Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has expressed the resolve of his government to probe his predecessor in office, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola over how the ex-governor’s regime utilized over N25 billion accrued to the state from the excess crude oil account.
The governor who disclosed this when he held an interactive session with a cross section of indigenes of the state to mark his one year anniversary in office, said a commission of enquiry would soon be constituted to probe how the funds were spent.
Responding to questions by those who attended the parley held at the Governor’s office, Aregbesola told the audience that the sum covered a period three years, saying record kept by the former administration only showed that N16 billion was actually spent on non-existing jobs.
According to the governor in the event that was monitored by our correspondent yesterday in Lagos, the breakdown of the figure showed that the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Committee (RMFAC) the funds were credited the state between 2007 and 2010.
Though he did not state when the commission of enquiry would begin its assignment, Aregbesola used the occasion to criticise his predecessor for not properly managing the finances of the state while in office.
The governor, who spoke in Yoruba during the duration of the event, said, “The last administration showed clear disregard for financial rules and ethics. Their government was a bazaar of sorts where anything went in the management of the state. For instance, it will shock you to know that N25 billion was given to the state from excess crude funds.
“When we came, we discovered that they could only account for N16 billion in their records. The money was paid to phony contractors for non-existent project, leaving us to guess what they did with the remaining N9 billion. We will get to the roots of this and I assure you that a commission of enquiry would soon be set up to probe them.”
The governor, who used the occasion to account for his stewardship as well as unfold his programmes for the state, however, urged workers not to succumb to the antic of his political opponents who he said were out to hook wick them by turning them against his government.