Controversy in Ogun over N2.8bn ecological fund

[MrVan]

By LEKE ADESERI, Southwest Regional Editor & DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA — Ogun,the gateway state, yesterday, witnessed another level of confusion with the citizens being unable to make much out of the controversy.

When the dust settled between the gladiators, Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the people became more confused over the main issue – whether a N2.8 billion ecological fund, meant for ecological projects, was released to the state by the Federal Government.

Speaking at a forum jointly  addressed by commissioners for Environment and Information, Adebayo Fari  and Yusuph Olaniyonu respectively, the state government accused the former governor of sending unconfirmed  information on the ecological fund to the public with a view to cause mischief.

Olaniyonu spoke after Adebayo read a  message from his mobile phone to journalists alleging that it emanated from the former governor,

The message, which was said to have insinuated that Amosun had collected the N2.8 billion ecological fund and mismanaged it.

Amosun flays message

Although the main issue of the veracity of the claim was downplayed, Olaniyonu stressed that the administration had great plans on environmental matters.

The text read thus ''The N2.8bn which we have been lobbying the President for to construct the artificial lakes and create the solution to the perennial flooding of Isheri have now been released to Oke Mosan.

''This is the time to come together and insist that the fund is not diverted. It is what I fought for and used our closeness to Jonathan to secure. It was approved during my tenure, but for the slow machinery of government, the cheque should have long been released. It is time for your people to move – OGD."

Amosun appeals to Daniel

Olaniyonu  said the government would not have taken it seriously, but, for the former governor to have refused to  deny   the message, which, according to him,  had been in circulation  since March 26.

He urged Daniel to deny the message if truly he was not behind it, saying  ''this is not the first time  such a malicious message would be circulated in the state against this administration.

"They did so last June and it is very bad. We expect the ex-governor to deny the text if he knows nothing about it," Olaniyonu said.

Reacting to the text, Daniel, who spoke through his Media Assistant, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo,  said: "Ogun State Government should stop blackmailing Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Our attention has been drawn to another round of blackmail and unwarranted criticism of Otunba Gbenga Daniel by the Ogun State Government over a purported text message on the release of ecological funds.

Daniel reacts

"It beats our imagination how a government would base its decision to respond to a text message which authenticity has not been proven or investigated on mere hear-say.

"Serious government do not base decisions and actions on hearsay and conjectures. However, it is pertinent to affirm that the purported text message did not emanate from Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

"It is a concoction meant to give his opponents and traducers further reasons to assail him for no just cause. From the day Senator Ibikunle Amosun emerged as governor of Ogun State, Otunba Daniel asked all and sundry to cooperate with him.

"He still stands by that declaration. After more than 10 months in the saddle, the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun should now be concerned with the serious  acts of governance and refrain from chasing shadows, scoring cheap political points, playing politics with everything and  pursuing inanities which add no real value to governance and the betterment of the people. Again the text did not emanate from Otunba Gbenga Daniel and, therefore, assailing the former governor of Ogun State on the basis of a contrived message is an act of bad faith" he said.

Vanguard Nigeria