Few days after the official inauguration of Hon. Adewale Adeleke as the Executive Chairman of Ogbomoso South Local Government, he has ordered the stoppage of the construction of a skills acquisition centre which is one of the constituency projects facilitated by Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi, the lawmaker representing Ogbomoso North/South/Oriire Federal Constituency allegedly on the basis of party affiliation.
Ogunwuyi, formerly of the Labour Party, recently defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a letter obtained by OYO INSIGHT, the council boss demanded the payment of N500, 000 into the council purse before he could allow the workers to resume work on the site.
Ogunwuyi, OYO INSIGHT gathered, had planned to commission the project few weeks ago as part of his efforts to appreciate the people of his constituency for their support.
It would be recalled that the portion of the piece of land for the project,
at the back of Council’s Arowomole headquarters, was allocated on the 20th March, 2018 by the former Caretaker chairman, Hon. Sunday Adedeji, who is now the deputy chairman of the same council.
Few days after the new chairman was inaugurated, he allegedly led hoodlums to occupy the site, injuring the labourers and the supervisors in the process.
As if that was not enough, a statement by Ogunwuyi‘ media office alleged that some miscreants began to victimize the lawmaker’s supporters, aides, threatening to vandalize all the capital projects facilitated by the lawmaker in all the three local government areas that constitutes his federal constituency.
The incident caught the attention of Oba Sunday Oyediran, Onpetu of Ijeru. The monarch was said to have invited the two parties. The chairman was quoted to have said that he was not properly informed about the transfer of the piece of land and instructed the lawmaker to write an application letter for the allocation of the land to the council. Afterwards, the issue was resolved and settled amicably, a source told this newspaper.
Ogunwuyi was said to have immediately forwarded the application letter to the council as instructed by the council helmsman. The workers were later allowed to resume work on the site.
The lawmaker was, however, surprised to receive a letter from the council, demanding N500,000 before the project would be allowed to be completed.
According to Ogunwuyi, “This act is masterminded and not accidental. The piece of land was allocated for the project by the former Caretaker chairman of the council, who is now the deputy chairman of the same council. If this is not politics of bitterness and the individuals who are involved are not enemies of progress, there shouldn’t be any reason for stopping a project that will benefit the general masses.
“We appeal to everybody to collaborate with us in the social/cultural development of Ogbomoso land and not use their office or position to become a clog in the wheel of progress” he added.
He asked the community to hold the council boss responsible if the project becomes another abandoned federal government project.
