Afenifere alleges sale of Odu’a property to govs

Adewale Ajayi, Lagos - 26.11.2007

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has appealed to eminent Yoruba citizens to rise against selling of business ventures owned by O’dua Investment, just as it hinted that some of the South West governors had started buying the business ventures.

Afenifere, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin, stated that last Thursday, one of the governors allegedly paid for one of the companies in the O’dua Group and the money was allegedly paid from the state government purse.

“Informed Afenifere sources indicated that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Thursday, November 22, between O’dua Investment and a company fronting for one of the governors on the sale of Cocoa Industries, Ikeja. It was also reported that 80 per cent of the cheque issued by the OPIC Plaza-based front came from the coffers of the state being presided over by the said governor,” the statement said.

The statement further reads:”As that was going on, another deal was being sealed to sell 51 per cent of WEMABOD Estate. The curious thing about the sale of the WEMABOD estate is that this company made a profit of over N100 million last year alone.”

The group said it hoped the stealing of the collective wealth of the Yoruba race would be corrected one day. The group explained that it is sad that all the O’dua assets that even military administrators did not consider selling were now being pawned by the so-called elected governors of Yoruba origin.

Afenifere called on the chairman of O’dua Investment, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, to quit the board now so that he could save his reputation from being soiled by political upstarts.