The Osun State Government has strongly denied allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that it diverted N11 billion meant for ecological projects, describing the claim as false and politically motivated.
The controversy follows the EFCC’s decision to freeze the state’s bank account on Wednesday, August 5, after the anti-graft agency said it uncovered suspicious transactions involving ecological and intervention funds.
In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the EFCC explained that it detected what it described as questionable transfers of funds from the state’s ecological and intervention accounts into a private account. The commission said the account was frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into the transactions.
Responding to the development, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, rejected the allegations of financial wrongdoing, insisting that the state government had not misappropriated any public funds.
Alimi further alleged that the account freeze was orchestrated to disrupt the payment of palliatives promised to civil servants in the state. According to him, the action was carried out at the instance of former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola.
“The real reason the commission froze the state account on the order of Gboyega Oyetola was to stop the payment of palliatives which the state government promised workers some months ago,” the commissioner stated.
The Osun Government maintained that there was no evidence of financial misconduct and argued that the EFCC’s action was intended to frustrate its welfare programme for workers.
The dispute has further intensified the ongoing political tensions in Osun State, with both the EFCC and the state government presenting conflicting accounts over the circumstances surrounding the frozen funds. As of the time of filing this report, the anti-graft agency has not responded to the state’s latest allegations against it.
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