I can’t approve more than N1m – Ondo commissioner

The Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ms Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, says she does not approve more than N1m. She said anything above that would require the approval of the governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

She also noted that the governor could not approve more than N20m, and that any sum above that would need to be debated and approved by the state executive council.

Ademola-Olateju said this when she appeared on Arise TV News on Friday morning, to respond to allegations by a senior advocate of Nigeria, Kayode Ajulo, that commissioners were faking Akeredolu’s signature on account of his ill health. She also dismissed insinuations that the governor was not in charge.

When asked the last time she communicated with the governor, she said about two weeks ago she sent two memos to the governor and they were returned with his approval.

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She stated, “As a commissioner, my approval limit is N1m; I can’t approve more than N1m, while the governor can’t approve more than N20m. That is what it is. If it’s more than N20m, he has to bring it to the State Executive Council, we deliberate on it and approve as need be.

“For me, if I need more than N1m, I have to send it to the governor, within his approval limit. In this case, I needed two things to be done this December, running into millions, which was above my approval limit but within the governor’s approval limit. We keep all the files and send them to him in Ibadan.”

She said there was no disparity in signature between the files the governor signed before he took ill and those he signed after his return from his medical trip. She dismissed samples of what was purported to be the original and counterfeited signatures of the governor in the social media, saying there were no dates or other details of the letters to warrant any attention. “We are familiar with the governor’s signature, and nobody should come and bamboozle us,” she added.

Asked if the state was planning to take Ajulo to court to substantiate his claims, she said the commissioner for justice and attorney general of the state was looking into it.

She noted, “I think the Attorney General is really looking at that, because he (Ajulo) said he had got forensic experts. He’s my friend and I don’t want to attack him. He has some kind of aggressive nature when it comes to issues like this. In places where there are tiffs, he would just stake his position and take a side, which is not good for someone of his legal stature.

“Someone who wants to be fair and balanced needs to hear the other side. But we are looking at it very carefully.”

He accused political gladiators of using extra-legal means to force themselves to be in reckoning before the 2024 governorship election in the state, a development she described as unfortunate.

The commissioner also alleged that the actions of the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, caused the division among cabinet members and people of the state.

When asked her thoughts about the reported ambition of the deputy governor, she stated, “He’s the person who can talk about his own ambition, but you can see from what is going on, what is even public record, that he has gone about it in a very bad way. If I were him, I would act differently.

“Before all these things degenerated, the governor saw him as his son. Everywhere, he mentioned Aiyedatiwa as his person. I don’t know where the trust broke down and since things went south, he has gone about it the wrong way. His actions have polarised the excos and divided the state.

“When peace was brokered in Aso Villa by the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I felt he (Aiyedatiwa) would come back and rally the troops, so we could face the issue of governance in Ondo State, but I don’t know. Now that peace was brokered in Aso Villa, the governor and the state executive council have kept their side of the bargain but we still see sponsored stories.”

She stressed that nobody had prevented Aiyedatiwa from discharging his duties, adding, “He wants to act (as the governor), for what? The governor is still alive. He’s doing his job, other than not appearing in the office or attending social events.”