By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
A human rights activist and Chairman, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS),Comrade Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman has taken the fight against corruption to another level in the State by reporting the grand level of corruption experienced by the people of the State during the just ended tenure of Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s administration to the leaders of the anti-corruption group in Lagos State, explaining that the resources of the State were milked dry by Aregbesola and his co-travelers.
Comrade Sulaiman who made the report during the twins programme tagged Gani Fawehinmi Awards and Celebration of World Anti-Corruption Day, organized by the Human & Environmental Development Agenda(HEDA) supported by MacArthur Foundation with UK aid, held at the main Hall of the Radisson(Protea) Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos State.
He also reported the immediate past State Attorney-General, Mr. Ajibola Bashiru.
The theme of the events were “Public Presentation of Compendium of High-Profile Corruption and Financial crimes Cases in Nigeria” with sub-theme “Upright4Nigeria-Stand Against Corruption” the keynote address was delivered by a Season Media Practitioner and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi. The ‘Gani Fawehinmi Impact and
Integrity Awards’ were conferred on three eminent Nigerians.
Those conferred with the Awards were; JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, #ENDSARS Convener, Comrade Adesegun Awosanya and, CEO of Sahara reporters Online Media outfit, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.
The dignitaries that graced the event including;Chairman of the event,Barrister Femi Falana(SAN),Co-Chairman of the event and AMCON Chairman, Dr. Muiz Banire(SAN),a Senior Silk,Barrister Adeyinka Olumide Fusika(SAN),Former Osun State APC Guber Aspirant, Barrister Kunle Adegoke (KRAD), Chairman,HEDA Governing Board,Alhaji Lanre Suraj,a pro-democracy activist,Comrade Shina Odugbemi,WARDC Chairperson,Dr. (Mrs) Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, Former NBA Chairman, Ikorodu Branch, Barrister Nurudeen Ogbara, University Don, Dr. Tunde Akanni, Ex-LASU SUG President, Alhaji Arigbabuwo Sulaiman, Ex-Chairman, CDHR.Lagos branch, Comrade Nelson Ekunjinmi, and host of others.
The rights activist also accused the leaders of the anti-corruption groups of folding their arms when the last administration of Aregbesola in Osun State was milking the State resources dry and left behind debt close to N500billion with workers and retirees alike salary
and pension arrears for the period of 13 to 15 months.
According to him:” I was flabbergasted and demoralized to see that some of our leaders in the human rights community cum anti-corruption groups could organize this kind of programme which they have discovered that a lot of corrupt practices were rigmarole in the government of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola which our Osun based civil rights group wrote series of Petition Letter to the anti-graft agencies for credible investigation of the immediate past government in the State and you were looking at the other side by turning my humble self to a lone voice in the wilderness as if you are not heard what was happening in the State under Aregbesola’s government.
“And to my surprise, we wrote a petition against the immediate past Attorney-General of the State, Mr. Ajibola Bashiru over an alleged illegal acquiring of properties worth N2.2billion with public funds while serving as public officer in the State for just period of six years and as a result of this, Mr. Bashiru is galvanizing all over the places by boosting to affect our arrest over what he termed, raising false allegation against his person before anti-graft agency which we
were just watching his level of ignorance and intellectual arrogance on the subject matter”.
In another related development, Sulaiman who is also the Executive Chairman,Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice(CHRSJ), later attended the 2018-70th World Human Rights Day anniversary organized by the Lagos State branch of the Committee for Defence of Human Rights(CDHR),which he was received with enthusiasm by the leadership of the rights group by applauding his doggedness and zeal on the fight against the bad governance in Osun State and Nigeria as a whole.
