Daily Independent Online.
*
Tuesday, August 24, 2004.
Probe of
Adefarati administration begins
By Foluso
Olanrewaju,
Special
Correspondent,
Akure
The judicial
commission of inquiry into the expenditure of the erstwhile Governor of Ondo
State, Adebayo Adefarati, began on Monday with a call on members of the public
for submit memoranda.
At the inaugural
sitting of the panel in Akure, Chairman of the commission, Justice W.A.
Akintoroye, promised a fair probe, saying he was not out to witch-hunt or
vilify the Adefarati administration.
The commission
inaugurated on July 19 had been charged by Governor Olusegun Agagu to inquire
into some public expenditure made by the immediate past administration in the
state.
The terms of
reference of the commission include the probe of N466 million (first phase)
riverine electricity project awarded to Messrs Kesserve Limited of 285 Akin
Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, as well as N206 million New Stadium Complex
Consultancy contract awarded to Messrs Goext Consortium Nigeria Ltd., 250
Ikorodu Road, Lagos.
Others were the
probe of N17 billion Igbokoda-Ayetoro road contract awarded to JSP Nigeria
Limited and investigation of the circumstances surrounding the expenditure of
N560 million public fund between April 2002 and May 2003 without budgetary
provision and for “unascertainable purposes.”
According to the
chairman, the panel would also determine the regularity or otherwise of the
contracts, correctness of values, identify those who might have acted
improperly in the award ad execution of the contracts, recovery of fund and
sanctions on defaulters.
Warning that the
commission would not succumb to threats, inducement and blackmail, Akintoroye
said the panel would take oral and written evidence from witnesses.
He hinted that the commission had
already received some memoranda.
