The Dapo Abiodun-led administration on Thursday dissociated itself from a claim by one of its officials that it had expended N15.8 billion on road construction and rehabilitation between January and June, NAN report.
A statement issued in Abeokuta by Mr Kunle Somorin, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Dapo Abiodun refuted the claim, saying that the expenditure was made by the immediate past administration.
The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Works, Mr. Kayode Ademolake, had recently told members of the state House of Assembly Committee on Works, who were on oversight visit to his office that the state government spent the N15. 8 billion in six months.
Read also: Ogun spends N15.8bn on road construction in six months
But Somorin while clarifying the issue insisted that Abiodun came to power in May and did not award any of the contracts listed by the permanent secretary.
“Our attention has been drawn to a malicious, libelous and patently misleading publication, suggesting that the Ogun government spent N15.8 billion on the rehabilitation and construction of roads.
“The headline has misled people into believing that the cost was incurred by the present administration.
“That is not true. The amount quoted was incurred by the immediate past administration between January and June.
“Mr Kayode Ademolake, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works, who made the disclosure, should have taken responsibility for this humongous expenditure as the chief accounting officer and permanent secretary while playing host to members of the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Works.
“Prince Dapo Abiodun took oath of office on May 29 and didn’t award any of the contracts showcased by the permanent secretary during the oversight meeting.
“Prince Dapo Abiodun wants to reassure our people that as a responsible government, it will be preposterous to embark on projects whose cost cannot be justified and at variance with universally accepted standard and due process.
“While dissociating our government from rapacious contracts, please be reassured that rule of law, probity and accountability shall govern our conduct in handling the commonwealth of Ogun,” the statement said.
