Politics
FORMER Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has urged Governor Seyi Makinde to beam his searchlight on the activities of civil servants and those working in government instead of accusing his ex-officials of carting away government’s property after the expiration of their tenure.
Ajimobi’s advice followed the accusations and counter-accusations between his administration and the state government on recovered government vehicles.
The former governor said the admonition became imperative after alleged moves to tarnish his image and that of his former aides on alleged missing property, especially vehicles.
The former governor spoke on Sunday while addressing reporters in his Oluyole, Ibadan residence after observing the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the Ansar-Ur-Deen prayer ground, Liberty Area, Oke Ado.
The two-term governor, who recounted that he did not meet anything in terms of home appliances, furniture up to kitchen utensils at the Government House upon his election in 2011, said he tried to avoid a repetition of the same because he worked till the last day of his tenure in office on May 28, 2019.
He added that the lesson he learnt, which necessitated the move, was that government workers took advantage of ex-Governor Christopher Alao-Akala’s leaving the Government House few days before the legitimate expiration of his term as governor to loot and plunder the official government’s residence.
However, he said as it is being done all over the world, even in corporate organisation where people are allowed to leave positions they occupied with their official vehicles, he also allowed his predecessors in office to leave with their official vehicles.
Ajimobi added that his administration took the decision to advise people to pay for such vehicles before leaving with them.
He was flanked by his wife, Florence, the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, APC state secretary Mr. Mojeed Olaoya, the embattled chairmen under the aegis of Association of Local Governments of Nigerian (ALGON), who were led by their chairman, Mr. Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, his former media adviser, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, among other aides, party chieftains and members.
He said: “Again, if we are talking vehicles, I think papers have been written. When you are in government, there are policies to be taken. There are decisions taken. We took the decisions that anybody using vehicles at that time should pay and take it away. And that was what we did. Go to every state, Federal Government and all other state, there is nowhere in the world that people will work and not take away their vehicles when they are leaving.
“So, let them go and check many of those people in government, the civil servants. When I moved into the Government House, Agodi, I didn’t see any furniture; they took the whole curtains, furniture, chairs, tables, televisions, home appliances up till the last table spoon. Ask Governor Seyi Makinde if they took anything from the Government House, when he got there, up to spoons and knives. I left them there. But you know why? It was because I worked up till the last day in office.” – The Nation
– Aug. 12, 2019 @ 13:45 GMT |
Tags: Ajimobi to Makinde: Ask civil servants about missing properties
