Former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola are at odds over allegations of project diversion.
Amosun, through his media aide Lanre Akinwale, in a statement on Monday, March 31, accused Adeola of misrepresenting a library project at Ewang Estate Extension, Abeokuta.
He claimed the project signpost falsely indicated it was for “Renovation of Ake Pavilion Roofing and Other Facilities, Ogun State,” suggesting federal funds meant for Ake Pavilion were diverted.
“Our attention has been drawn to a Library construction project at the Ewang Estate Extension, Abeokuta, facilitated by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (YAYI).
“However, the project board erected at the site of the Library project has a different inscription, tagged, ‘Renovation of Ake Pavilion Roofing and Other Facilities, Ogun State,’” Akinwale stated.
He insisted the Ake Pavilion project was solely financed by Amosun and not a constituency project.
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Senator Adeola denied the allegation, arguing the project inscription included “other facilities” across Ogun State and was not limited to Ake Pavilion.
“For those not conversant with budgetary terminologies, the wordings ‘and other facilities, Ogun State’ show that the project was not confined to Ake Pavilion alone.
“Indeed, it could include construction of roads, school, library, among others in Ogun State as determined by the implementing agency and facilitator of the project in the budget based on availability of funds,” Adeola’s media adviser, Kayode Odunaro, said.
He explained that appeals from Egba indigenes led to budgetary inclusion for Ake Pavilion’s renovation, but he later learned it was Amosun’s personal project. Instead, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development redirected the funds to the library project.
“There is no need for whipping up controversy on what is meant for the educational development of Ogun State,” Odunaro added.