The Governor Ademola Adeleke-led Osun State government has formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the immediate past governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, over the alleged misappropriation of a $20million World Bank health grant.
The petition, dated March 7, 2025, Friday accused Oyetola of financial misconduct, money laundering, and violations of the Public Procurement Act in the disbursement of funds meant for improving the state’s health sector.
According to the petition, Oyetola, as governor, chaired a special Health Intervention Committee that decided to allocate the entire grant for the renovation of 320 primary healthcare centers across Osun State.
However, the government alleged that the contracts were awarded without due process, according to the petition obtained by PUNCH.
“The former governor did not call for bidding as required under the Public Procurement Act, 2007,” the petition, written by government lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi, stated.
“Instead, he awarded contracts to his cabinet members, proxies, and cronies, many of whom had no experience in construction.”
Among the companies named in the petition are: Poshpreneurs Nig – Allegedly owned by the children of former Head of Service, Olowogboyega Oyebade; Dotfam Multiventures Ltd. – Linked to the siblings of the former APC State Chairman; The Ice Firms Nig. Ltd. – Allegedly owned by former Commissioner for Local Government, Adebayo Adeleke and Afamoks Web International – Linked to ex-Amotekun Field Commander, Amitolu Shittu.
The government claimed that some of these companies were owned by food vendors, salon operators, supermarket owners, and web designers, raising concerns about their ability to execute construction projects.
It further alleged that substandard renovations were carried out while contractors received full payments.
The petition also accused the Oyetola administration of laundering over N1.5billion through the Osun chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) between January and October 2022.
Financial records cited in the petition indicate that large sums were transferred from the ALGON account at Zenith Bank into the personal account of one Akeem Ibitoye, a local government employee and Director of Finance at Ejigbo Local Government.
The government claims daily cash withdrawals ranging from N10million to N30million were made without any records of official use.
Reacting to the petition, former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Adebayo Adeleke, dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“The EFCC has not invited me, and I have not seen a copy of the petition,” Adeleke said. “If there is no proof, then these claims are frivolous.”
He further suggested that the petition was politically motivated, stating, “I have become a thorn in the flesh of Governor Adeleke and the PDP, so I won’t be surprised if baseless allegations are levelled against me.”
