A Civil Society Organization (CSO) in Osun State under the auspices of
Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS)
has dragged the younger brother to the former Interim National
Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, Mr.
Oyeniyi Akande who is currently the Part-time Chairman of the
Governing Council of Osun State College of Education ,Ila-Orangun
since 2013 and other nine(9) members of the top management of the
College over illegal diversion of the approved N300million College
funds for one projects or the other in the College Community.
It was learnt that the members of the top management of the College
that were named in the corrupt allegation included the College former
Acting Provost, Dr. Basiru Gbadamosi, the Registrar and Secretary to
the Governing Council, Mr. Aderinola Adeoti, former College Bursar,
now Bursar College of Education, Ilesa, Mr. Akin Latilo, and Mr. David
Olayinka Olojede, a member of the Governing Council.
Others involved in the alleged scam and diversion of Project funds
were; Mr. Oyegbade Reuben Abayo, Mr. Amobi Yinusa Akinlola, Mr. Ayoola
Peter Olajiola, Mr. Moses Oyewole Otitoola, and Mr. Kujeunbola
Oluwafemi.
This was contained in a Petition Letter dated Monday 21st of March,
2016 with the titled “Request for investigation and prosecution of Mr.
Oyeniyi Akande, the Part-Time Chairman, Governing Council, Osun State
College of Education(OSSCE), Ila-Orangun, Osun state and nine (9)
others for the offence of fraudulent conversion and diversion of
N.3billion public funds approved for the Tetfund project i.e. the
construction of Amphil-theatre and other sundry projects for the
growth and development of the college community since 2014. Why Civil
Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) is
demanding for investigation, arrest and possible prosecution of the
culprits”, which was signed by the CSCEOS’ Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi,
Alimi Sulaiman and the copy was made available to newsmen on Tuesday,
called for the thorough and credible investigation of the allegation
by the anti-graft body without minding whose ox was gored.
The Petition Letter which was received by the Abuja National Head
office of the anti-graft Commission(EFCC) on Tuesday 22nd of March,
2016 and also forwarded to the Visitor of the College and Osun State
governor, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, Speaker, Osun State House of
Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, Federal Minister of Education, Alhaji
Adamu Adamu, Osun State Director, State Security Service (SSS) ,past
leaders in Osun State including Governor, Deputy-Governors, Secretary
to the State Government(SSG) and Head of Service(HoS) and the College
Provost, among others, for their notification and necessary action.
Comrade Sulaiman maintained that the massive corruption according to
the available verified documents showed that the scam spread to fees
for Certificates collection, College Transport account and College
History among others, alleging that the authority of the College had
purportedly spent closed to three hundred million naira (N300m) on the
aforementioned projects since 2014 and the projects did not see the
light of the day till this present moment, while all the funds
released for the Projects have been diverted by Akande and his crime
–in- aides, requesting that the anti-graft Commission should probe all
the Banks’ Account used to siphon the College funds in question by the
aforementioned people.
The group alleged that sum of One hundred and seven Million naira
(N107m) out of One hundred and twenty-five million (N125m) were
released by the Federal Government through Tetfund as a Special
Intervention fund to the College for building of a Lecture Theatre
(Amphittheatre) which remained unaccounted for as the foundation of
the project has not been completed after two (2) years the project was
awarded to the Contractor, Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited,
Ibadan, adding that in January 2015, the sum of Five million One
hundred and Thirty six Thousand, seven hundred and sixteen naira,
Thirty Kobo were released to the contractor-Digitpro Engineering
Technology Limited, Ibadan as part of fund approved for the
construction of Amphitheatre
According to the Petition Letter: “To our dismay, at the one meeting
of the College Governing Council where the failed Tetfund Amphitheatre
Lecture contract was extensively discussed, the Council noted that
though the sum of One Hundred and Seven Million naira (N107m) had been
released to the contractor-Digitpro Engineering Technology Limited,
Ibadan, the evaluators which the Governing Council brought from the
Osun State Ministry of Works and Transport, Abeere, Osogbo valued the
work done at the site of the project at Thirteen Million naira (N13m).
Surprisingly at the said meeting, Mr. Akande promised to handle the
issue with “maturity”. His position to “maturity” rather than sanction
and possible arrest is at variance with Mr. Akande’s make-belief
anti-corruption posture. This position of Mr. Akande further confirmed
our believe that Akande’s hand has been soiled with the project funds.
“Meanwhile, one of the members of the Governing Council, Mr. Yinka
Olojede had earlier confessed that they shared the funds meant for the
project in question (Amphitheatre) with maturity as being directed by
Mr. Akande and Mr. Niyi Akande as well connive with one of his cronies
who floated a Consultancy firm named JAC DIRAN LIMITED, through which
he fraudulently collected about Twelve million Naira (N12m) from the
amphitheatre project apart from N107million earlier approved to the
Contractor which One Hundred and Two million (N102m) released to the
contractor.
“Furthermore, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande engages at will various Consultants,
who are mostly his associates and cronies, to handle and or oversee
the College’s projects and activities, even, where there were staffs
of the college so designated to do the job. He unilaterally decides
whooping amounts of funds to be paid these Consultants and many of
them do not deliver the contracts to the specification. One of such
was the College’s website (Internet facility) and several millions of
naira was committed to the project and the Consultant/Contractor
failed to deliver the job since three (3) years ago. Akande’s numerous
consultants are the drain-pipes through which the College’s Internally
Generated Revenues (IGRs) are being siphoned”.
The Petition further stated that, “under the chairmanship of Mr.
Oyeniyi Akande, the Governing council threw decorum into wind by
increasing the stipulate fees for collection of Certificates by the
Students from five thousand naira (N5, 000) to twelve thousand naira
(N12, 000) and Ten Thousand naira (N10, 000) to Twenty-two thousand
naira (N22, 000) for NCE and Degree graduates respectively. And,
substantial part of the proceeds realized was siphoned by the Council
Chairman.
“Also, the College engages in commercial transportation for
convenience of the Staff and Students where two Coaster buses were
procured for daily shuttle and hire and as at today, over Ten million
naira (N10m) have been realized and squandered by the Governing
Council Chairman, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande. It will interest you to hear
that Mr. Oyeniyi Akande as Chairman of the Governing Council of the
College, hides under the guise of being the younger brother to the
former Interim National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, to use the hard- earned funds of
the institution to run his Private owned Ila Technical College which
had just only fourteen students for the Period of two session”.
It added that, “It is also on record that Mr. Oyeniyi Akande
unilaterally increased his own monthly allowances from One Hundred and
Ten Thousand naira (N110,000) to one Hundred and Fifty naira(N150,000)
and those of other members of the Governing Council from sixty eight
Thousand seven Hundred and fifty naira(N68,750) to One Hundred
Thousand Naira (N100,000) since 2014 which contrary to the Osun State
Government Circular with Ref No: S/PRI/23/187 (composition of Boards
and the Remuneration of Members), due Process and College Edict.
The group therefore urged at the anti-graft Commission to request for
all the flight tickets of all the travel allowances from Abuja to
Ila-Orangun,Osun State, being claimed by the Part-Time Chairman of
Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, Governing Council, Mr.
Oyeniyi Akande for the period of 2013 to March 2016.