Sacks fiscal Responsibility chairman, queries KWSIEC, civil service
Action confirms National Pilot report/prediction
By Mumini AbdulKareem
Kwara State Government has reportedly moved against statutory
commissions in the state following the purported dissolution of the
Fiscal Responsibility Commission, National Pilot reliably gathered,
last night.
Other statutory commissions that may also be affected, it was learnt,
are the Civil Service and Kwara State Independent Electoral
Commissions (KWSEIC).
The chairmen and all the members of the Civil Service and KWSIEC were
reportedly queried individually by the government over accusation of
shunning activities of the present administration since they were
sworn-in.
Recall that National Pilot in one of its special reports before this
government was inaugurated had predicted the dissolution of local
government councils, boards and commissions as well as change in
policies of the last administration.
Investigation by our reporter revealed that the letter of dissolution
and queries were sent to the affected commissions last Thursday
mandating the affected officials to reply the query within 24 hours.
According to the letter of dissolution sent to the Fiscal
Responsibility Commission dated 19th June, 2019 and signed by
Permanent Secretary, General Services, Mr Adegboyega Mobolaji Odetokun
on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) titled:
‘Notification of Removal from Office’, the Government said it has
approved the removal of board based on Section 9 of the Fiscal
Reasonability Law, 2018.
The government’s directive added that its action which was with
immediate effect was predicated on the interest of the public and
further directed them to handover to the most senior civil servant in
the commission.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Chairman of the Civil Service
Commission and former Secretary to the Kwara State Government who is
also a one-time Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Sakariyau Onimago,
on the development were not successful last night as calls and text
message to him were neither picked nor answered.
The Chairman of the Kwara State Fiscal Responsibility Commission who
was also a former chairman of Irepodun Local Government Council,
Lukman Owolewa claimed he was at a function when contacted for
comments on the telephone. He however promised to get back to our
reporter but yet to do so last night before this paper went to bed.
But a source at the commission said, “The truth of the matter is that
they will also ask those that have been issued queried to go. They are
just postponing the evil day. This is a statutory commission and the
real issue is that they don’t want to work with any board of the last
PDP administration in the state”.
Although the Chairman of KWSIEC, Taiye Eleja Banu could not be reached
last night, a very reliable source in the commission confirmed the
government queries.
According to the source who craved anonymity as he was not authorised
to officially speak on the issue, the chairman and members were
accused of not attending government programmes like the Democracy Day
celebration and others because they were loyal to the last
administration and are still working for them. That is why they don’t
want to show interest in this administration.
“The chairman of the board and its members were queried individually
by been served a letter each and given 24 hours to respond. So you
collect your query and answer it. They called them one after the other
to come and collect their letters at the commission.
“But the government is just looking for a way to drop them and use the
excuse of the affected people not being loyal to them and they can’t
work with such people because they can’t get the required confidence
from them. That is the ultimate game plan.”
But Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has denied any dissolution of the
Fiscal Responsibility Commission even at he confirmed the queries of
affected members of other commissions.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Rafiu Ajakaye in a
text message last night, said “The Governor has not dissolved the
Fiscal Responsibility Commission. What the Governor has done was to
remove the Chairman and members of the commission in line with his
powers under Section 9 (D) of the law establishing the body.
“That section empowers the Governor to remove any member of the
commission if he is convinced that their continued membership of the
commission is no longer in the interest of the body or the state”.
He added that “It is true that the Governor has queried members of the
KWSIEC and the Civil Service Commission. The query followed their
failure to honour the Governor’s invitation to attend state functions
and meetings with top civil servants and heads of commissions,
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)”.
It was not clear why only the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility
Commission, Owolewa was sacked rather than being queried like others
last night.
Chairman of the Civil Service, Onimago, members of the commission,
Samuel Bamisaiye and Alhaji Mohammed Koro and Owolewa whose committee
include Mohammed Sulyman Atolagbe, Alhaji Danjuma Sabi and Alhaji
Babatunde AbdulRaheem together with Taiye Eleja Banu with Alhaji Issa
Kayode Abdul, Dr Dele Kayode, Saidu Issa Abdullahi and Alhaji Mohammed
Sanni as members of the state electoral commission were sworn- in
during the twilight of the last administration of Abdulfatah Ahmed
following their successful screening by the 8th Kwara State
legislature.
The latest development is coming just five days after the state
government announced dissolution of the boards of all state-owned
companies numbering 18 and directed the suspension of the bank
accounts of the affected companies until further notice.
Companies affected included Kwara Hotels, Harmony Holdings Limited,
Kwara Football Academy, Ilorin International Aviation College and
Kwara Diagnostic Centre among others.
The recent dissolutions being embarked upon by the new administration
has been predicted by this medium in a special report on Thursday 16th
May, 2019 in our Vol 29, No 49.
The reports predicted among others the dissolution of the local
government council, change of leadership of government boards,
parastatals and agencies among others.
