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The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights Cdhr Ogun and the Human Rights and Grassroots Development Society have tackled the chairman , State House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts and Anti-corruption, Hon. Lamidi Musefiu over allegation levelled against a former Special Adviser/Director General Bureau of Lands, Mr. Biyi Ismail.
Musefiu-led house committee on Public Accounts and Anti-corruption had summoned Ismail ,Accussing him of mismanagement of the Bureau when he held the sway during the administration of former governor Ibikunle Amosun .
The CDHR and HRGDS in a joint statement signed by the chairman .Mustapha Tiamiyu and Secretary , Femi Akanbi respectively .
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Ismail served as Special Adviser /DG between 24th February 2016 and 31st December 2018 (2years, 10months), but, he was being asked to answer alleged financial infractions from 2015 to 2019.
The statement read ” we have observed the selective anti-graft drive of the Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts and Anti-corruption headed by Hon. Lamidi Musefiu is fast derailing from the supposed serious business conduct of the house.
“The organizations suspect the allegations were politically motivated ,wrongful, intentionally and without cogent facts but full of false accusations against a former Special Adviser/DG to the Ogun State governor in the last administration, Mr. Biyi Ismail,.
“He was alleged of financial infractions from 2015 to 2019. Evidently and as a matter of fact, Hon Lamidi Musefiu the head of the committee, was also a Special Adviser/DG during the same administration and it is our expectation that Lamidi has indept knowledge of the administration he served under.
“It is shocking that the false accusations against Mr Biyi Ismail who was a special adviser/DG to the then Ogun State governor between 24th February 2016 and 31st December 2018 (2years, 10months), which allegedly spans over a period, he was not even the SA/DG lands.
“If the purported investigation is genuine and not a means to settle personal scores, why were invites not sent to the three other persons who were special advisers/DGs over the said period of 2015 to 2019 .
“The selective investigation and invite to just Mr. Biyi Ismail points to the fact that Mr. Lamidi is merely using the instrumentality of his position as Chairman Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Public accounts and anti-corruption to attempt to dent the good image of the former Special Adviser.
“There is also no justifiable fact in the publication by the chairman that the former special adviser refused to honour the first invite on the excuse that he was abroad during the COVID 19 pandemic.
“We have been following and observed that the former SA/DG actually honoured the first invite that was sent to him and attended the meeting, which was inconclusive due to the committee’s negligence and inability to send out the proper invite to the key government officers saddled with the responsibility of keeping records at the Lands bureau.
“We found out that Lamidi’s claims on ICT Infrastructure he mentioned running into over N400m is vague and absurd as this was not approved, supervised or executed by him, which is just another tactics to drag Mr. Ismail’s name in the mud.
“The committee Chairman’s demand for list of land allocation at Flowergate between 2015 and 2019 as well as those in other government layouts from the former DG land is another shocker. Should such demands not be directed to the director of land management whose office keeps such records?
“Mr. Ismail raised the bureau’s IGR from less than 3bn to over 6bn in 2016, then over 8bn in 2017 and over 10bn in 2018.
“Lamidi requested clarification from Mr. Ismail on why the Bureau’s revenue dropped by 70 percent from N10.6bn to N3.1bn during a period he had left office is disappointing.
“How would Mr. Ismail be expected to answer to the underperformance that happened, especially for a period he has left the office.
“The committee chairman should put his thoughts together and stop engaging in time wasting ventures which continues to disgrace the Ogun State House of Assembly.
“We have reasons to believe that Mr. Lamidi’s actions may be based on past scores which he has to settle with the former SA/DG lands and it is disappointing that the scarce resources and machineries of our State are being deployed towards such personal vendetta.
“What has your committee done about the Multi Billion Naira land scam under the present regime? Your selective war is tantamount to nothing other than a cosmetic agenda capable of ridiculing the integrity of the honourable House of Assembly under the able leadership of an experienced legislator and cadre
We are watching.”
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