By Jane Precious
Fresh facts have emerged on how the administration of the Governor Ademola Adeleke forced management of the 30 local government areas in the state to disguise as genuine exhibitors in the last Investment Summit.
The four-day event was said to have cost the state a fortune close to N6 billion, largely drawn from the local government resources.
The amount was said to have been expended on hotel accomodations for guests, feeding and other logistics during the event held on the premises of Osun State University, Osogbo.
Investigations by this medium had revealed that business operators and exhibitors that had initially indicated interest to participate in the summit suddenly withdrew at the last minute.
“But they suddenly withdrew last minutes due to the poor arrangement by the state government and the greed by some officials of the state relating with these men.
“To safe its face, the government resorted to arm-twisting the local government management. They were told to pay for stand at the exhibition hall with the council managers. Which they all did.
“Also, the councils were made to exhibit products which they never produced and the jamboree went on. The money the council were forced to cough out was part of the resources used by the state government to fund the initiative.
“A sum in the region of N6 billion was expended by the state governor on the Investment Summit that was not attended by any known investor,” a Council Manager had told this medium.
Also speaking on the condition of anonymity, another local government staff from Atakunmosa East local Government, Iperindo, who was part of his council delegation to the event, said the state government practically used LG funds to run the summit.
He however laid a huge question mark on the idea of using LG funds for an initiative that was purely an idea of the State Ministry of Commerce, adding that Adeleke administration has not stopped drawing from local government allocation, notwithstanding the Supreme Court verdict that put a stop illegal usage of local government by state governors.