Halt plans to establish any agency now, Group warns Amosun, Ogun Speaker

The sudden and curious last minute plans by the government of Sen. Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun State to establish an agency for investment promotion and facilitation can’t possibly be in the public interest. According to the Gateway Media Organization (GMO) the move to forward an executive bill for the establishment of Ogun State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency by the Amosun government just 60 days to its exit from office is motivated by a sinister maneuver to preemptively tie the commitment of the incoming Dapo Abiodun government 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,” the Gateway Media Organisation observed in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Omooba Damilare 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 pointed 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 and further insisted that:

“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, MAUSTECH & Ogun Poly, Ipokia, with members of the council having a renewable four years tenure each. Now, wants to establish another agency with similar responsibility and functions with the Gateway Holdings that was established by Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration in 2004,” GMO questioned in its statement.

The group however charged anti-graft agencies in the country to place special searchlight on Ogun state and also enjoined the incoming government of 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 in its statement.

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