The Osun state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the project consultant for the Ilesa Water Project, Mrs Tawa Williams over the alleged questionable handling of a 106 million dollar loan for the project.
Governor Adeleke, in a statement by his Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed further ordered a full-scale probe of the entire project and disbursed loans especially as he claimed there was no progress on the project despite reported disbursement of N10 billion and another $28million on the project.
The governor also suspends the project coordinator to allow for an unhindered review of the loan administration while the Consultant was directed to return to the government the N70m bulletproof jeep in her possession.
This directive was a sequel to the interim report of the State’s Assets Recovery Committee chaired by Dr B.T. Salami which made recommendations for immediate action to stop the further squandering of loans secured to execute the Water Project.
Adeleke frowned at large-scale corruption reflected in the handling of the loans and the project, an action he regretted had denied the people of Ilesa and the environs of drinkable water.
” My administration will dig into this matter with all seriousness. The huge fund in question are loans to be repaid. We have a sacred duty to ensure accountability and transparency in the handling of the fund and the project”, Senator Adeleke said.
The Assets Recovery Committee had submitted an interim report which revealed ongoing large-scale pilfering of the procured loans while the project recorded no progress corresponding with reported expenditure.
According to the interim report of the Salami-led committee, the Islamic Development Bank agreed to fund the project to the tune of $65 million while the Federal Government provided $41.94 million.
“So far, a total of $27.073 million has been expended from the IDB loan of $65 million, leaving a balance of the sum of $37.926 million. However, from the Federal Government loan of $41.94 million which the Consultant had converted to N12 Billion, the sum of N10 Billion had been purportedly spent on the project, leaving a balance of N2 Billion”, the report added.
The Committee noted that despite the huge sums of $27.073 million and N10 Billion of the state resources (repayable loans) already spent so far, the Ilesa water project is not yet functional and the good people of Ilesa are yet to access any water.
