Author: Ayodele Ifabonmi Clinton

An event centre is a place designed to host events and provide support and hospitality for guests, visitors and people after the host has paid a certain amount to the owner who built the event centre for commercial purposes as a long term investment.

The business comes with a solid model with the potential for huge long term profits as the property itself appreciates over time.

It is no more news that an event centre is a source of passive income to its owners following the high demand for events hosting in Nigeria. But what is, however, strange is the construction of two ultra-modern event centres by Hon. IKENGBOJU GBOLUGA, the Lawmaker representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency in the name of constituency projects for the people of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.

He constructed one in Ode Irele community against what the federal government approved for the people and he constructed another one in Ilutitun, his home town without constructing the sports center attached with the project.

I have done everything possible to hold my peace and refrain from writing about the deceit of this Gboluga’s event centre projects, but my conscience won’t let me rest having seen how several constituents and the unsuspecting public have fallen into the Lawmaker’s deceit.

I got irritated the more anytime I read from his data boys using the images of the event centres to campaign for his second term bid. I feel ashamed when educated guys are applauding these projects on social media that weren’t constituency projects meant for our constituency but a long term investment introduced by Gboluga for himself as a profit-making venture to fall back upon something as a means of livelihood now and after the expiration of his four years at the green chamber.

The questions people should ask Gboluga and his data boys are: who will be responsible to employ workers of the event centres? Gboluga or Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency? Who owns the bank account details to be credited by users of the event centres?

Is there any bank account in the name of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency? who’s name was used to purchase all the assets including pieces of furniture and fittings procured for the event centres? Do purchase receipts of the Air Conditioners, Generators, chairs, tables, and other assets carry the name of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency or Gboluga?

Besides the above, the public should also know that the sum of N73,750,000 approved for the Ilutitun community project under the ZIP Code: 2021ZIP1334 was for the CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN SPORT AND EVENT CENTRE and not just an event centre as built by Gboluga. Where is the sports centre? People should ask questions. All we can see now is the event centre. What about the sports centre as approved?

The second issue is that the sum of N100,000,000 approved for the Ode Irele community as requested by Gboluga was for the CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY HALL under the borders community agency Code: ERGP554001266 and not the event centre. Although the signage reads community Hall, but a statement credited to him by his data boys said it is an event centre. Instead of building a community hall, Gboluga converted the project into an event centre so that he could convert it into a personal business venture to generate income for himself.

Before they call me on phone to issue their usual threats of crushing and killing, I wish to stop here for now. I will begin part two with documentary evidence at my disposal to sensitise the good people of Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.

Enough of deceit! His colleagues are building public infrastructures, providing basic amenities, and rehabilitating public facilities with a myriad of empowerments, our MHR is busy investing in his future for profit-making.

We, by this letter, called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC), to launch an investigation into the fraudulent activities of Hon. Ikengboju Dele Gboluga over all the issues raised above and among other related offences.

(i) The commission should investigate the motive of converting the CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY HALL in Ode Irele to an event centre.

(II) The commission should investigate why he got money for the CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN SPORT AND EVENT CENTRE in his home town but only built an event centre there without talking about the sports centre.

(III) ICPC should investigate to know who owns the bank account details to be credited by users of the event centres?

(IV) On the purchase receipt, we are aware he has already directed the contractors to go and get a new receipt, not in his name but in the name of the said contractor having gotten a hint of this petition. ICPC should please ask questions on the purchase receipt of all the assets bought for the two event centres to know who bought what?

We also call on the traditional rulers of Irele and Ilutitun communities where these two projects were built to ensure they were not converted to a personal business venture of the Honourable.

©Written By Ayodele Ifabonmi Clinton, Coordinator of Ikale Development Vanguard (IDV)

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