N2bn Fraud: We’re not after Amosun, says Ogun Assembly

The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, says the legislature’s resolution indicting former Managing Director of the State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC), Babajide Odusolu, over N2. 5billion, allegedly unaccounted during his tenure, has nothing to do with the immediate past governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Odusolu’s reign between 2015 and 2019 as the OPIC MD and Special Adviser to Amosun, is being probed by the State Assembly.

Last month, the legislature received the report of the House Committee on Public Accounts and Anti- Corruption on the probe, and passed resolutions, calling on the anti – graft agencies to investigate and recover into the State’s coffers, N2,579,771,717.71, allegedly unaccounted for under Odusolu’s watch.

The Assembly also directed the former Managing Director to pay back N40m that was unaccounted for in Year 2019 within six months.

However, Odusolu fired back and accused the lawmakers of political vendetta.

The former MD flanked by a team of lawyers led by Adetunji Adeniyi from Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and Co, also threatened to approach to court to challenge the proceeding.

Odusolu, a lawyer and real estate expert, accused members of the assembly of lacking accounting and auditing knowledge.

Odusolu said “The Assembly has arrogated to itself the role of judge and jury and passed judgment without having adequate knowledge and information.

“I don’t think this is something that I should allow to go because if I allow it to go, not only will it destroy all the good works that have been done to build Ogun state, it will scare other professionals from ever volunteering to serve.”

Reacting on Tuesday, Oluomo told Odusolu to clear his name, saying the probe report didn’t indict Amosun.

He said “At a point, he started writing letters to the House that he does not want to appear, he cannot appear, he traveled, he is sick. And because we have a duty to serve the people of the State, to expose corruption and waste, all we did was to say, if the man is not coming again, he should go and meet the people that are empowered by law to do further investigations.

“The man started going to various television stations, what has that got to go with the House of Assembly? I repeat this House would not engage in media war with anybody. And he was trying to draw the former Governor into it, this is not about Amosun.

“The audit report did not mention Amosun’s name, the report mentioned Odusolu as the MD of OPIC, who was the accounting officer of the Corporation. The House is not engaging in witch-hunting, it is purely the duty of the House to protect the resources of Ogun State from being wasted. So if he likes, let him buy and advertise in 250 newspapers and even go to CNN.”