ICPC names Adedibu’s son in Mapo Hall contract scandal - To be quizzed in Abuja next week - They have nothing to hide, says Adedibu

From Lanre Adewole, Adeolu Adeyemo and Tope Abiola - 14.02.2008

A son of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, Jubril, has been fingered as the beneficiary of the controversial Mapo Hall renovation contract and the scam allegedly surrounding the award of the contract has led to his invitation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Jubril, according to a credible source, would be interrogated at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja next Tuesday alongside the Oyo State Director of Works.

The commission also interrogated the former Commissioner for Works, Chief Kolawole Balogun, over the alleged scandal at its headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday. Balogun, who was sighted when released by the investigators, is listed to be back for more interrogation after Jubril and the Works Director might have taken their turn next week.

Balogun, now Commissioner for Commerce, was the Works’ Commissioner when the contract was awarded by the administration of Governor Bayo Alao-Akala during the 11 months he was governor when former governor Rashidi Ladoja was impeached. The commission’s investigators had last Wednesday in Ibadan quizzed the state’s commissioners for Works and Finance as well as the Accountant General over the Mapo contract scandal.

The Director of Works, who was also quizzed in Ibadan, reportedly fingered Jubril as the contractor that was awarded the controversial renovation contract, which the Nigerian Tribune source in the commission said had been established to be inflated. The source added that the commission had almost concluded investigation into the matter, with those having strong cases against them to be prosecuted.

The state commissioners for Commerce, Finance, and Local Government, Dr. Kola Balogun, Adebayo Bankole, Hosea Agboola respectively and the Accountant General, Mrs. Florence Okeniyi, had earlier been interrogated by the commission last week on the contract saga by the officials of the commission. “The case file of the commissioners were forwarded from Ibadan and they are to be reporting to Abuja for further enquiry on the contract. On the matter, the Commissioner for Local Government was in Abuja on Monday while the two others are to appear before the anti-graft agency over the alleged inflation of the contract,” the sources said.

The commissioners have been reporting at the ICPC office in Ibadan since last week over their alleged roles in the award of the renovation contract. When contacted on the matter, the Head of Public Enlightenment of the commission, Mr. Mike Sowe, said that the person in charge was not around to give an update on the matter. He refused to comment on it. Speaking on the development, the Special Adviser on Public Communication to the state governor, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, described the story as untrue, but explained that some commissioners went to Abuja to attend a micro-finance workshop organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria and not on any invitation by the ICPC.

Oyelade further said that “You will recall that some anti-graft operatives came to the state last week on a fact-finding mission based on the allegation made by some faceless individuals on the matter. Some commissioners fielded questions on it at that time and I am not aware that they are in Abuja for another round of interrogation on the matter.” The contract, valued at N179.2 million was awarded to HUA Engineering Limited, a construction company. The contract was awarded in 2006, with Ladoja accusing his former deputy of underhand dealings in the award of the contract.

Governor Akala, in defending the renovation, had claimed that financing it was a joint effort between the state government and the 11 local governments in Ibadanland. While reacting, Chief Adedibu said “the Mapo hall is there for everybody to see. The ICPC is free to visit the Mapo hall and see if the charges did not merit the renovation of the hall.

They have nothing to hide, they can come to Ibadan to see it.” Adedibu, who spoke through one of his aides, Alhaji Lukman Agboluaje, said that “it is true that some people wrote a petition against Jubril Adedibu on the contract he took from the state government at the sum of N170 million.” He explained that the petitioners alleged that Adedibu took the contract at the sum of N400 million, which he described as a lie.

He added that the total amount of money to be collected from the state government by Adedibu was N142 million after the deduction of VAT and tax.