With few weeks to the expiration of Abdulfatah Ahmed tenure as Kwara State Governor, indications emerged during the weekend that his Senior Special Assistant on Media/Communications, Dr. Femi Akorede, must have surrendered his International Passport to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, currently investigating some activities of the outgoing government.
Sources hinted newsmen that Akorede, who is also the Sole Administrator of the three government-owned media houses, honoured an invitation by the Ilorin office of the anti-graft agency located around Forest Quarters, GRA Ilorin last week to explain among others the execution of the ‘Project Alpha’ for the repositioning of the three government-owned media houses, viz. Radio Kwara, Kwara Television Service and The Herald Newspaper.
Despite the huge amount running into millions, which the government claimed to have spent on the project, the media houses are yet to function effectively to enable them carry out their assigned roles, aside a backlog of two months salary arrears and epileptic release of their operation funds, which is also released monthly.
Akorede was given administrative bail, but he surrendered his International Passport to the commission, sources said.
Some of the houses marked by the agency were seen by this reporter around Oloruntoyin School Road, Olorunsogo Quarters, Geri Alimi, Ilorin up till the weekend when this correspondent visited the area.
The inscriptions on the marked buildings read, ‘EFCC UNDER INVESTIGATION KEEP OFF’ in red ink, though the occupants of some of the buildings were seen going about their socio-economic life unperturbed.
Occupants of the buildings were also not ready to talk to this reporter on the identity of the owners and attempts to confirm the development at the agency’s office also proved abortive.
The EFCC last week arraigned four officials of the state government before Justice Babangana Ashigar of a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin on a two count charge bordering on money laundering.
They included Abubakar Ishiak, (Perm sec) Govt House; Shina Mudashir Akorede, Director of Administration and Finance; Razaq Momonu, Controller Finance and Account, and Hafeez Yusuf Cashier.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges but we’re remanded in the EFCC custody till May 8, 2019, for hearing, while trial is to commence on June 6, 2019.
