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Lagos govt faults resignation as KAI boss
LAGOS State Government has faulted the reported resignation of the Corps-Marshal of the Kick Against Indicipline (KAI), ACP Kehinde Oyenuga (rtd) over alleged non-payment of 10 months salary and hijacking of the outfit by politicians.
Information and Strategy Commissioner, Dele Alake, said yesterday that Oyenuga was suspended from his position through a September 14, 2004 letter.
Alake said his suspension was necessitated by the need to investigate widespread allegations against him by the rank and file of KAI.
According to Alake, the allegations included violation of the code of conduct stipulated for KAI officials, inability to provide leadership at critical operations, absenteeism and related acts which adversely affected the public perception and operational efficiency of the environmental corps.
He contended that Oyenuga's choice of timing for submitting the purported resignation was ill-motivated as Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, were in Spain to attend the United Nations (UN) conference.
The governor yesterday addressed the global body on the need to support the state in government's bid to make it more habitable.
"This method of resigning while on suspension is dishonourable, immoral and demonstrates disrespect for the government," Alake said.
He explained that following a series of complaints from KAI members, the Ministry of Environment set up a committee which consulted the rank and file on the problems they encountered in the course of work and how the corps could be more effective in executing its mandate.
Alake said one of the outcomes of the feedback was the need to decentralise KAI's leadership on the lines of senatorial districts.
He said experienced persons with good record in public service were appointed to head KAI in senatorial zones.
"For instance, former chairman of Old Alimosho Local Council, Mr. Bola Ilori, now heads KAI in Lagos West Senatorial District," he said.
Alake dismissed Oyenuga's claim that politicians had hijacked KAI and that its operational system was not in tune with what he learnt at the police college, saying this only demonstrated his total misconception of the mandate of the outfit and its mode of operation.
He explained that KAI was a people-oriented mass mobilisation organ for conscientising them on the need to treat their environment kindly and responsibly by eschewing habits which endanger health.
The commissioner said following the creation of KAI, a comprehensive assessment of how its leadership could be accommodated within the structure of the Civil Service was attempted to the effect that it is supervised by the environment and compliance department of the Bello-led ministry.
His words: "Efforts were made to ensure that the salary scheme of the leadership was in tandem with the qualifications of similar code in the Civil Service.
"Because the state had just computerised its staff system on the Oracle software, harmonising the new entrants and the new unit took some time to achieve."
He stressed that this affected the payment of salary of the leadership of KAI, including Oyenuga.
Alake added that to ameliorate the situation, the commissioner obtained the approval of the governor to work out a system of paying salary advances to the leadership, which would be deducted when the harmonisation was completed.
He stated that Oyenuga benefited from the ad hoc arrangement of salary advances.
"Similarly, he has been receiving N60,000 as his running cost monthly, including September in which he had decided to resign," Alake said.
He also described Oyenuga's claim that he had no official vehicle as "spurious".
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