rampage, looting blindly.
The world of grandeur and opulence in which these people live is in direct contrast with the lives of the people of the state. Retired workers of the state owned Owena Press Limited, publishers of Hope Newspaper, had recently in an emotional letter addressed to the Governor over the weekend, appealed for the payment of their gratuity.
In the words of former Editor of The Hope, Dr. Banji Ayoola, “I can tell you that six of our members including a former Head of features desk, two photographers, a gateman, and two drivers have died of sicknesses that could be easily treated if money had been available, while some are bed ridden and unable to help themselves. Notably, six of the company’s 37 former staff have died without their gratuity”.
Around the same time, workers of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo took to the streets, protesting 13 months of unpaid salaries. The workers lamented that, while they were hungry, Akeredolu and his cronies were erecting new buildings in Owo, right before their eyes. In the same South West Nigeria, Oyo State Workers got thirteenth month pay in the month of December. The explanations of lean resources of the state can no longer suffice.
Mrs Betty Akeredolu, on her part has ensured that, no board is constituted for the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). All the BEMORE and FOWOSO projects are fully funded by OSOPADEC. Short of directly signing cheques, Betty is the Alpha and Omega of OSOPADEC. The Commission has not executed a single project since the inception of the Akeredolu tenure.
While the eighteen local government areas of Ondo State contributed eighteen million Naira for 3rd FOWOSO Summit last month, OSOPADEC paid Betty more than fifty million Naira for the Summit. Only a heartless person can undertake this kind of blind looting in the face of penury that is everywhere.
The greed displayed by the first family and their cohorts is only reminiscent of Ali Baba and the forty thieves, a folk tale from the One Thousand and One Nights, added to the collection in the 18th Century by French Translator Antoine Galland.
It is difficult to assume that all these looting is going on without Akeredolu’s permission or knowledge. Whichever way, if this continues, the people will chase him and his family out of the Government House very soon.
This series will continue shortly.
Signed by: Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, Ondo state Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
FIGURE DOESN’T LIE —ONDO GOVT
The Ondo state government in a reaction, released through its media handlers led by the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, its monthly expenditure;
FIGURES DON’T LIE, BUT WE WON’T SACK LIKE THEM
Below is the analysis of Ondo Monthly Expenditure Profile
…and Organised Labour sits in conjuction with Govt officials led by the Head of Service, to decide the mode of payment every month.
FAAC has been less than 2.4b monthly in the last three months
VAT has been between 1.8 and 1.9b
Mineral exchange has been between 1.6 and 1.7b
IGR has dropped drastically since Covid-19
Amid these inflows are compulsory deductions from past administrations’ loans…for instance, we just defrayed the last administration’s Bond five months ago.
Core Civil Service 1.6b
Tescom 1.3b
State Pension 950m
Judiciary 170m
Hope Newspaper 10m
Subvention to four tertiary institutions 520m
Teaching hospital 170m
Ad Hoc staff 35m
Gratuity 200m
Leave Bonus 193 m
OSOPADEC 250m
Statutory Directors in the Ministry ought not to be more than six, considering the number of departments; but there are 220 Directors on a monthly pay of not less than 250k
LG STRUCTURE
LG Staff 1.3 b
SUBEB 700m
LG Pension 980m
In Akure South alone, there are over 21 Grade Level 16 officers who may not be willing to teach in classrooms.
Monthly salary wage of Political Office Holders is less than 100m
Let’s now have a comparative analysis of the number of Permanent Secretaries in neighbouring states….Ekiti has 15, Osun has 5, Oyo has 10….Ondo ???? over 60
In the Health Sector, there are 3 main arms…HMB, Ministry of Health and Primary Health Care. In Ekiti, Medical Doctors are 98, Osun 56, Oyo 102, Ondo?? 516(excluding newly recruited Medical Doctors in the Pry Health Care who have not been admitted into the payroll)….these include all Tertiary Health Institutions.
..YET, WE WILL RATHER EVOLVE INGENIOUS MEANS TO WEATHER THE STORM; WE WONT SACK 10,000 LOCAL GOVT STAFF OR ANY OTHER, AS WAS THE CASE UNDER THEM.
