A former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has asked Governor Dapo Abiodun to probe his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, over alleged wasteful spending and mismanagement of state resources.
Daniel, who accused Amosun of misplaced priorities in the execution of projects during the latter’s tenure, said the “anomalies” of the immediate past governor should be looked into in the interest of good governance.
He spoke at a reception held in honour of Abiodun by the Ijebu Heritage Group at the Awujale’s palace in Ijebu-Ode on Sunday evening.
The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who was represented by the Dagburewe of Idowa, Oba Yinusa Adekoya, chaired the event which was attended by the intelligentsia of Ogun East senatorial district.
Delivering his goodwill message, Daniel said it was not difficult for him to support Abiodun in the course of electioneering despite temporary partisan differences.
He recalled that when he contested for governorship in 2003, the incumbent governor backed him, adding that his own support for Abiodun amounted to “one good turn deserves another” scenario.
The former governor lashed out at his own successor in office, saying Amosun failed to read the comprehensive handover notes his administration gave in 2011 thereby slowing down the economic growth and development of the state for eight years.
He identified some projects, including roads, bridges, street lights, housing estates and model schools executed at exorbitant prices by the Amosun administration which should be investigated.
Daniel said, “It has become clear to most people that the immediate past governor did not read our comprehensive handover notes in 2011. There is no doubt that his inability to read those notes have slowed down the economic growth and development of our dear state in the last eight years.
“Our past governor constructed visible roads and bridges at exorbitant prices. I am informed that the average cost of those roads is approximately N1billion per kilometre. The maximum cost I could remember during my time was N50million per kilometre. Yet I cannot see the difference in the quality of those roads that should warrant a cost at 20 times our going rate.
“I, therefore, think that in the interest of good governance it might be inevitable to look into some of these anomalies. But even more regrettable is the fact that some of the bridges are misplaced priorities as there are no traffic to justify some of those dual carriage bridges and there may not be in the foreseeable future.
“I have seen a planned housing estate complete with road networks and street lights without a single house and I have also seen a pedestrian bridge fully air conditioned, in a place where there is no human traffic and I have also seen the so-called model schools costing the state some whopping N26billion but most of them inhabitable and in the wrong location.
“The list is endless. If those same amount were utilised in doing internal roads and new roads even in the same locations, the economic impact would have been enormous in those locations.”
The former governor expressed regret over the sloppy manner which the Amosun administration allegedly handled the Dangote refinery project which was eventually lost to neighbouring Lagos State.
According to him, the refinery has the potential of employing jobless youths in the state if allowed to flourish.
“Whereas it is too late to reverse the location of Dangote Refinery, the Deep Sea Port project, the fertiliser project and, of course, the OKLNG project, again the biggest of its kind in the world can still be pursued with vigour in collaboration with the Federal Government and the private sector,” he added.
Daniel also bemoaned the controversial upgrading of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta to university of science and technology and the establishment of a new polytechnic in Ipokia area by the Amosun administration.
His words: “If the former governor had desired to establish another university in Egbaland, he would simply have upgraded the College of Engineering which we established in Ibogun to a full fledged University of Technology in Egbaland and even upgrade the College of Agricultural Sciences in Aiyetoro to another University seamlessly or the Ayo Otegbola ICT Polytechnic in Igbesa as may be desired.
“Your Excellency, it is clearly not too late to revisit these issues. I will be most delighted if the opportunity arises to re-present those developmental agenda with necessary explanatory notes as it would appear not a lot has happened beyond the roads and the bridges since we left.”
The former governor canvassed the imperative of unity among the people of Ogun East devoid of the artificial line of divide vis-à-vis the Ijebu and Remo dichotomy.
In his remarks, Abiodun restated his commitment to fulfilling his electoral promises to the people.
The governor, who thanked the organisers of the reception, promised intervention in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, security, trade and investments towards providing focused and qualitative governance to the people.
He also promised to govern with character, serve diligently and sincerely and make the interests of the people the core of governance.
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