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Osun Govt, Oyetola’s ex-aide in war of words over $20m contract award, due process
The Osun State government and former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under the administration of Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, Prince Adebayo Adeleke, are in war words over the award of $20 million World Bank support funds contract which were allocated during Oyetola’s tenure as governor.
The $20 million was part of the bank’s Saving One Million Lives (SOML) programme for result initiative.
The state government had through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi alleged that former governor Adegboyega Oyetola did not follow the the due process while awarding the contracts, alleging that Oyetola awarded the contract to his cronies who are in his cabinet.
Alimi accused Oyetola’s administration of breaching the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
“In flagrant violations of the above clear provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, Oyetola did not call for bidding as mandatorily required under the PPA, let alone allowing competition which would have afforded the state the best qualified contractors to handle the projects,” he said.
“Rather, the former governor in observing the provisions of the Act in breach, awarded the contracts to individuals who were either his cabinet members, head of one agency of government or the other, his proxies and cronies who claimed to have incorporated business names/inactive companies.”
One of the ex- governor Oyetola’s aide who was alleged of having contract with his company, ACE Firm Nigeria Limited, Prince AbdulYekeen Adeleke Adebayo, (Banik) while reacting to the allegations during a programme organised by NUJ Correspondents’ chapel, tagged “Newspoint” said he had resigned as the CEO of his company before his appointment as Commissioner under the then governor.
Adebayo described the allegations against him as baseless, frivolous and politically motivated
According to him, “Barrister Kolapo Alimi is known and he has proved that is the biggest enemy of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. He has insulted him severally in different foral and you all know that my humble self Bayo Adeleke has been known antagonize Governor Adeleke system style of administration. They have done a lot that is against rule of law, nothing like accountability. They don’t seem to responsible to the people that elected them, and each time we complain we get threatened.
“In the document they alleged that a company owned by Prince Abdul-Yekeeni Adebayo Adeleke ICE FIRM NIG. LIMITED got some contract, luckily they didn’t say we didn’t do the work. They say as a commissioner then Bayo Adeleke is not suppose to have gotten those contracts.
“On page 21 of the report, it is alleged that I signed a letter of acceptance on behalf of ICE FIRM NIG. LIMITED on September 3, 2019. At that time, I was still the CEO and MD of the company. My appointment as commissioner did not come until October 24, 2019. Perhaps they do not understand the difference between the two dates,” he clarified.