Makinde’s Appointee, Ogundiran Under EFCC Investigation

The appointment of Dr. Samuel Ogundiran as the Chairman,  Governing Council of Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic has continued to generate heated debate over alleged financial misappropriation against him.

This is contained in a petition addressed to Gov. Seyi Makinde and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Ibadan.

 Ogundiran, a former Governing Council Chairman of the institution under the immediate past administration of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi was said to have been invited by the EFCC over the matter.

Ogundiran was reported to have been arrested by the anti graft agency in Eruwa over the alleged financial misappropriation of fund.

His arrest was reported to have followed a petition forwarded to the EFCC for allegedly approving and paying furniture allowances to members of the Council.

We gathered that the commission had earlier invited the council members for interrogations which they declined until they were forcefully arrested.

A highly placed staff of the Polytechnic confirmed that the arrest was made few hours after the expiration of the late Ajimobi’s second tenure in office as Governor.

“Ogundiran alongside other members were taken to Iyaganku office of the anti-graft agency during their council meeting for investigation,” the source said.

The source said that the alleged administrative  lapses under Ogundiran was uncovered in 2019 which prompted the setting up of a visitation panel of inquiry to investigate the internal wrangling in the institution.

“A white paper reports of the visitation panel to institution confirmed that Ogundiran and other members of the governing council collected over payment of allowances.

“On page 5 of the white paper report and committee’s recommendation, precisely, recommendations 27 and 28 confirmed that , members of the governing council then which had Ogundiran as chairman collected over payment allowances,” the source said.

The source said recommendation 27 states that, ‘the officers responsible for the over payment of allowances to members of the governing council be surcharged accordingly.’

The source told newsmen that an interim management was set up after the former management team led by Mr Iyiola Rasheed Eyitayo as the Rector of the institution, were asked to proceed on accumulated leave.

He said: Dr Ogundiran who had collected his allowances while Eyitayo was in office, also collected another allowances for no reason during the tenure of the interim management team led by Mr Peter Adejumo.

But, Ogundiran denied  has never for once been arrested by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), contrary to a fake media report of his alleged arrest by the anti-graft agency for financial misappropriation, describing the news as false.

Ogundiran said that the present administration  in the state under Gov. Makinde has set up a visitation panel to look into the allegation of misappropriation of funds and other issues that caused crises in the school.

He said that the panel report was submitted to the state government and the white paper of that report has been released, where none of the council members including himself was indicted

The Governing Council chairman, who is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration & Planning pointed accusing finger to the suspended management of the institution led by the former rector, Mr Rasheed Eyitayo are behind the fake news, saying that all what the suspended management are trying to do is just a mere blackmail and propaganda to tarnish his image.

“As a result of the misappropriation of the suspended management, they wanted to use EFCC to stop a meeting that was held on 28th of May 2019, so that the meeting would not hold because they knew that if the meeting was held, the decision of the council might affect them.

“We got to EFCC office in Ibadan late on that day and we were later released on personal recognition, so would I be released on personal recognition if there is indeed a case of misappropriation?

“There was a lot of crisis in the institution during the tenure of Eyitayo led administration, and it got to a stage that the Governing Council set up a committee to investigate the cases. However, the day that the governing council wanted to take decision on the committee’s report, EFCC visited the campus, but the unions in the campus insisted that the meeting must hold, and after the meeting, the Governing Council, the management and all the three unions in the school went to EFCC office.

“We got to EFCC office at Iyaganku late, their boss was not around and we were later released on personal recognition because evidence worked against the suspended management.

“The past management are aggrieved and hellbent on tarnishing our image because the state government had suspended them and their names removed from the payroll of the institution.

Since then, this case has never come up, the Police Area Command in Eruwa was even aware of the whole scenario.” Dr Ogundiran said.

The submission of the Governing Council’s chairman is in line with claims of reliable sources from the institution’s union executives, and the elders of the host community of the institution.

The secretary, Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the six state owned tertiary institutions, Mr Akin Adekanbi noted that the date on the fake story was the last date of the last management which has been suspended, saying that the writer of the fake report should have done their investigation very well before embarking on it, adding that the writer should have confirm from the EFCC Ibadan, the Police Area Command in Eruwa and IBR 92.5fm, Ibadan.

“A lot of investigation and search has been done on the appointee before government eventually appointed them, so if anybody at this time is trying to blackmail or to go against the decision of the government, posterity will judge such persons. We held a JAC meeting today and nobody resisted what the government has done.

“The government has really done well, Makinde is a peace loving governor, he wants peace across the state. Education sector is one of the sensitive areas because once there is a good council, there will also be a good management.” Mr Akin Adekanbi said.

The chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic, Ibarapa Polytechnic branch, Engnr. Titiloye Joseph described the fake news that is currently trending against the governing council chairman as the work of blackmailer who wanted to tarnish the image of the chairman because of his re-emergence as the governing council chairman of the institution.

“The suspended management used EFCC to stop a meeting held by the governing council which might affect them, the Police Area Commander in Eruwa told the EFCC operatives that the council should be allowed to hold the meeting and the council will follow the anti-graft agency after the meeting which they were later released thereafter.

When contacted on phone, a source within EFCC Ibadan office who pleaded anonimity because he was not authorized to speak with the press said that the antigraft agency only invited, not arrested the Governing Council chairman, adding that the case was not a serious issue because the EFCC would have taken it up by then if it was a serious issue.

Recall that Governor Makinde constituted the Chairmen and Board members for the six state-owned tertiary institutions which are the Polytechnic Ibadan; Oke Ogun Polytechnic Saki; Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa; Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo; College of Education, Lanlate; and the Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora.