NEWS RELEASE

OSOGBO - 20/01/2024- Osunstate.gov.ng

Secretary to the State Government and former Chairman of ALGON in Osun state, Hon Teslim Igbalaye has denied a statement credited to an Ondo born civil society activist, Ayo Ologun in which he  claimed Council Chairmen who served under former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola went away with their official vehicles.

Responding on behalf of former Council bosses which also include the current Chief of Staff to the state Governor, Hon Kazeem Akinleye, the Secretary to the State Government described the assertion as “a lie from the pit of hell”, declaring that no council Chief took away any official car.

He corrected the civil society activist by noting that the official vehicles for which the then council bosses pay part payment were taken from them immediately the court ruled against former Governor Oyinlola.

Wondering why Ologun decided to assert what he knew nothing about , Igbalaye stated further that similar treatment was meted out to the wives of former council bosses whose official cars were also taken away.

He narrated that under Aregbesola, caretaker council bosses of the ACN were allowed to take the official vehicles away after serving five years in office, a privilege not accorded the Oyinlola appointees.

“I affirm here that none of the local government  chairmen and their wives took away their official cars during Oyinlola's administration. We were eased out of the government through the Supreme Court Judgment.

“The official cars bought by local government chairmen during the Oyinlola regime were given as take home to all ACN caretaker  local government chairmen that took over from us under Aregbesola administration.

“The only car that I took home as an official car was the one bought by ALGON as ALGON State chairman. This has been the practice from National Headquarters in Abuja by paying  the necessary fees which I did with my receipt intact.

“And I was not the only beneficiary of the practice. During Chief Bisi Akande’s administration, the ALGON chairman, Dotun Adebiyi (of blessed memory) went away with his own ALGON official car as ALGON Chairman then”, the SSG asserted.

While cautioning commentators against spreading fake news, the SSG reaffirmed the decision of the state government to enforce the recommendation of the Committee on Recovery of Government Assets.

“ No fake news will stop recovery of vehicles and other assets belonging to the state. The Taskforce will soon commence operation. My advice to those who took away government vehicles is to return it as quickly as possible’, the SSG concluded in the statement.

Signed:

Kehinde Adeoye,

Media Assistant to the Secretary to the Osun state Government.