THE former Chairman, Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Chief  Gbolagade Abiade, has advised the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi not to allow some caretaker chairmen in the state to mislead him into commissioning some of the  projects done and inaugurated by past administration in the state.

Chief Abiade gave this advice on Monday in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen.

According to him, “it has come to the notice of some people in the state that there are some projects which the present civilian administration in the state have penciled down for official inauguration which were not initiated or done by some council bosses who are creating the impression that such projects were completed by them. Therefore, governor Abiola Ajimobi should be very careful not to allow anybody especially, some political office holders to subject him to public embarrassment or turn him into laughing stock.”

Abiade said that a typical example of his observation was the new permanent secretariat of the Ibadan South West Local Government which would be unveiled by the state governor tomorrow.

He said the new secretariat situated at Aleshinloye Market area of Ibadan should not be inaugurated again by Governor Ajimobi, saying “the same project had been inaugurated in 2007 by the former governor of the state, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, when I (Abiade) was the chairman of Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

“It is very embarrassing that the present caretaker chairman of the local government, Mr Taoheed Bolaji Adeleke, would misinform Senator Ajimobi to believe that the secretariat at Aleshinloye area of the city was built and completed by his administration. This is very ridiculous and the highest level of deceit. Everybody know that the same building was completed by my administration in 2007 and its inauguration ceremony was attended by many people. Probably, we have to call the attention of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to the issue to avoid unnecessary controversy and argument.”

The former council boss also explained that the contract of the secretariat was awarded   20 years ago  by former governor of the state, Chief Kolapo Ishola, while the completion of the project was carried out by his administration between 2003 and 2007.

Honourable Abiade also accused the present caretaker chairman of the council, Mr Taoheed Adeleke of wickedness, stressing that the council boss had removed the plaque containing his name and that of Senator Ladoja on the wall of the building.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan South West Local Government Area of the state, Mr Taheed Bolaji Adeleke described the allegation as baseless, saying there was nothing on ground at the new secretariat when they came on board.

According to Adeleke, “it was an uncompleted building that the administration of Chief Abiade commissioned at that time.

“We did not meet any plaque on the building as alleged by Chief Abiade. In fact, there was no toilet, gate house, transformer, water and other expected facilities in the building. So how can such an empty, uncompleted project be commissioned in the first place?”

Speaking further, the council caretaker chairman said they have the picture of the old building and the new secretariat due for commissioning this week for anybody who want to confirm the situation of things during the tenure of Chief Abiade and when we came on board.

“But I want to state categorically that the last administration in the council commissioned an empty, uncompleted project just to have their names on the project,”  he added.