Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the project consultant for the Ilesa Water Project, Mrs Tawa Williams over questionable handling of $106 million dollar loan for the project.
The governor in a statement by his spokesperson,Mallam Olawale Rasheed,further ordered probe of the entire project and disbursed loans especially as there is no progress on the project despite reported disbursement of N10 billion and another $28million on the project.
The governor also suspended the project coordinator to allow comprehensive review of the loan administration while the Consultant was directed to return to government the N70m bullet proof jeep in her possession.
His directive was sequel to the interim report of the state’s Assets Recovery Committee chaired by Dr B.T. Salami which made recommendations for immediate action to stop further squandering of loans secured to execute the Water Project.
Adeleke deplored the large scale corruption reflected in the handling of the loans and the project, an action he regretted has denied people of Ilesa and environs of drinkable water.
” My administration will dig into this matter with all seriousness. The huge fund in question are loans to be repaid. We have a sacred duty to ensure accountability and transparency in the handling of the fund and the project”, Senator Adeleke affirmed.
The Assets Recovery Committee had submitted an interim report which revealed an ongoing large scale pilfering of the procured loans while the project recorded no progress commensurating with reported expenditure.
According to the interim report of Salami led committee, the Islamic Development Bank agreed to fund the project to the tune of $65 million while the Federal Government provided $41.94 million.
“So far, a total of $27.073 million has been expended from the IDB loan of $65 million, leaving a balance of the sum of $37.926 million. However, from the Federal Government loan of $41.94 million which the Consultant had converted to N12 Billion, the sum of N10 Billion had been purportedly spent on the project, leaving a balance of N2 Billion”, the report posited.
The committee noted that despite the huge sums of $27.073 million and N10 Billion of the state resources (repayable loans) already spent so far, the Ilesa water project is not yet functional and the good people of Ilesa are yet to access any water.
Meanwhile,Governor Ademola Adeleke has ordered the immediate disbandment of the state’s Mining Joint Taskforce (JTF).
He directed the existing JTF to hand over all government vehicles and documents in their possession to the Solid Minerals Committee.He further ordered the reconstitution of the JTF.
He had penultimate week announced far reaching reform of the solid mineral sector which include stopping unauthorised mining, addressing challenges of mining related environmental degradation and ensuring Osun state get her due return from the sector.
He had also set up a Solid Mineral Committee to look into activities of stakeholders within the sector with a view to put an end to revenue leakages, unauthorised appropriation of solid minerals and tackling increasing criminal activities around the mining communities.
” I consequently direct the Chairman of the Solid Mineral Committee to take neccesary steps to ensure seamless transition from the old to the new JTF. The new team when constituted must operate with utmost professionalism with zero tolerance for misconduct”,he directed.
