By Michael Adeyemo
The Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Adelere Oriolowo has written to Governor Ademola Adeleke demanding an apology, retraction and N500m over a recent report credited to the State Government.
Oriolowo made this known today at a press conference he addressed in Iwo, the headquarters of Osun West Senatorial District.
Recall that the Assets Recovery Committee of the State set-up by Governor Ademola Adeleke had in a report in December 2022 indicated that Senator Oriolowo was in custody of some equipments namely 130GMotoGrader (00S132-A321), D6 Bulldozer (0S130-A32), Electric Transformer Feeder Board Panel and Soil Compactor Machine (OS137-A32).
The lawmaker said he was taken aback as to why a committee of the State would jettison the principle of fair hearing by inviting him to defend whatever report they must have gotten.
He described the publication as blatant falsehood, a naked display of recklessness, sacrilegious dereliction of truth and unjustifiable character assassination.
Clarifying, he said the equipments were with OSADEP when he left the agency 15years ago. “At some point, the machines were transferred to the Ministry of Rural Development to assist the government. A simple due diligence or investigation by this committee would have unraveled the salient fact that these machine are still property of the Osun State Government.”
The Chairman of the Senate Commitee on Legislative Compliance had in a letter written to the government demanded the retraction of the publication, an apology and the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira (N500,000,000) as compensation for the unquantifiable damage done to his name and integrity.
Oriolowo who described himself as a stakeholder in the Osun project having served the State for 35years as a civil servant before being elected Senator, said the failure of the Governor to play by the rules and his continuous railroading by sycophants around him may spell the doom of his teething administration.