Assets recovery: Osun SSG promises to abide by existing laws
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
The Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Hon. Teslim Igbalaye has assured the people of the State that the assets recovery committee set up by Governor Ademola Adeleke would adhere strictly to the rule of law while carrying out its mandate.
Igbalaye, who is also the Chairman of the committee during a press briefing held at the Governor’s office on Tuesday, said due diligence will remain a priority of the committee.
He noted that the committee was not set up to witch-hunt the officials of the immediate past administration, saying that what is important to the Government is to recover any properties illegally carted away to serve as a deterrent to other administrations that would come on board.
Igbalaye stated that the Governor inaugurated members of the Task Force to ensure the immediate recovery of Government assets/project vehicles that were illegally carted away by the officials of the immediate past administration.
He stressed that Task Force will do everything within the armpit of law to recover the assets.
According to him, “Whatever the method of asset recovery will be within the rule of law. We are almost done with the number of vehicles carted away and we are still expecting Local Government reports before the end of this week.
“We are not here to witch-hunt anybody but what we are here for is to recover government assets and vehicles.”
Igbalaye disclosed that the Task Force made a critical observation during it’s meeting that, “due diligence should be done with a view to ascertaining vehicles / assets that were lawfully permissible to be taken home from those illegally taken away.
“The Executive Governor had the prerogative power to allow any political appointee go home with his/her official vehicle, having served for at least a period of two (2) years and payment of some amount of money into the coffers of the government, and if the vehicle was less than four (4) years old, the appointee would pay 10% of the residual value of such official vehicle;
“The approval granted by the immediate past Executive Governor for the release and eventual ownership of the official vehicles (kia cars) allocated to members of the immediate past Osun State Executive Council followed due process.
“The letter of permission written by the immediate past Head of Service, directing political appointees of the immediate past administration to go home with the official vehicles allocated to them was, however, illegal.
“All government assets/ vehicles that are hitherto in the possession of the political appointees of the immediate past administration, which are not captured in the express provisions of the paragraphs ii and iii above, are deemed to have been illegally carted away, and such must be returned to the Osun State Government immediately,” Igbalaye added.
