Alleged LG Funds Diversion: Begin Prosecution Of Aregbesola Now, Rights Group Tells EFCC

By Joseph Sunday 

A rights group under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to begin the criminal prosecution of the former Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola who is currently the Interim National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress(ADC) over alleged diversion of Local Government funds for period of eight (8) years of his administration in the State.

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Aregbesola who governed the State between the 2010 and 2018, was dragged before the anti-graft agencies for misappropriation of different funds accrued to the State from federation account and particularly, the Local Government funds through the phantom projects claimed to be carried out on behalf of the local council then.

The CHRSJ which was the leading group comprises of Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) under the leadership of Late Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman (aka Revolutionary Alfa), had earlier written different petition letters to the anti- graft agency with convincing tangible evidences, requesting for immediate prosecution of Aregbesola after leaving office as a Governor of Osun State in 2018 due to the expiration of immunity of his exalted office.

But to the dismay of the civil rights group, the anti-graft agency turn deaf hear after the group leadership had written the statement at the Zonal office of the agency in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital to adopt the petition for the beginning of the prosecution of Aregbesola over the alleged financial crime totalling over N600 billion.

Among the Petition Letters written to the anti-corruption agency dated Friday, 4th of September, 2015; Thursday, 17th of June, 2016 and Monday 19th of November, 2018 respectively for subsequent prosecution of Aregbesola over alleged financial fraud.

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Also, the Petition Letters dated Monday 21st of March, 2016 and Monday, 4th of April, 2016 respectively were received by the Presidency and the leadership of two Chambers of the National Assembly on 7th March, 2016, with other concerned International organisations for necessary actions on the subject matters then.

In a statement issued and signed by the CHRSJ’s Deputy General Secretary (DGS), Comrade Abiola Ganiyu (Dove) and copies were made available to newsmen on Sunday, disclosed that the group would soon write the letter to the anti- graft agency to begin the prosecution of Aregbesola without further delay. 

The group claimed that Aregbesola and his then Commissioners for Finance and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Wale Bolorunduro and Kolapo Alimi respectively were alleged of diverting the Local Government allocations accrued to the State between January 2011 to December 2014 by illegally suspending the democratic structure in the Council area of the State, thereby making it easy for Aregbesola and his cohorts to divert the State resources including the Local Government resources to the tune of over N600billion.

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It insisted that Bolorunduro and Alimi were still on Administrative bail of the anti-graft agency, revealing that Aregbesola could only account for N6 billion out of N300 billion accrued to the Local Government cover through the State then for the period of first four years term of office.

According to the CHRSJ; “Aregbesola should stop claiming saint about good governance in Nigeria because he became the member of opposing political party coalition presently.

During his tenure as a Governor of Osun State, he was a clueless governor, running an administration without any human face with corruption personified.

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Aregbesola had not shown any prudence in the management of resources accrued to the State, particularly, the Local government cover then”.

CHRSJ further disclosed that Aregbesola lacked moral justification to criticise any government in the land, saying that when he had an opportunity to rule Osun State for the period of eight (8) years, Aregbesola destroyed the State beyond redemption by plunging the State into irredeemable debt with non-payment of salaries and pensions to workers and retirees alike then and later became the progenitor of half salaries and pensions which made the people of the State to nick named him ‘BABA HAFUSA?’.”

The group, therefore, disclosed that it had concluded arrangement to write a letter to the leadership of the anti-graft agency on how to begin the investigation on the aforementioned petition letters against the former Governor Rauf Aregbesola on his bad stewardship as Governor of Osun State. 

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