The immediate past Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, and some of his aides on Monday reported at the Special Fraud Unit of the Force Headquarters Annex, Alagbon, Lagos.
Ladoja and others were invited by the police in connection with a petition by the Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, alleging that the former governor cornered about N2bn from the sale of the state’s shares.
Other officials that went with Ladoja include his Chief of Staff, Chief Sharafadeen Alli; the SSG, Mr. Ayodele Adigun; the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Waheed Akanni; the Executive Assistant, Mr. Lai Are; and the Senior Special Executive Assistant, Mr. Wale Atanda.
Attempts to speak with the former governor and the other officials were futile as calls made to their mobile phones did not go through.
The Chief Press Secretary to the former governor, Mr. Lanre Latinwo, however, told our correspondent that the team was in high spirit.
Latinwo, who was among the crowd of supporters of Ladoja that stormed his Bodija, Ibadan, residence said the former governor and the other officials were asked to write statements.
Since the early hours of Monday, he said the supporters of the former governor had been streaming to his house in solidarity.
He said, “This place has been like Mecca since morning. The governor’s supporters know that he was only being harassed. The truth shall prevail.
“They were asked to write statements on arrival at the place. Hopefully after obtaining their statements they will let them off the hook and continue with their investigation.
“I’m in constant touch with them and I can confirm to you that the police had been courteous to them. They were kept in the same room.”
Meanwhile, Ladoja on Monday accused the Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, of persecuting him by making false accusations against him to bring his person into disrepute.
Speaking on the allegation of mismanaging some shares belonging to the state government made against him by the governor, Ladoja said the allegations were unfounded.
Ladoja spoke at the first Annual Legal Year Lecture of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in Lagos. The occasion attracted dignitaries from the legal and political spheres in Nigeria.
The former governor said, ”He (Akala) is just using his connection with the police to persecute me.
”He was a former police officer and he is trying to use that to score some personal gain. I know his tactics.
”I have made my position on this matter known to the police and I am also ready for any further interrogation. But the allegation was unfounded and I am ready to prove this.”
The former governor also flayed the Alao-Akala‘s administration for its refusal to pay the minimum wage of N9, 400 to the striking state workers.
Ladoja debunked the insinuation that he increased the workers‘ pay to cause problem for the incoming Alao-Akala‘s government.
He added that he looked into the issues painstakingly before his government agreed that the state could conveniently pay the workers.
He said, When we decided to pay them, we know that the state government could afford to pay the wage. What we did was in conformity with other states and the Federal Government’s 15 per cent increase.
”There is no reason why the new government should not pay. It could pay it successfully if it wanted to pay. What the government had to pay could not be more than 55 per cent of the allocation. This is beside the entire internally-generated revenue that also accrues to the state coffers.
”So, they are not paying the workers for no just reason.”
When asked whether he supported the workers‘ strike, Ladoja said, “It is not for me to say whether I support the strike or not. It should not appear as if anybody is inciting the workers. Let them go and negotiate with the government so that they would return to work.”
Ladoja also said he was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Also speaking on the occasion, at which the former President of the NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun, (SAN), was the chairman, the former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande called for the restructuring of the federation.
He said the present arrangement could not bring about the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians.
He added that a lot of things were wrong about the federation as presently constituted.
Akin Oyedele and Kayode Ketefe
The Punch
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
