Following claims of contract fraud, the All Progressives Congress (APC) branch in Osun State has asked for a full investigation into Mr. Kazeem Akinleye, who is Chief of Staff to Governor Ademola Adeleke. The APC’s spokesman, Mr. Kola Olabisi, made the demand in a statement. He asked the governor to send Akinleye to the Code of Conduct Bureau for proper investigation. The main accusation is that Akinleye used his political power to get his own business, Akinsas Interbiz Limited, a N297 million contract from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). The contract was supposed to go to the University of Osun (UNIOSUN).
The APC says that these claims are very worrying and need to be dealt with right away. The party said that public servants shouldn’t use their jobs to get something for themselves, especially when it comes to public resources. The APC stressed how important it was for government to be open and stated that the public’s trust could be restored by an independent investigation.
In his statement, Kola Olabisi said that Governor Adeleke’s answer to the accusations was bad. It was said that the governor said Akinleye couldn’t be held responsible because he wasn’t on the UNIOSUN Governing Council or the TETFUND board of directors. Olabisi threw out this defence because he thought it was weak and wouldn’t help with how serious the accusations were.
Olabisi said, “The governor’s explanation that Akinleye is not responsible because he is not a member of the UNIOSUN Governing Council or the board of directors of TETFUND is false and makes no sense.” He also said that Akinleye was still responsible even though he wasn’t part of these groups because he could have used his power to change the way the contracts were made.
People are talking about the bigger problem of corruption in Nigeria’s public sector after the APC called for a probe. In the past few years, popular outrage over theft of funds and abuse of office has been a recurring theme. Many people are getting more and more angry at how slowly public leaders who are accused of wrongdoing are being held accountable. These worries are echoed by the APC, which said that not addressing these problems could make people lose faith in the government.
The party asked Governor Adeleke to look into the situation right away and make sure that anyone who did something wrong is held responsible. The APC also asked groups that work to fight crime to look into the case more deeply and start their own investigations. The party said that this would make it clear that cheating will not be accepted, no matter who is involved.
A lot of people see this case as a test of how serious the Osun State government is about fighting crime. Even though the accusations haven’t been proven yet, the public is more interested in the result because the APC is insisting on an investigation. As the state waits for the governor’s answer and any possible legal action, the situation serves as a reminder of how hard it is to keep public office honest and open.