CSCEOS uncovers Illegal Monthly Sharing of Millions of Naira by Osun State Government Officials

…Urges ICAN, ANAN to call members to order

The Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has uncovered another tactics being employed by top officials of the state government in sharing of sum of N120m of the tax payers money inside the bush every month as part of their largesse in playing along with the governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola in the criminal mismanagement of the State finances and unconstitutional governing of the State.

The investigation by CSCEOS revealed that the top four (4) officials of the present administration in the State and the Labour leaders were in this shoddy deal on monthly basis inside the bush within the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Okefia, Osogbo in the State capital with the aim of circumventing the truth about the financial management of the state.

Investigation further revealed that they were engaging in this act as a way to beat the anti-graft agencies officials intelligent in tracking down the looted funds and reports had it that most of the share funds were kept inside their various residential buildings and uncompleted fence buildings, adding that the affected officials also kept the part of the stolen funds with their relatives.

The names of the officials according to competent sources were the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, Chief Judge (CJ) of the State, Justice Adepele Ojo, Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola and Head of Service, Sunday Olayiwola Owoeye.

Others who allegedly connived with them were the state labour leaders led by the NLC Chairman, Jacoob Adekomi, the JNC Chairman Bayo Adejumo and one John Adeyeye,calling on the concerned security agencies to carry out sting operation in their various residential building and as well monitoring their movement henceforth.

It however called on the authorities of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria(ICAN) and Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN)in the country to call their members to order over alleged plan to help the State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to perfect the accounting records of the State in order to save the present administration under Aregbesola’s watch from any future corrupt malpractices probe by the concerned anti-graft agencies,saying that this action was against the ethics of the Accounting profession in the nation and international best practices by encouraging corruption in any form.

It described Aregbesola and his co-travelers in mismanagement of the State funds to the tune of billions of naira as illegal,unconstitutional, undemocratic, gross irresponsibility and betrayal of public trust, insisting that all these allegations should be investigated by the appropriate authority and if found guilty, they should be sent to jail for financial crimes.

According to the statement issued and signed by CSCEOS’ Chairman,Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman which was made available to newsmen on Sunday, urged the authorities of the Accounting Institutions to warn their members to distance theirselves from alleged fraudulent mindset of Aregbesola led-State government, on the plan to use the members of the respected professional bodies(ICAN and ANAN) to doctor all the financial records and documents of the State on or before first quarters of 2017, insisting that the present crop of Heads of Three(3) Arms of State government and their labour leaders alike, were notorious embezzlers that ready to rob the good people of the State of their commonwealth.

It further condemned the conflicting figures being released by the State government of the balance sheet of bailout funds accrued to the State by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) in 2015 in respect to the ongoing probe of diversion of N16.3 billion part of bailout funds by Aregbesola’s administration, explaining that all the leaders and members of the arms of government in the State were serial and pathological liars that had mortgaged the future of the State through their actions and inactions.

It added that all the leaders of the arms of government with the crop of the labour leaders in the State have soiled their hands in defrauding the State of her commonwealth, advising the anti-graft agencies and security agents to beam searchlight on all the leaders of the State arms of government on how they have been sharing the patrimony of the people of the State since all this while, calling on the State government and its agents to come out clean on the total amount being diverted out of Thirty Five billion naira (N35) bailout funds accrued to the State in August 2015.