In response to the challenge by the Ondo State Government to publish details of the 13 companies it alleged were linked to the family of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state has listed eight of the companies.
It also gave details of five of the companies including Pentabon Ltd, Isisae Ltd, Limerite Ltd, Pentagon Motusi Ltd, and Jakovie Energy with names of their directors, dates of incorporation, directors’ details, business addresses, registration numbers and others as filed with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, in Abuja.
Government, in a statement by Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr Donald Ojogo, had dismissed allegations of looting and financial recklessness leveled by by the PDP against the Governor’s family as mere beer parlour gossips, legendary inconsistency and lies saying: “While it is clear that the insidious naked dance of the PDP manifests the height of idleness and political depression, the party’s persistence in the display of uncanny posture on the path of unbelievable lies calls to question whether or not PDP respects the Ondo State public at all. No serious public takes such beer parlour talks seriously.”
Ojogo had said in that statement, which was titled: “Ondo Govt to PDP: Juvenile Opposition, Pedestrian Talks Expose Your Emptiness … Publish details of companies linked to Governor’s family and report to EFCC funds spent on Countdown Show,” that:“Their assertions in respect of 13 companies they claimed were registered by the Governor’s family in 2017 without evidence exposes the juveline and pedestrian composure of the PDP. It is sheer waste of precious media space to assert without evidence to prove. We challenge PDP to publish the names of the Directors of those companies as well as the names of those companies.”
It was in response to allegations leveled against the state’s first family by the PDP on January 2, in a statement titled “Akeredolu’s misrule in Ondo State (10): Family on looting spree,” by its spokesman in the state, Mr Kennedy Ikantu Peretei.
In its response titled “Ondo Govt to PDP: Juvenile Opposition, Pedestrian Talks Expose Your Emptiness … Publish details of companies linked to Governor’s family and report to EFCC funds spent on Countdown Show,” in a statement by the Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr Donald Ojogo, government said: “While it is clear that the insidious naked dance of the PDP manifests the height of idleness and political depression, the party’s persistence in the display of uncanny posture on the path of unbelievable lies calls to question whether or not PDP respects the Ondo State public at all. No serious public takes such beer parlour talks seriously.”
Government had said: “This response in respect of the PDP’s latest misadventure mistaken for opposition is not to glorify the rudderless camp; it is to counsel the seemingly disorganised ilk and for the sake of general public at the mercy of PDP’s disingenuous misinformation.
“Their assertions in respect of 13 companies they claimed were registered by the Governor’s family in 2017 without evidence exposes the juveline and pedestrian composure of the PDP. It is sheer waste of precious media space to assert without evidence to prove. We challenge PDP to publish the names of the Directors of those companies as well as the names of those companies.
“On the alleged expenditure of N500,000,000(Five Hundred Million Naira) by the Ondo State Ministry of Information on the Countdown Show to herald 2022, it’s not just laughable but presents the PDP as most unserious. The inconsistency in their lies is legendary as their first release had indicated N200,000,000 in respect of same subject. The public deserves to know more. Therefore, PDP must hurry to report this to the EFCC for investigation.
“While it is clear that the insidious naked dance of the PDP manifests the height of idleness and political depression, the party’s persistence in the display of uncanny posture on the path of unbelievable lies calls to question whether or not PDP respects the Ondo State public at all. No serious public takes such beer parlour talks seriously.”
Earlier, a reliable source contacted for response to PDP’s allegations had told The Radiance: “I will not give credence with a response to all these concocted tales by the PDP. They’re all tissues of lies.”
But on Wednesday, January 5, the PDP spokesman, in a fresh statement titled: “Akeredolu’s misrule in Ondo State (11): For the record only,” said that “independent findings revealed that the following companies are owned by the Akeredolu family:”
- “Erudit Limited: Every document prepared for Ondo State Government carries Erudit consulting. It is owned and operated by Babajide Akeredolu using a proxy, Ibrahim Ashanke. The Providus Bank, Akure Branch account run by Erudit shows it is all Babajide’s transactions”;
- “Pentabon Limited”;
- “Egimka Nigeria Limited is used for contracting purposes and has same Directors as Erudit, Pentabon and Egimka. The account details of these companies show they are all run by Babajide Akeredolu”;
- “Terrenovo Agro solely owned by Babajide Akeredolu is part of the N5.5bn LPG project just commenced by ODSG”;
- “Claribet Consulting Limited is owned by Babajide and his mother, Betty. The Secretary is Babajide’s Personal Assistant, Damhindi Msendoo, whose name appears alternately as Director or Secretary of most of these companies”;
- “Limerite Limited is owned by Babajide Akeredolu and Ilesanmi Ademola (Brainbox). The Company Secretary is Damhindi Msendoo”;
- “Pentagon Motusi Ltd is owned by Babajide Akeredolu and Damhindi Msendoo as the Secretary”; and
- “Jakovie Energy is owned by Babajide Akeredolu and being fronted for by Damhindi Msendoo as the MD. Jakovie has been awarded a rural electricity project in Ondo State as seen in a Vanguard publication which link is presented here: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/11/electricity-akeredolu-promises-enabling-environment-for-ondo-residents/.”
Peretei said: “When l released the series 10 of “Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu’s Misrule”, it was greeted with disbelief. Some said it was a fairy tale. Others said, Ondo State was too enlightened for such mindless looting. Even the clueless Government Information machinery dismissed me as idle, challenging me to provide the facts.
“Today, l serve only the first course of documentary evidence, independent, authorised search from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal, so that, the doubting Thomases can come to terms with the fact that, indeed, Ondo State is under siege with Akeredolu and his family.”
According to PDP’s statement: “For those who think we are peddling “beer parlour” rumours, it is better to wake up from your slumber to join the rest of us to rescue and rebuild Ondo State. Take your time to glean through the documents. We are not arm-chair critics. We do our due diligence. As critical stakeholders, we cannot fold our hands and allow this to continue.
“As to the request to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the advice is un-necessary as, action is already being taken.”
The PDP had on January 2, in a statement titled “Akeredolu’s misrule in Ondo State (10): Family on looting spree,” by its state’s spokesman, had alleged: “Every passing day in Ondo state, one is confronted with the reality that, there is a very slim possibility of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State and his All Progressives Congress to completely serve out his remaining tenure. This speculation is fueled by the financial recklessness, brazen lack of respect for rules by Akeredolu’s wife Betty, his son, Babajide and lately his daughter, Teniola and her husband Michael Olatunde.
“Immediately Akeredolu was sworn in as Governor of Ondo State in 2017, he registered about thirteen companies. These companies have been shamelessly used by the first family to receive contracts from state ministries and departments. Checks from the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, showed that all the companies have the same or related Directors and Secretary. When contractors in the state hardly get paid for jobs, those awarded to the first family get prompt payment and to rob salt on injury, they and some of their cronies brag about it.
“A few months ago, the Ondo State government placed embargo on all forestry activities. This was done so as to hand over all forest operations to Babajide Akeredolu. When the operations were restored, a new sherif was already in town. One Ilesanmi Brainbox was mandated to collect a handsome sum of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000.00) from the operators everyday and paid directly to Babajide’s bank account. Even if Ondo State was a territory conquered by Akeredolu, he should have acted with some modicum of decency.
“The widely advertised and celebrated Sunshine Countdown Concert was anchored by Micheal Olatunde, Akeredolu’s son-in law. The Ondo State Ministry of Information parted with a whooping five hundred million Naira (N500,000,000.00) of taxpayers money. There was no committee set up for the event, no State Executive Council approval was gotten for it. Just hurriedly put together to patronise Teniola, Akeredolu’s daughter. Everywhere you look in the state, what you find is Akeredolu, his wife, children and their spouses as though on rampage, looting blindly.
“The world of grandeur and opulence in which these people live is in direct contrast with the lives of the people of the state. Retired workers of the state owned Owena Press Limited, publishers of Hope Newspaper, had recently in an emotional letter addressed to the Governor over the weekend, appealed for the payment of their gratuity. In the words of former Editor of The Hope, Dr. Banji Ayoola, “I can tell you that six of our members including a former Head of features desk, two photographers, a gateman, and two drivers have died of sicknesses that could be easily treated if money had been available, while some are bed ridden and unable to help themselves. Notably, six of the company’s 37 former staff have died without their gratuity”.
“Around the same time, workers of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo took to the streets, protesting 13 months of unpaid salaries. The workers lamented that, while they were hungry, Akeredolu and his cronies were erecting new buildings in Owo, right before their eyes. In the same South West Nigeria, Oyo State Workers got thirteenth month pay in the month of December. The explanations of lean resources of the state can no longer suffice.
“Mrs Betty Akeredolu, on her part has ensured that, no board is constituted for the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). All the BEMORE and FOWOSO projects are fully funded by OSOPADEC. Short of directly signing cheques, Betty is the Alpha and Omega of OSOPADEC. The Commission has not executed a single project since the inception of the Akeredolu tenure. While the eighteen local government areas of Ondo State contributed eighteen million Naira for 3rd FOWOSO Summit last month, OSOPADEC paid Betty more than fifty million Naira for the Summit. Only a heartless person can undertake this kind of blind looting in the face of penury that is everywhere. The greed displayed by the first family and their cohorts is only reminiscent of Ali Baba and the forty thieves, a folk tale from the One Thousand and One Nights, added to the collection in the 18th Century by French Translator Antoine Galland.
“It is difficult to assume that all these looting is going on without Akeredolu’s permission or knowledge. Whichever way, if this continues, the people will chase him and his family out of the Government House very soon.”
