Tuesday, July 5, 2011

'Akala spent N24bn on road contracts without due process'

The transition committee set up by Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said the immediate past Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala spent a mouth-watering N24 billion on road contracts in the year 2010 alone without regard for quality and maintenance.
The committee through its Chairman, Dr. Adebisi Busari also alleged that the previous administration awarded contracts with impunity and engaged consultants without due process, citing the controversial award of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital project.
These were contained in a report of the committee which was presented to the governor at the Council Chambers of the Governor's Office on Thursday by Dr. Adebisi.According to the 30-man transition committee, the resultant effect of this disregard for quality and maintenance was "that most of these roads are in various stages of disrepair."
Dr. Adebisi explained that in the course of his committee's activities, it was discovered that appointments and promotions were made within the higher echelon of the civil service, without regard to vacancies or need.
He also noted that there had been total collapse of the healthcare delivery system in the state under the former government, "in spite of the huge resources of the State committed to the sector in the last six months".
Dr. Adebisi restated that in pursuit of the mandate of the then governor-elect for a smooth transition, the previous administration created bottlenecks for the committee.
The former political science teacher said that the committee, however, had to rely on report of activities of various ministries, departments and agencies as at May, 2011, as well as information gathered at the interactive sessions with officials of these ministries, departments and agencies.
The committee also said that the out-gone government went on an "unrestrained appointment and promotion within the higher echelon of the service without regard to vacancies and/or need due to politicization of the public service."
Dr. Adebisi said that the committee hoped that Governor Ajimobi would "galvanize the transformational agenda of the present government through a peep into the financial status of Oyo state" through the various suggestions contained in the committee's report and that it "will provide the necessary compass to navigate the dark crevices of governance."
While receiving the report, Governor Ajimobi thanked the committee which he called "professional and intellectual" for its job, stating that from the presentation of its chairman which he called "erudite", he was sure that the report would be of high quality.
The governor said that the uncooperative attitude of the out-gone government was now understandable to him, based on the rot he had seen since assuming the mantle of office, maintaining that the government would look into the government to see how the government was run in the past.
He commended the quality of the committee stating that already, two out of it had been appointed as Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff and wished that some more would be appointed into office by government.

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