Group Warns Amosun, Ogun Speaker Over Plans To Establish New Agency

Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun has been warned to halt any sudden plans to establish a new agency for investment promotion and facilitation in the State.

A pressure group, Gateway Media Organization (GMO) in a statement on Sunday described the move as “sudden and curious last minute plans by the government and can’t possibly be in the public interest”.

Omooba Damilare Oloyede, the Coordinator of the Organisation said the move to forward an executive bill for the establishment of Ogun State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency by the Amosun government less than 60 days to his exit from office must have been motivated by ploy to preemptively tie the commitment of the incoming administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun to the establishment of the agency without inputs to its enabling laws.

“The executive bill which is being sponsored by Hon. Oyenuga Olufowobi, carries a burden of confusion and duplicity in its replication of extant laws especially that of the Gateway Holding,” stated Omooba Oloyede.

The group, while warning the Governor and the Speaker of the House of Assembly Rt. Hon Suraju Adekunbi from establishing such an agency in the twilight of the Amosun government, also alleged that the outgoing governor is acting in bad faith as he is determined to pile the road to the government house with land mines for the incoming Abiodun’s government.

“Rt. Hon. Suraju Adekunbi must stand for the people, he must show that indeed he is a people’s Speaker, this bill must not be passed. Why is this coming barely seven weeks to the end of an eight-year administration? What will differentiate this from the Gateway Holdings established by the Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration? These and many others are questions members of the legislature should ask at different readings of the bill” the GMO queried.

“This is becoming too much, just in the last one month, the Amosun’s administration with plethora of uncompleted projects scattered across the State has, again, initiated at least two major roads construction in Abeokuta, has hastily constituted governing council for both Moshood Abiola University of Science & Technology, Abeokuta, and Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, with members of the council having a renewable four years tenure each. Now, he wants to establish another agency with similar responsibility and functions with the Gateway Holdings that was established by Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration in 2004.”

The group however charged anti-graft agencies in the country to beam special searchlight on Ogun State and also enjoined the incoming government of Prince Dapo Abiodun not to be perturbed but take the bull by the horn, by reversing last minute decisions and antics by the outgoing Amosun’s government to frustrate it when it gets to power.

“We want to implore anti grafts agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and civil society groups to engage the outgoing government so as to preserve the little financial resources in the coffer of Ogun State. The Amosun government acquired humongous debts over the last eight years and had made unnecessary third party commitments by the state to cronies and front companies. On this account, we call on the incoming government of Dapo Abiodun, to critically review all suspicious commitments entered into by the Amosun government with intent at reversals for the general good of the public,” the GMO counselled.