By Banji Ayoola
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has debunked the allegation by an opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s senator representing the state, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, that some aides of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu were planning to sell off the multi-billion naira Idanre Chocolate Factory among other state assets.
Akinyelure who is representing Ondo Central Senatorial District in the Senate, had raised the alarm that some of Akeredolu’s aides were taking advantage of the governor’s alleged ill health to sell off some state assets, even as he prayed that “the governor will get better.”.
Particularly, he accused the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Pastor Akinola Olotu, of conniving with some people to illegally sell off the state owned chocolate factory worth between N9 billion and N15 billion at a give-away price of N10 million.
He alleged that the governor’s aides were out to take advantage of his perceived ill health, to sell off the factory at such a ridiculous amount without following due process.
The senator had told journalists in Abuja that it was important for him to stop such adventure with his position as a lawmaker who was democratically elected to represent the people of Ondo State.
But the APC on Monday, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity in the state, Mr Steve Otaloro, faulted the senator saying:
“It is disheartening to hear Senator Ayo Akinyelure’s spurious allegations on a proposed sale of the multi-million naira Chocolate factory completed by the Akeredolu’s government for a ridiculous paltry sum of 10 million naira only by the administration of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu allegedly through one of the governor’s Senior Special Assistant SSA.
“This allegation was not for the SSA alone but for the government, and the ruling party, APC. It was grandstanded as wastefulness on the state resources ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“The unscrupulous behavior of the senator left us no option as a responsible political party but to respond by setting the record and bringing to the fore the real intention of the senator.
“First, the 10 million naira sales quoted by senator Ayo Akinyelure was a spurious claim, as this was deliberately intended for our party to amass public condemnation ahead of the coming election and consequently jeopardize our party’s strength in the state and affect our party’s continuous winning streak at subsequent elections since Akeredolu came to the saddle and as we move toward the 2023 general elections.
“It should be on record that Senator Ayo Akinyelure has lost political relevance in Ondo State. He is using this onslaught to relaunch his badly damaged reputation amongst his party members after he was advised by PDP leadership in the state not to go to court to challenge his lost re-election bid at the party primary but refused, headed to the court, and lost.
“His action of portraying his state in a bad light in the senate chamber is infra dig of a distinguished Senator to do without adequate and proper investigation. He could have raised a concern if he thought something was amiss. But instead, he alarmed when nothing was wrong by calling a press conference in his office to emphatically present a falsehood narrative to unsuspecting journalists in Abuja because such falsehood would not have gone unnoticed by journalists if he had addressed them in Akure.
“Akin Olotu SSA to Arakunrin Oluwatotimi Akeredolu SAN mentioned by Senator Ayo Akinyelure is an honest, God-fearing man of God- a Pastor and a hardworking technocrat in government that has consistently been a reliable aide of Governor Akeredolu over the years.
“His immense contributions to agriculture in the state have elevated the sector. As an agronomist of enormous proportion, Olotu has brought a lot of innovations into the Agricultural sector that has engendered the sector’s viability and triggered growth and development of agric-business in the state, one area of investment growth never witnessed before in the State.
“The agricultural sector hitherto was only given lip services by the previous government in the state before the revolutionary approach of Akeredolu’s renewed agricultural policy took effect. This once viable sector was comatose despite the abundance of arable lands in the State and the stable climatic condition suitable for planting in the State.
“Ayo Akinyelure is a petty politician and a pathological liar who has mastered the act of apology as an error for every one of his wrongdoings. He is a minus to the senators representing the state, rarely heard of making any positive contribution at the senate chamber.
“The senator lost political relevance in the state when he supported the UNDERAGE MARRIAGE LAW in the senate. He quickly apologised as an error for his inadequacies at the senate when the public protested against him in the state. However, the people wouldn’t forget this heinous crime on the position he took in favour of the girl-child marriage law as one of the reasons he was voted against at the PDP primary for his re-election bid.
“The Akeredolu administration is doing everything possible to improve the life of the citizens of the state. Idanre being the hometown of Senator Ayo Akinyelure has received lots of infrastructural development in this APC administration. In the agricultural sector, the state government is developing to make Idanre town a hub for agriculture and agric-business in the Central Senatorial District of the state.
“However, this may not be to the knowledge of Senator Ayo Akinyelure because he is known as an Abuja-based politician in the state. He is rarely in touch with his community, as a reason for his loss at the party primary to a newcomer who barely returned to the party a few months before the party primary.
“Needless to start reeling out the position of the government on the proposed chocolate factory, which by the way, had been intensively enunciated by the government as following due process in all its transaction to secure the investment of the good people of Ondo State in the factory.
“At this juncture, it is pertinent to let Senator Akinyelure learn how to salvage the remaining days of his senatorial tenure with dignity and honor by concentrating and engaging in issues of development and progress for the state than demagoguery of political opportunists and unrefined contributions at the senate hallowed chamber.
“Finally, Senator Akinyelure should try to clear the phantoms from his head and grasp the reality of the health situation of the governor. He is hale and hearty and seen discharging all his official duties, presiding over State Executive meetings, and attending campaign rallies in support of our party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other candidates of the APC in the state.”
Also, Olotu had faulted the senator’s allegations, saying due diligence was followed in the planned sale of the chocolate factory.
His words: “What does Akinyelure know about the chocolate factory? Does he know the current situation of the place?
“The factory was set up before the coming of this administration but it was not functioning. Mr Governor looked at it to make sure one or two things are put in place to make sure that the place works. After that, the consultant that was managing the place was invited. He is a Caribbean based in America. In our interactions with him, when he got back, he was furious due to bad management.
“Eventually, we were able to work out something, and the place was declared open. Unfortunately, COVID-19 struck and he couldn’t come to Nigeria after the first visit. Then the Nigerians were trained, were managing the place, till their leader died.”
He said that government could not run a factory and “Akinyelure was just playing to the gallery.”
The governor’s aide said that the sale of the factory was announced nationwide for bidders to apply, but he is surprised to hear that he was accused of secretly trying to sell a government asset.
He insisted that due process was followed in the process of selling the chocolate factory.
Olotu who faulted the senator at a briefing in Akure the state capital, however, admitted that the state government truly wanted to sell the chocolate company, but the process was not yet concluded.
He explained that the committee had placed advert in a national daily on September 16, 2022 and on September 19, 2022 asking for submission of expression of interest in the chocolate manufacturing company.
Olotu disclosed that two companies showed interest in the company and the committee had done the evaluation and other necessary processes and handed over to the Bureau of Public Procurement(BPP) for necessary assessment.
His words: “It’s after the Bureau completes its processing that the documents would be presented to the State Executive Council for ratification before the chocolate manufacturing company would be handed over to the better bidder after paying required sum.
“The factory was an uncompleted project inherited from the immediate past administration. It was completed by this administration using the same consultant we inherited.
“The contract the State had with the consultant gave him “right of first refusal” in the privatization and running of the factory.
“This administration complied with that provision by entering into agreement with him.
“He was to roll out chocolate from the factory on April 2nd, 2020, unfortunately he couldn’t return to the country because of COVID 19 outbreak.
“However, he put up another proposal with a humonguous financial implication, demanding for another set of equipment including bringing in of many other workers from the United States.
“The position of the State was that he should begin operation with what is on ground as the procurement and setting up were 100% done by him.
“Evaluation assessment was carried out by the appropriate ministry (Ministry of Lands, Infrastructure and Works) to determine the value.
“At the expiration of the period in the advert and all other needed due diligence, the two bids were opened in the presence of all committee members drawn from all the MDAs mentioned above and also the two companies that bidded.
“Extension was given to one of the companies to address the omission in his bid and was advised to visit the factory for on the spot assessment.
“The report was collated by ONDIPA and forwarded to the Bureau of Public Procurement for further benchmarking. This is where we are to the best of my knowledge and my findings.
“It is after the benchmarking which is still on-going that the report will go to the State Executive Council for consideration, approval or otherwise.
“At this junction, it is crucial for me to mention that N100M or even N200M was never in consideration as none of the tender was below N300M.”
Corroborating Olotu, a member of the State Assets Disposition Committee from Ondo State Development Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA), Emmanuel Omomewo, said that the chocolate company was valued above N400 million but less than N500 million.
Omomewo said that the company has not been sold but is still undergoing processing.
Senator Akinyelure had said: “The Ondo State Government under the immediate past administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, established the Coca Processing Factory as part of his state-wide industrialisation drive, by taking over the moribund Federal Government Asset and entering into a partnership with an American chocolate industrialist, Eric Reid of Spangvola Chocolatier United States of America to convert dried Cocoa bean from the state to Chocolate and cocoa butter, thereby adding value to Nigeria cocoa produce before export.
“The machinery for the smooth take-off of this very important Industry in Idanre was imported, installed and equipped for commencement of production in partnership with Mr Eric of Spangvola Chocolatiers, USA, while the first batch of Chocolate production was made in 2015 after the commissioning of this multi-billion naira project by the state government at the twilight of the Governor Olusegun Mimiko Administration in 2015.
“To guarantee a constant supply of cocoa beans to the factory, the Oda Cocoa Plantation, which is over 1,744 Hectares, was resuscitated and made functional with over 250 Cocoa farmers’ up-scaling daily production from the farm to feed the factory.”
He alleged that some of the governor’s aides, exploiting the governor’s perceived illness, planned to sell off the industry under the guise that the asset was non-operational.
According to him: “Some cronies of the Government of Ondo State including the Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture had concluded arrangement to sell the same factory at the give-away price at the detriment of people of Ondo State and Idanre Local Government in particular without following due process in line with provisions of the Public Enterprise (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act, 1999 which has generated public outcry to stop the Government from selling the property of Ondo State meant to generate employment for the good people of the State now and in future.
“These people are taking advantage of the ill health of the governor to sell state-owned properties to themselves. By God’s grace, the governor will get better.”
