Senator Odunsi Accuses Amosun of Frustrating Federal Projects in Yewa land … He is a liar says LG Chairman
Oladunjoye Opeyemi
The crisis rocking All Progress Congress, APC, in Ogun State took a new dimension on Monday as Senator Akin Odunsi, representing Ogun West Senatorial District accused the Government of Ibikunle Amosun of marginalization.
Odunsi at a press conference in Ikeja accused the Government of Governor Amosun of short changing Yewa-Awori people sighting disruption of projects which he facilitated.
Odunsi who expressed shock that the State Government could lay claim to the on-going Construction of the Ilo-Ifako Bridge said the administration was not sincere.
The statement which he titled ‘Marginalising Yewa’ read thus:
”The need to set the record straight informs this gathering. I have heard about some strange stories on the on-going Ilo-Ifako bridge project.
“They said I didn’t inform the local government that I was embarking on the construction of that bridge as a Constituency Project. It has also been said that the State government listed the same project as part of its contribution to the development of Otta. These are not true and amount to covetousness or at worst duplicity.
“The fact is that the Ilo-Ifako bridge is a constituency project of Senator Akin Odunsi. It is backed up by an Act of the Nigerian Parliament, the National Assembly and was signed into law by the President. It is captured in the 2013 Appropriation Act. Since it is a law in black and white, I do not think either the state or local government should be at a loss about it. Political expediency should not take over the welfare of the people, which was my reason for fighting to return the project to the front burner of our community development.
“This bridge project has a history. It was a special request thrust on me during the electioneering campaign. It therefore was central to my first proposals for constituency projects upon my election in 2011. It was captured in my 2012 presentation to the Senate. When it was not implemented, I had to write a reminder to the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolomenem and followed it up with another letter on May 23, 2013 to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Ayogu Eze. I also made several visitations to the Ministry to actualise it.
“Through the 2013 Appropriation, the same project was approved and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development was mandated to execute it. It was contained in Vol 1, Page 151 of the 2013 Appropriation Act. Following the Presidential assent, it was advertised by the Ministry and awarded to TEMMADOT Contractors Ltd after due process.
Just as the contractor moved to site, it was learnt that the Ado-Odo/Otta LGA came to erect a sign post to signal that it was also going to commence work on the same project. The residents had complained that a makeshift bridge they erected had collapsed after a heavy downpour in February, 2013. I personally paid an on-the-spot visit to the place. Thereafter, I mobilised the Ministry of Works engineers and they assessed the extent of damage. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the federal level later came to clear the debris at my instance. Where was the LGA and State government in all these? It is therefore surprising and utterly provocative that the Local Government that has been apathetic to the plight of the people along that axis will now motion to be prepared to fix the bridge by merely placing a sign post at the site. I do not understand the State’s position, except that it was the promoter of the local government agenda.
“I have been inundated with telephone calls and text messages over the displeasure of the residents over the oblique intention of the authorities of the LGA over the bridge. I understand the Community Development Associations in this area are miffed by the sudden realisation of the Council that they were facing an ordeal only after I had mobilised resources to ensure that they are not perpetually stranded and ostracised.
“Since we are in the same party, I do not see how the State and local government administration should be working at cross-purposes with me. I have been constrained to write to the party leadership to call them to order. I also notified the Police authorities on this sad development to forestall a breakdown of law and order that could be spawned by this adversarial stance of the State against the Ogun West people.
“It is a fact that development is skewed against my Senatorial District. It is more unfortunate that the little effort we are making on our own to keep our heads above water and against institutionalised marginalisation is being further sabotaged on the altar of political expediency.
“Two recent instances will suffice that these consistent and worrisome acts have 2015 political undertones:
“1. On Saturday, 24th August, 2013, the commissioning of Ijamido Multipurpose Hall was disrupted purportedly on the strength of a petition from some faceless PDP members. Our investigations however revealed that they were sponsored by some party members. I want to recall that in spite invitations to our party leaders in the State, same headed out to another event in the LG. Our investigations further revealed that the parallel event was to an internal party affair meant to undermine the essence of the commissioning of the Multipurpose Hall we managed to build after it had been stalled for over three decades. The Town Hall project was facilitated by me under the 2012 Appropriation Act.
“2. Again, on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 a letter written by the State Urban and Regional Planning Department ordered the stoppage of the construction work at the Cassava Processing Integrated Industry for Women in Alapoti, Ado Odo/Otta local government. Ironically, Alapoti is a rural setting in Ado-Odo/Otta Local Government and the land for this project was donated to us by the Community, so the stop-work order was an exercise in political mischief.
“3. This latest one on the Ilo-Ifako Bridge (Culvert) linking Ogun and Lagos States is clearly no longer a hidden agenda. It has exposed the manoeuvres.
“I believe these and other similar actions across the State are capable of eroding public confidence in the political class and on our party in particular. I have chosen to appeal to the party leadership to intervene and call these local opportunists and their foot soldiers to order. I want the Police to maintain peace. I will also want to urge the media to be eternally vigilant and focus on the deliberately-orchestrated marginalisation of the people of Ogun West.”
Speaking with NigerianEcho, the Chairman of Ado Odo/ Otta Local Government, Comrade Rotimi Rahmon, said the Senator was not sincere.
Speaking on the Ilo Ifako culvert, he says;
” It was the rain that disrupted the temporary bridge and funds have been made available to do a proper bridge. Ask from anybody, before Local Government would embark on a project of that magnitude, an approval from the Ministry of Local Government would have to be got through the Governor . I worked with the Winners Chapel to make the road passable for the just concluded Shiloh. Our temporary arrangement brought succor to the people.
“We got approval and our engineers moved to the site. Senator Odunsi’s supporters blocked the right of ways for our engineers. When I was told, I put a call to him. We spoke for 30minutes on the phone and claimed he had planned to do a better job. I asked him why would he do a project in the Local Government without informing the Council ? Senator Odunsi is not sincere and I make bold to say that. He claimed he was stopped from working on the bridge, was he there before us? ”
Speaking further, he said there hasn’t been any work by the Senator before his men went to site.
“Senator hasn’t even done a thing on the bridge before our people got there. His claim of being stopped is laughable and I think it’s a misplaced priority. We have a standard in the state and any project to be carried out needs approval. He didn’t get any approval from appropriate agencies. Even the hall he built is not as good as the one built by the Council ”
Rahmon said Senator Odunsi planned doing things without consulting with the Council. He added that he has decided to move his people away from the site before the current agitation saying it was not necessary again. On the stop order on the cassava process in Alapoti, Rahmon says he was not aware.
Amosun has been having a running battle with the leadership of APC over the Control of the party. The leader of APC in the State, former Governor Olusegun Osoba is believed to be controlling the structures of the party. The old members of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, accused Amosun of favouring newer members who joined the party along with him from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. Senator Odunsi is one of the elected officials in the state that are loyal to Osoba and he is believed to be the arrow head of the group fighting Amosun. The group is against Amosun as the candidate for the new party, APC, for the 2014 elections. Amosun is believed to be seeking a second term in office and has been accused by the members of APC of “empowering his lackeys towards this agenda”.
Odunsi is the Senator representing Ogun West district, a section of the state that has not produced the Governor in the Gateway State . The two districts, Ogun East and Central have produced governors of the state at different times. Late Olabisi Onabanjo from Ijebu, Ogun East, was Governor twice; first in 1979 and in 1983. Otunba Gbenga Daniel, also from Ogun East was also elected Governor twice, 2003 and 2007. Aremo Olusegun Osoba, from Abeokuta, Ogun Central was first elected Governor in 1992. He was again elected Governor in1999. Governor Amosun is also from Abeokuta, Ogun Central.
