By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde on Saturday alerted that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Oyo State allegedly used a certain company to siphon between N12 and N15 billion of the state’s money.
The governor who raised the alarm while speaking on a Splash 105.5 FM, Ibadan programme, State Affairs, anchored by Edmond Obilo, hinted that there would be no place to hide for looters of Oyo State’s funds.
He declared that his administration is on the track of the APC chieftains and that the government would go after them and retrieve the looted funds for the people of Oyo State.
The governor emphasized that his administration remains determined to retrieve every kobo of the state’s resources allegedly stolen by some members of the immediate past administration of APC in the state.
” When we came in, we discovered they finished spending the money within one year on nothing. They stole the money and I know those behind the stealing and I am also after them right now.There is a company called Chinese Global. They said they are Chinese people but we know the people behind it. The company has been shut down as we speak,” he said.
The governor added, ” I asked the General Manager in charge of OYSROMA and said, look, your budget is N44 million every month and, in a year, it is less than N500 million. Did you employ new people? He said no. Did you give out contracts? He said no. But how were you able to spend about N7 billion in eleven months without employing new people?
“But he said the company supplied asphalt. And I said if the company did, was the asphalt used to repair roads without employing new people and giving out contracts? He said the money was moved from OYSROMA to Chinese Global and two other companies without any supply from the companies.
Governor Makinde said, ” as a result of that, I wrote to EFCC and reported the matter about what we are facing here. Chinese Global is also the company they awarded the Bembo-Apata Road contract to and the same company got the Ido-Eruwa project. But I said to them, ‘guys, you have Oyo State money with you. Go ahead and use the money to finish up the roads and they promised to do it.
” This is a promise I made and I am not saying it outside of what I have discussed directly with the people involved. Oyo State’s money will come back. Those who stole the money are the members of the APC who were in the government then.”
Speaking further, the governor stressed, ,”but as soon as former Governor Abiola Ajimobi passed on, they reneged on all those projects. And I said, fine, for me, as long as you have Oyo State money with you, I will get it back and I am still saying it again that I will get back the money for our state”.
“The money is in excess of N12 billion to N15 billion. Those who stole it are not Chinese but from Oyo State. We know them, and very soon, wherever they have investment or property in the world, I will go after them and collect this money for our state”.
Governor Makinde however, said his administration has been able to bring about a turnaround in the infrastructure of the state and other key sectors because it blocked loopholes and wastage in resources and that his administration took the bold step of plugging every hole through which the state’s funds could be siphoned.
“Without blocking loopholes, we could not have been where we are today. First, we did verification for the workers and ghost workers, ghost pensioners were removed from the payroll.
“They were there before we came in but we decided that as an administration, we would not spend our time on chasing shadows.”
Giving an example of how such loopholes bled the state in billions during the immediate past APC government, the governor revealed how about N8 billion Paris Club refund was siphoned within eleven months.
