VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update

THE Osun State Government has blamed inherited revenue consultants from the previous administration as responsible for recent misconduct in the revenue collection process.

The government also declared that Governor Ademola Adeleke has since ordered a major shakeup and disengagement of the culprits.

Responding to recent activities of revenue consultants in the state, the statement signed by the Spokesperson to the State Governor, Olawale Rasheed noted that the administration had retained some consultants in the spirit of continuity but expressed alarm at the recent turn of events which he said necessitated the major overhaul ordered by the State Governor.

“As early as last weekend, Governor Adeleke had issued a stern directive regularising activities of revenue consultants and instructing immediate stop to payments of revenue into consultants’ accounts. This directive is being strictly enforced.

“Top government leaders have held meetings with all consultants across the sector with new operational rules as well as sanctions handed down to some of the agents.

“Inherited consultants found to be acting to sabotage the new administration were fished out and a general process of disengagement of such guilty officials has commenced.

“From the Ministry to the office of the state Governor, further steps have been taken to arrest and prosecute any consultants whose activities are confirmed as injurious to the financial well-being of the state.

“The State Governor affirms that under his watch Osun’s finances will continue to be guided with due process, transparency and accountability.

“As part of a measure to stop the culprits in their track, members of the public have also refused to pay any consultants requesting money to be paid into private accounts.

“In their response to the Governor’s anger against the alleged infraction and his directive against such practices, the members of the public who trust the people’s Governor have formed an army of goodwill in support of the Governor’s effort to stop corruption in public finance.

“The reaction of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is therefore belated as the current administration has done the needful by fishing out inherited APC-hired consultants who are sabotaging the efforts of the PDP government to sanitize the state finance.

“We affirm that the Adeleke government will leave no stone unturned to weed out corrupt elements no matter how entrenched they may be within the state establishment.

“Governor Adeleke as a liberal leader who embraced all inherited officials after his assumption of office is a known man of means from a comfortable, philanthropic family who will not endorse or support any mismanagement of the state treasury.

“The members of the public are therefore urged to ignore the false alarm from the APC whose administration was riddled with public finance mismanagement and which on records looted the state even after it was rejected at the poll by the people, “the statement concluded.