Ajimobi's government looted treasury, says Makinde
Bola Kareem/
Oyo State governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, has told how his predecessor – Abiola Ajimobi’s government allegedly emptied the state treasury and left a balance of N19, 000 in the purse.
According to Makinde, Ajimobi’s government withdrew N5.2 billion three weeks to the handing over of power.
The governor made the revelation Saturday on a live programme of Oyo State Broadcasting Corporation, tagged “Live Chat with GSM, a quarterly session with the Oyo State Governor.
He said that Ajimobi’s administration was marred by corruption, adding that the persons involved in the N5.2 billion fund withdrawal would soon be called to explain their roles.
Makinde said the state’s financial status was in a poor state when he assumed office. He added that his administration has increased internally generated revenue after blocking identified loopholes.
He said, “If I should talk about the finances of Oyo State as at the time we came on board, some people will not be able to walk on the streets. Up till date, we have not bought vehicles for the officeholders.
“If we are to buy official vehicles for myself and other officeholders, we will not spend less than N3 billion and we cannot afford that now. Up till today, I am still using my personal cars in the office. Our priority is to the people. We prioritize what we can do to the people who gave the opportunity to serve them.
“On May 6, 2019, three weeks to take over, the last administration withdrew N5.2 billion and spent it to remain N19, 000 by May 29. Soon, those involved will have to explain, how they spent the money, to the people.”
The governor said he was scared when he discovered that Ajimobi’s administration operated over 60 banks accounts.
Makinde added that his administration had been able to prune down the accounts and centralized it to promote transparency.
“When I resumed, I was scared. The government was running over 60 banks accounts. So I asked for all the balances of the accounts. A particular account has N300 million, and another has N20 million. I asked the accountant general to prune the accounts down and put all the money in one account and which came to about N6 billion,” he said. “When we assumed office, some people came to me and said that this is how they share money. I said don’t share the money to me. Let us use it to better the lives of the people of the state. IGR has gone up a bit because we have blocked loopholes.”
The governor said his administration would continue to prioritize the people of the state and deliver on its mandate.
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