Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun has denied tampering with the N2.4 million released to the Assembly for educational seminar.
He said his function as the speaker didn’t include signing of cheques or handling money.
The speaker, therefore, revealed that the said money remained in the coffers of the Assembly because the lawmakers in the House Committee on Education could not attend the seminar.
Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the state capital, weekend, Oleyelogun explained that he signed the request for the seminar on November 12, 2019, but the fund was made available behind schedule.
He said: “The request(to attend seminar) signed by me was made on November 12, 2019. That was the last time I saw the document.
“Warrant for the request came on November 31, 2019 and it is the duty of the Accounting officer of the Assembly(the Clerk) to see to how fund is made available having received the warrant for payment.
“The fund was released on May 31, 2020.
When the money was collected, the money would was kept because the time of the seminar for which the money requested had lapsed.
“When the same committee requested to attend another relevant seminar, I signed another approval for another similar on June 11, 2020. Unfortunately, the lawmakers couldn’t go because along the line COVID-19 set in.
“Subsequently, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Iroju Ogundeji who was to lead the lawmakers to the seminar was suspended. Later, the EndSARS crisis set in.”
“Subsequently, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Iroju Ogundeji who was to lead the lawmakers to the seminar was suspended. Later, the EndSARS crisis set in.”
The speaker disclosed that his deputy, Iroju Ogundeji, requested for the money slotted to him in the request for the seminar, but the Clerk of the House didn’t release the money to him because the circumstances on ground would not allow other lawmakers in the committee to attend the seminar.
He said the refusal of the clerk to release the money to him(Ogundeji) prompted the phoney allegation.
Oleyelogun expressed shock at the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) to file a suit against him despite making available to it all necessary documents that showed that the money in question was not spent.
Source: INDEPENDENT
