Oyo govt debunks contract scandal claim

The Oyo State government has faulted a media publication alleging mismanagement of the state's resources regarding the construction of the Mokola bridge in Ibadan, describing it as 'unfounded assumption.'

According to the state government, the paid advertisement published in The Guardian was 'fraught with inaccuracies, unfounded assumption, disjointed reports, hearsay and rumours.' It described the advertisers as 'operating under the aegis of a faceless and unregistered association called Oyo Anti-corruption Group.'

In the said advertorial, the group, represented by Alhaji Lukman Akinpelu, A.O. Adepoju and Lanre Ogundipe, queried the cost of the Mokola flyover and another bridge over Ogunpa River in Bodija, Ibadan. The group described the costs as 'outrageous,' and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the contract sums and determine the true cost.

The state government, writing through its lawyers - Olayinka Bolanle & Company - expressed shock at what it called the 'scandalous insinuations' in the publication, wondering why the newspaper did not contact the government in order to ascertain the truth before publication.

The lawyers described the signatories to the advertorial as 'disgruntled politicians who could not see anything good in the achievement of Abiola Ajimobi-led government of Oyo State. It emphasizes that the group was only seeking to undermine 'all development strides being embarked upon by the current administration to better the lives of the people of Oyo State.'