Task Force on assets recovery not to witch-hunt anybody — Osun Govt

By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo

Osun State Government on Tuesday said the Task Force set up by Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration on assets recovery is not to witch-hunt the officials of the immediate past administration but to allow the rule of law and due process to reign.

Speaking at a press conference held at Bola Ige House, Government Secretariat Abere, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye said what is important to the government is to recover any property illegally carted away to serve as a deterrent to other administrations that are coming on board.

Igbalaye noted that Governor Adeleke inaugurated members of the Task Force to ensure the immediate recovery of government assets/project vehicles that were illegally carted away by the officials of the immediate past administration.

He stressed that the Task Force will do everything within the armpit of the law to recover the assets.

According to him, “Whatever the method of asset recovery will be within the rule of law. Our Governor is a man of due process and a man of rule of law.

“We are almost done with the number of vehicles carted away and we are still expecting local government reports before the end of this week.

“We are not here to witch-hunt anybody but what we are here for is to recover government assets and vehicles.”

He said, “The Task Force observed that due diligence should be done with a view to ascertaining vehicles/assets that were lawfully permissible to be taken home from those illegally taken away.

“The Executive Governor had the prerogative power to allow any political appointee go home with his/her official vehicle, having served for at least a period of two (2) years and payment of some amount of money into the coffers of the government, if the vehicle was less than four (4) years old, the appointee would pay 10 percent of the residual value of such official vehicle;

“The approval granted by the immediate past Executive Governor for the release and eventual ownership of the official vehicles (Kia cars) allocated to members of the immediate past Osun State Executive Council followed due process.

“The letter of permission written by the immediate past Head of Service, directing political appointees of the immediate past administration to go  home with the official vehicles allocated to them was, however, illegal.

“All government assets/vehicles that are hitherto in the possession of the political appointees of the immediate past administration, which are not captured in the express provisions of the paragraphs ii and iii above, are deemed to have been illegally carted away, and such must be returned to the Osun State Government immediately,” Igbalaye added.