Osun Truth Commission: Petitioners seek ban of Oyinlola from public office

ONE hundred and forty nine graduates of the Songhai Agricultural Programme in Republic of Benin have described their training, sponsored by the ousted Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration, as an extortion of public funds.

The graduates were testifying before the State Truth and Reconciliation Commission yesterday.

Leader of the participants, Mr. Ebenezer Oluwole, urged the Justice Odewiegie Uwaifo-led panel to ban Oyinlola, ex-Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters Muieeb Opeloye and the permanent secretary in the ministry from holding public offices.

In a petition, Oluwole said Oyinlola and Opeloye mismanaged funds appropriated for a mechanised farm for the graduates after their training on livestock and crop production.

He said the government reneged on its promise to employ them or grant them a loan of N4 million each to invest in the project.

Oluwole said N2 million was deducted from each of the 30 local governments for five months, totalling N300 million, to fund the scheme, but there was nothing to show for it.

He said the government refused to release the certificates of the graduates, thereby denying them other job opportunities.

The petitioners urged the panel to probe Oyinlola and others involved in the programme.

They sought a compensation of N500,000 each and urged the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to resuscitate the programme.

State Counsel O. F. Akintayo said he was served with the petition a day before the hearing and the affected corporations were yet to reply.

Another petition from “Concerned Citizens of Sekona” in Ede South accused the previous administration ofneglect. It said the government refused to cite any higher institution in the community.

The Olu of Sekona, Oba Ibraheem Adebowale-, said a Local Government Training Institute, which was cited in the town during the regime of former Military Administrator Commander Anthony Udofia, was abandoned by previous administrations.

He urged the commission to recommend that the Local Government Service Commission takes over the institute and sets aside funds for the project.