A civil society group, Ikale Vanguard for Peace and Justice, has urged the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa to be wary of ethnic jingoist, politicians and crook business opportunists plotting to take advantage of his administration to achieve selfish interest.
In a statement signed by the National Chairman, Dr Ademola Aiyekomogbon, while reacting to a call by the National Union Of Okitipupa Local Government Students on Governor Aiyedatiwa to investigate the finances of Okitipupa Oil Palm (OOP) Plc and the sack of the Managing Director, Mr Taiwo Adewole on allegation of fraud, noted that the faceless group was conjured by selfish individuals who had tried in vain to get Adewole removed because he hailed from the same town (Owo) with the immediate past Governor of the state, late Rotimi Akeredolu.
The group also condemned a similar call by a Canada-based Jimi Adekanle on Aiyedatiwa to remove Adewole and replace him with an Ikale extraction Managing Director, noting that such a move was a brazen ethnicity capable of provoking avoidable ethnic violence in the state.
“These calls become more reprehensible, illegal, illogical and unjust against the hard fact that the company is not owned by the Ikale nation even though it is sited there, it is owned by Nigerians across the country, where Ondo State like others is only one of the shareholders.”
The group noted that Adewole was being hunted because of some uncompromising policies he introduced to revamp the moribund firm and rescued it from the killing hands of those behind the faceless group.
In the statement the Ikale group made it clear that, “We are not opposed to promoting transparency and accountability at OOP Plc when it arises from genuine and unbiased incident, but this is not the case in this matter.”
According to the group, the call was “malicious, strange, mischievous and misleading as it did not make reference to any particular case of stealing, fraud, missing funds in the company or allegation by the Board of Directors.
“Adewole ought to be celebrated and honoured for his managerial ingenuity in rescuing the company from the jaw of death and killer-mafia and kingpins of illegal harvesters, and for taking the firm from the mud of indebtedness to its current financial viability, holding Annual General Meeting held last 20 years ago and paying dividends last paid 26 years ago.”
It therefore charged Aiyedatiwa not to allow himself to be unconsciously used by faceless individuals who were now playing ethnic card, adding that “the restoration of life back to OOP Plc was one of the legacy achievements of his late boss, Akeredolu and should be careful not to unwittingly return it to devourers.”
