From left, Afenifere Chieftains, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo; Senator Femi Okurounmu; Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Dr. Ebun Sonaiya at a press briefing by Chief Adebanjo in response to the allegation made by Chief Bisi Akande in his book “My Participations” to the effect that Tinubu built his house held on Thursday in Lagos. Photo; Sylvester Okoruwa.
ELDER statesman and Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, on Thursday, gave a vivid account of how he acquired and built his property on Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The leader of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation also said both former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu should be ready to authorise the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and members of the public to probe how they acquired their properties and wealth.
Adebanjo formally reacted to the claim by Akande in his autobiography, ‘My Participations’, that he (Adebanjo) mounted pressure on Tinubu to build the Lekki house for him, stating that it was false.
He recalled that on the occasion of the presentation of his (Adebanjo’s) autobiography, titled: ‘Saying it as it is,’ about three years ago, “Tinubu had said but for my incorruptibility and strength of character, he (Tinubu) would not have been governor of Lagos State in 1999.”
Stating how he raised money to build the Lekki Phase 1 residence, the Afenifere leader said he sold three developed properties, obtained a loan from a second generation bank and sold an undeveloped landed property.
“I, therefore, stated categorically that my house at Lekki was built with my resources through the sale of three developed properties, loan from GTBank and the sale of undeveloped landed property given me by my late leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory.
“The contractor who built my Lekki house is Engr Hakeem Sulaiman, Senior Partner of Messrs HA associates. The Electrical and Mechanical Contractor is Engr. Tokunbo Oshokoya, Senior Partner of Messrs Oshea Projects. The architect is Mr Deji Johnson. The Quantity Surveyor is the late Otunba T.B Adebayo.
“The Lekki property, the house in my village, Isanya Ogbo and the three-bedroom flat in a townhouse, at Omorinre Street in Lekki, are the properties I have in the whole world. I hereby authorise the EFCC to verify the above facts,” he stated.
He specifically debunked the claim by Akande and asked the former Osun State governor to give account of how he acquired his properties in Ila Oragun, his home town in Osun State, as well as in Ibadan and other places.
He also called on Tinubu to disclose the source of his wealth with which he bankrolled the elections of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-West and that of President Muhammadu Buhari, alongside his various properties in Lagos.
“He should also authorise the EFCC to verify such details as I have done,” Chief Adebanjo stated.
He regretted that Tinubu was present at Akande’s book presentation, but did not refute what he termed ‘such malicious falsehood about him.”
Akande’s book contains fallacies, should be consigned to the dustbin
FORMER national deputy chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Thursday chided former Osun State governor, Chief Bisi Akande, over his autobiography, ‘My Participation,’ saying the book should be consigned to the dustbin as it contained fallacies and, therefore, not good for present and future consumptions.
George, while welcoming the convener, Lagos 4Lagos Movement, Dr Abdul Azeez Adediran, a.k.a. Jandor and his supporters to his office in Ikoyi, he described the contents of the autobiography as capable of creating crisis within the Yoruba race.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain appealed to stakeholders across Yorubaland to disregard Akande’s claims in the book, saying the contents of the autobiography is not good for the consumption of future generations of Yoruba children.
George narrated how Akande ran to Obasanjo for assistance during the Ife/ Modakeke war in Osun State when he (Akande) was governor and through the intervention of the former president, permanent solution was found to the crisis till date.
He faulted Akande for vilifying the Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Obasanjo, whereas he (Akande) failed to speak on the alleged corruption of his friend, Bola Tinubu. Speaking earlier, Adediran, a.k.a. Jandor, who recently defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC), had promised members of the Lagos State chapter of PDP that his aspiration was not to seek the party’s governorship ticket for the 2023 elections and returned to his former base like some others had done in the past.
Jandor said his aspiration was to seek how the soul of Lagos could be saved from mis-governance as experienced in the last 22 years, adding that he joined PDP due to lack of internal democracy in the APC.
He assured that whether he wins the Lagos PDP governorship ticket for 2023 or not, as long as the selection process is transparent, free and fair, “I will support whoever emerges and work along with such person to rescue Lagos.
Akande paid N800m contract sum for Govt House in full in his last days in office —Oyinlola
FORMER Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Thursday, said his predecessor-in-office, Chief Bisi Akande, awarded the construction of a government house in his last days in office, after he lost the election in 2003, and paid the contractors the entire contract sum of N800 million in advance.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, where he reacted to various allegations against him in the autobiography of Chief Akande, entitled, ‘My Participations.’
Oyinlola said he found it strange that Chief Akande, who boasted of being prudent and honest as a governor, would award the construction of a government house in his last days in office and paid the contractors in full.
“Chief Akande confirmed this strange payment on page 393 of his book. This was a man who said there was no money to pay workers and pensioners but he had enough to pay a contractor in advance for a government house after losing his re-election.
“In any case, the state already had an ongoing Government House started by the military government which Akande refused to complete. I completed the project and added chalets plus a presidential lodge.
“Everything was completed and commissioned within my first year in office. The state has continued to use the structures till date. Akande, in his book, condemned my decision to opt for that project instead of his own idea. Further details on this are in my forthcoming book,” the statement read.
Speaking on the 2003 election which Akande claimed was rigged, Oyinlola said the truth is known to everybody in the state that Akande lost the state shortly after he took over in 1999 and started fighting everyone in the state.
“Akande sacked thousands of workers and did not pay their entitlements. In some instances, the retrenched persons included husband, wife and children. He owed those who were not sacked months of unpaid salaries which I inherited and paid. He deducted 20 per cent of workers salaries to fund his projects.
“He fought obas, chiefs and religious groups and leaders. He sacked the press from government activities, blocked the only access road to NTA Osogbo and locked the gate of the Government House against even press correspondents in the state.
“He had no word of succour for his victims. These were the ingredients that cooked his defeat in 2003. But it is convenient for him to blame his defeat on everyone else apart from himself. I defeated him comprehensively in all local governments in the state apart from his home council area. Again, the details are in my forthcoming book,” he said.
Oyinlola recalled the counsel he gave Akande when he visited him in Okuku at the beginning of the administration in 1999, “that the easiest way to destroy a government is to draw a wedge between a governor and his deputy. I told him to watch out and prevent this from happening. He told me anyone dreaming of coming between him and his deputy, Iyiola Omisore, would be wasting their time. The rest is history.”
He expressed worry that Akande keep on blaming former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for every step he took that he [Akande] did not like, adding that it was an irony that Chief Akande was Obasanjo’s favourite and that the former president always said this to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then.
On the Bola Ige House contract, Oyinlola said he did not level any false charges against Akande, adding that when he came into office in May 2003 and discovered that the Governor’s Office complex which Akande commissioned for use after he lost the election was really not completed, he asked the contractor to come back to site and complete the work.
“But the project consultant shocked everyone with his claim that part of the payment was taking back to finance the 2003 re-election bid of Chief Akande. The consultant said the contractor could not go back to work unless he was paid his full dues.
“One of Akande’s own appointees confessed collecting money from this contractor for Akande’s re-election. I consulted Chief Akande on this. He denied having any deal with the contractor and the consultant. Some people were subsequently taken to court on a seven-count criminal charge.
“Stakeholders in the state and Alhaji Arisekola Alao later intervened. I have the details of who collected how much in my forthcoming book,” Oyinlola added.
