Kwara State government will soon go after former government functionaries that were allegedly involved in public property mismanagement or found to have been involved in decisions and agreements that had them benefiting at the expense of the state.
The state Commissioner for Communication, Hon George Olabode Towoju, who said this on Monday, also disclosed that officials of the state government were currently examining white papers submitted by the committees that were at different times set up by the state government with a view to getting culpable former government officials prosecuted.
Taking questions from journalists during his visit to the secretariat of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kwara state council, Towoju, who called Shonga Farms project a scam , also accused those who signed documents indicating agreements with other entities on behalf of the state government under the previous administrations as people that did not make Kwara ‘first’ in the factors considered before taking action. He alleged that most of the agreements were counter-productive and not in the best interest of the people of the state.
He also alleged that one hundred and ninety seven plots of land belonging to the state government in Abuja were mismanaged while adding that out of the thirteen farms being managed by the white farmers in Shonga, Edu local government, nine have been sold with only four remaining.
The state government was according to him examining the white papers and doing diligent work to prevent possible loss of cases in court on ‘technical ground’.
He accused some unnamed former government officials of signing documents on behalf of the state government confirming public-private partnership agreements only to later emerge as directors of the companies in question.
He cited Kwara Ethnix Designs Limited and a poultry farm at Oke-Oyi.
Getting culpable former government officials punished would according to him have a deterrent effect.
The Communication commissioner, who noted that steps were being taken with regard to getting the properties taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) a few days ago, as a result of the debts incurred by Shonga Farms Holding Ltd, said he gathered that the Unity Bank has also called on AMCON to intervene on its behalf.
He disclosed that the state government would in arguing its case emphasize the fact that each of the commercials banks has equity stake.
Towoju also said the new radio station established by the state government in Okuta, Notia FM will come on the air by April this year… Continue reading