PDP: Akeredolu Appointing His Son DG, Design to Empty Ondo’s Treasury

Fidelis David in Akure

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State chapter, has faulted the recent appointment of Babajide Akeredolu, a biological son of the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, as the Director General of Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPMIU), alleging, “It is a grand design to finally empty the treasury of the state before Akeredolu returns to Ibadan.”

But the governor had immediately replied the opposition party and described its claim as unresourceful.

Akeredolu had on Tuesday nominated his son as the head of a government agency alongside 14 new commissioners-designate and seven special advisers.

However, not satisfied with the development, the opposition party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, described the appointment as “a flagrant abuse of office and affront on the people of Ondo State”.

The statement stated: “The name Babajide Akeredolu became known in Ondo State, when the State’s funds were used to procure a marriage for him in Colorado, USA, after the same marriage was consummated in Owo, his father’s birthplace. He has since assumed authority as part of the triad of the reign of father, wife and son.

“The appointment as DG of PPMIU for Babajide, a young man who carries on as though, he was the person voted for as governor is part of the grand design to finally empty the treasury of the state before Akeredolu returns to Ibadan.

“Last year, Babajide pocketed a princely N433m as Consultancy fee on N4.3b on the “secret account” with Zenith Bank for more than ten years. Up till this moment, the Ondo State government under Akeredolu has neither accounted for the money, nor the ten years accrued interest.
“Rather, it was Babajide, who addressed a press conference, referring to Ondo State House of Assembly members as “making un-necessary noise” over money he discovered.

“Babajide’s conduct is reminiscent of the ignoble actions of Commodus, son and heir apparent of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who at age 12, upon finding out that his bath water was not sufficiently heated, ordered the servant to be thrown into the furnace”.

The PDP noted that, “25% of all the Internally generated revenue in the state goes into the account of Canadian Systems Development Company (CSDC) under one Akin Oladimeji as MD. CSDC is an Ibadan-based company that was brought to Ondo State by Babajide.

“The company was given office accommodation in the governor’s office. They do not pay rents, neither do they pay taxes to the government. Every month, 15% of the over N2b that is collected as IGR goes into Babajide’s personal account and the balance is wired to Lagos and Ibadan for the Consultant.

“Only last week, Babajide was reported to have brought another Consultant to take charge of forestry operations in the state. It thus appears that Mr Governor and his immediate family are bent on living fat on the lean resources of the people, when poverty has taken over the land, walking in all four legs.

“There is no further proof of Akeredolu’s insensitivity to the plight of the people, when within two years of tenure, he organised three lavish weddings for his children, all in foreign lands: in Mauritius, Canada and Colorado, USA. Each of these weddings were bankrolled with Ondo State’s funds.

“Officials of the State Government, family members and friends were in these countries to celebrate with Akeredolu and family. Yet, this level of opulence and wasteful life style only started, when he became governor.”

But, in his response, Akeredolu described as ‘unresourceful’, the claims by the PDP, saying, “One big error in public governance is the fear of taking decisions, and it becomes unpardonably gravious when sound decisions are avoided over what I consider unresourceful criticisms.
“There is no way such sound appointment as that of Babajide would not have elicited uncanny attacks from the PDP. They were expected. Ours is to be focused on what we are doing for the good people of the state and not to be distracted by lazy opposition.

Akeredolu, who spoke through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo said, “When Jang appointed his son, Yakubu as a commissioner in Plateau, it was okay for them; what about Okowa, who did it in Delta? When their Principal’s brothers in Ondo literally did all appointments while they held sway, it was okay.

“We can only enjoy their gallery-looking dance. They are hypocritical aside being saddened by their antecedents. We are more concerned about the deliverables in whatever we do as a government. In this particular instance of Mr. Governor’s decision in respect of the son, it cannot be said otherwise; he made a right decision.

“This young man has been doing a lot behind scene in the last five years plus, to enhance good governance. He has demonstrated enough capacity in many respects. Time will tell as we sail along in full steam. I think the problem PDP has is the fact of apparent intimidation that a very sound and balanced second term cabinet has berthed”.