Anti-Corruption: National Assembly has the right to Probe Osun State Finances – CSCEOS

… CSCEOS tells Aregbesola, Speaker, Assembly
… Alleges EFCC of complicity

A civil group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has declared that the National Assembly has the right and power as part of its oversight functions, to probe the State government finances under the watch of Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in line with section 62(1&2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, saying that Mr. Aregbesola and Mr. Najeem Salaam and other twenty-five(25) members of the Rubber Stamp State House of Assembly were ignorant of the law and Constitutional provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. , adding that the bailout funds were special funds being released to the State by the Federal Government for special matter of payment of backlogs of salaries and pension and gratuties at the material time.

It however alleged that the present crop of Twenty-Six (26) members of the State House of Assembly, including its Speaker, were collaborators of Aregbesola to divert the bailout funds meant for the payment of backlogs of workers’ salaries, pension and grantuities, insisting that the State government under Aregbesola’s watch still owed the State workforce and retirees alike for the period of ten(10) to eleven(11) months arrears of salaries and pension due with backlogs of gratuities from 2008 to 2012 respectively which has negative impact on the economy of the State.

Besides, the group reiterated its commitment to the anti-corruption policy of the Federal Government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that some All Progressives Congress (APC) ruling State, particularly, Mr. Aregbesola of Osun State is not interested in the anti-corruption posture of Buhari led administration, alleging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of complicity with Aregbesola, for anti-graft agency’s failure to make its financial crimes report of the present administration in the State open to the public upon heap of evidences submitted to EFCC’s office across the country, like her sister organization, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other related offence Commission(ICPC) on the diversion of bailout funds accrued to the States by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It also raised the alarm that Mr. Aregbesola had concluded arrangement to divert the recently released N84billion Paris Club Excess Funds to the State by the Federal Government, insisting that over six years of Aregbesola’s administration in the State, had become the years of disasters with social pains and pangs to the people of the State.

Addressing the Journalists and People of the State at the Opening of the Two-Day Anti-Corruption Rally organized by CSCEOS in collaboration with Forum of 2011/2012 Group of retirees, a Pressure group under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners(NUP) Osun State Chapter, in support of the Senate Committee on State and Local Governments Administration Probe over illegal diversion of bailout funds accrued to the State by the Federal Government and against the over six(6) years Bad Governance of Rauf Aregbesola in the State in Osogbo on Wednesday, the Leader of the group, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, reiterated that the National Assembly has every right to probe Aregbesola’s mismanagement of funds and criminal diversion of bailout funds accrued to the State in line with the Provision of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Protest which took the protesters to the State House of Assemble and they were chatting anti-Aregbesola’ songs, condemning the kangaroo meeting of the State House of Assembly on the same day the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration began their investigation on the State government over the bailout funds.

According to the group, “If Rauf Aregbesola and his co-travelers had not have hidden agenda on the diversion of bailout funds, why they are jittery over the probe of the National Assembly. You will recall in their media recently that Mr. Aregbesola and State House of Assembly led by one Najeem Salaam have been shattering the probe panel of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly because they have hidden agenda on the bailout funds and other funds accrued to the State from Federation Account. We strongly condemned Aregbesola for insensitive to the plight of the workers and retirees alike in the State. As we are speaking here today, some members of our group (CSCEOS) and few patriots in the State are ready to appear before the panel to tender mind boggling documents on how Aregbesola diverted the bailout funds.

“The leaders and entire members of the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) which cut across the length and breadth of the State, are worried over the future of the State in the hands of Aregbesola and his cohorts as Twenty-Six(26) members, including Speaker, Najeem Salaam, of the State House of Assembly are satisfied with the unconstitutional and illegal way and manner that Aregbesola has been employed to govern the State in over Six(6) years ago as Sole Administrator, without State Cabinet and non-conduct of Local government election, huge domestic and foreign debts, diversion of local government funds, non-payment of workers’ salaries, Pension and gratuities for period of Ten(10) to Eleven(11) months, appointment of Grade Level 14 as Council Managers instead of democratically elected officials in the Local government areas of the State as stipulated in the section 7 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, bastardization of Education and Health sector of the State, Capital Flight to Lagos State, criminal mismanagement of State funds, diversion of bailout funds, using State funds to sponsor fruitless electoral process in another States of the Federation since 2011 till date and other Constitutional breaches”.

While welcoming the Senate Committee on State and local Government administration in Nigeria to the State, the group commended Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, for exposing Aregbesola over alleged plan to divert the sum of N84billion Paris Club funds which Presidency released to the State recently to pay the backlogs of the workers’ salaries and Pension due and other financial obligations.