Oyo government faults ex-Governor Ajimobi on missing vehicles

Oyo State Government has declared that the immediate past governor, Abiola Ajimobi, misrepresented facts as regards the vehicles carted away by government officials.

Ajimobi had told newsmen that the alarm raised by the state government over the vehicles was a minor issue, adding that his former aides paid for the vehicles they took away.

But Governor Seyi Makinde, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the former governor mixed up facts.

“There should be no ambiguity about this issue of missing or stolen cars. The alarm raised by the government of Makinde on the unprecedented looting of official vehicles has nothing to do with cars that were legally sold to the different officials of the past administration. The ones we are concerned about are official cars carted away without legal instruments.

“Contrary to the statement of former Governor Ajimobi, many of the vehicles carted away illegally are new and in working conditions. You cannot possibly classify a vehicle procured in February of this year as an old car,” Makinde stated.

The statement noted that the government had no issue with vehicles properly purchased by past officials, but the ones given out by the past administration as “parting gifts”.

It added that the vehicles taken away illegally were not paid for. “That is why some of the vehicles have so far been retrieved.”

According to the state government, there is nowhere in the public service that a governor is allowed to gift public property to cronies.

“If the former governor claims that it happens elsewhere, that cannot be a justification. This government is determined to ensure that every kobo of tax-payers is accounted for.

“We also restate our commitment to ensuring that all the vehicles illegally taken away are recovered. So far, we are impressed by the work of the committee saddled with the recovery of the assets illegally taken. The committee will continue to have the full backing of government.”

The governor expressed worry at Ajimobi’s attempt to brand civil servants as thieves, describing such branding as unhelpful.

“We are not amused by the branding of our civil servants as ‘thieves’ by the former governor, but we are much worried about what he did to reform the system while in power.”