Ex Ekiti Gov., Olusegun Oni, embezzles N5.41bn, says panel – to face panel, EFCC, ICPC

Posted by admin Ekiti, Governors, Headlines, Raw Politics, State News Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

The Contracts/Consultancy Review Committee (CCRC) set up by the Ekiti State Government has indicted ousted governor Segun Oni of embezzlement of public funds to the tune of N5.4 billion in the award of various contracts during his three-and-half-year tenure.

According to the draft White Paper on the report of the panel released to the media on Tuesday, Oni was discovered to have defrauded the state in 11 contracts awarded by him while mounting the saddle of the governor.
The contracts include dualization of Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road, Igede-Eyio-Iworoko Road, cross-boundary roads, construction of five new state secretariat buildings, new House of Assembly complex, cassava revolution scheme and purchase of 600 cows from South Africa for Ikun Dairy Farm.

The panel also allegedly discovered fraud in the award of contracts for the Ado-Ekiti solar powered streetlights, boundary roads with neighbouring states, designs of most road and housing projects.
Oni was also alleged to have defrauded Ekiti people through the Government House water reservoir project, the deputy governor’s office project, among others.

The panel, led by its Chairman, Mr. Eben Alade, recommended that the Kayode Fayemi-led administration must use all legal means to compel Oni to refund a total sum of N5, 419, 506, 264.55 to the coffers of the state government.
The panel also recommended that government should involve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the courts of law to recover all outstanding monies in the hands of Oni, his aides, career civil servants, contractors and consultants who allegedly colluded to defraud the state of billions of naira.

The outstanding monies, it said, were in form of overpayments, non-utilisation of monies released. The committee also urged government to carry out in-depth re-evaluation of all ongoing capital projects with a view to implementing them in phases.
The CCRC noted in the White Paper that the wholesale implementation of over 2,731 capital projects within the same period (May 2007 to October 2010) was unrealistic, wasteful as “this in no small measure affected the quality and timely delivery of the projects.”
The state government, under Section 17, Sub-Section 3 of the White Paper, expressed regrets that the Oni-led regime defrauded the people of the state and had directed the Ministry of Justice to explore all lawful means to recover what belongs to Ekiti people from Oni and its cronies.

It reads: “Government agrees with the observation of the CCRC on the corrupt and fraudulent disposition of Mr. Segun Oni’s administration.
“Government notes that the infraction on due process and fiscal discipline were deliberately perpetrated against the commonwealth of the people of Ekiti State apparently for personal enrichment and therefore directs the Ministry of Justice to recover from Mr. Segun Oni, severally or jointly with other identified in the CCRC report.”

Describing the Oni regime as one of the most corrupt and fraudulent contract administrations in the history of Ekiti State, the panel noted that over 90 per cent of the contracts awarded turned out to be scams as they were not subjected to due process mechanisms.
“Mr. Segun Oni presided over one of the most corrupt and fraudulent contract administrations in the history of Ekiti State. His administration infracted on due process leading to unpardonable and alarming waste of scarce resources.
“The administration embarked on contract bazaar by awarding a total of 2,731 contracts within a space of three years without fiscal discipline and proper consideration for the quantum of money available to government.
“Over 90 per cent of the contracts were either badly executed or abandoned while few are at various stages of completion. Not up to five projects were commissioned throughout the tenure of the immediate past administration.”wp_posts