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Adebanjo challenges Akande, Tinubu to disclose sources of wealth

Leader of Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, on Thursday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] to probe how Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Bisi Akande became so wealthy. The Afenifere leader, [now 93-year-old] urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] not to keep silent over how Tinubu and Akande became so wealthy and he explained that funds used to build his own Lekki apartment were gathered through personal sources.

“I hereby challenge Chief Bisi Akande to clear the air by disclosing the source of financing these properties as I have done above. “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the great philanthropist should also disclose the source of his wealth with which he bankrolled the elections of APC in the Southwest and that of General Muhammad Buhari and his various properties in Lagos. He should also authorize the EFCC to verify such details as I have done above,” Pa Adebanjo said. Adebanjo gave the challenge while addressing a press conference in Lagos on Thursday in response to allegations by Akande against him in his 559-page autobiography, titled ‘My Participations,’ launched in Lagos last week. Adebanjo berated former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, for accusing him of pressuring the APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to build a house for him in Lekki. Akande alleged in his book that, “One day, Sir Olaniwun (Ajayi) was launching a book at Muson Centre, Lagos. After the book presentation, Tinubu said I should not go and that he would like to see me. “We met in a small room where he also invited Sir Olaniwun Ajayi. ‘Papa, you can see that this document is old, Tinubu said as he handed over a big envelope to Ajayi. This is your C of O (Certificate of Occupancy). “Tinubu told me later that after he presented Adebanjo’s C of O to him, Adebanjo was always pestering Tinubu until he helped build a house on the plot.

The street was also named in honour of Adebanjo and he is living in that house now at Lekki Phase One,” Akande had alleged. Pa. Adebanjo at the press conference, however, disclosed that it was shocking that Tinubu had yet to set the records straight on the allegation by Akande even though the former Lagos governor once praised him for his “incorruptibility and strength of character.” Continuing, Adebanjo said, “A lot has been said in the press and the social media to demolish tantrums. But I owe a duty to myself and to put the record straight for posterity about the big lie that Bola Tinubu built my house in Lekki for me. “I, therefore, deny categorically that my house at Lekki was built with my resources through the sale of 3 developed properties, loan from GTBank and the sale of undeveloped landed property given me by my late leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. “1. A 4 bedroom duplex with 2 bedroom flat enclosed with 2 undeveloped plots at plot 4, block 14, Nuru Oniwo Street, Aguda Surulere, Lagos State, this is where I was living before moving to Lekki.

The house was commissioned in 1972 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. “A wing of the duplex was once occupied by a staff of the security outfit then known as “special branch” headed then by the late Alhaji M.D. Yussuf later became Inspector General of Police when General Olusegun Obasanjo was the Head of State. It was later occupied by one of the wives of Chief Pius Akinyelure, who often visited his wife there in the company of Senator Bola Tinubu. “The gate of this property was forced open by Abacha security forces when NADECO was holding a sendoff party for American ambassador Walter Carrington in my house, I took the Federal Government to court for damages and I was awarded #1million naira which has not been paid till today by the Federal Government, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN, was my counsel. The house was sold to St Baths Anglican Church, Aguda, Surulere. “2. Two-storey building at Odedola Street, Surulere, Lagos State. I bought it through an Estate Agent by the name of Mr. Shiwoniku who has relocated to the UK, he has a brother who is a legal practitioner in Abuja.

The house was sold to a Ghanaian by the name of Mr. Akappo. He is still alive and he lives in one of the flats in the building. “3. Four storey building with a warehouse on the ground floor and six flats on top. It was commissioned by Chief Awolowo in 1977. “I inherited the plot of 45’X100’ from my mother Salamotu Anomo-Adebanjo, who built a bungalow on it. “She bought the land when I was in primary school in 1940 from one Pa. Idowu Onitiri for £20, which she paid by instalment of £10, £7, £3. His son Akanbi Onitiri, executed the conveyance for me without extra payment after showing him the purchase receipts from his father, when I was developing it in 1976. Akanbi Onitiri is the father of Sumbo Onitiri, a well-known estate surveyor in Lagos. The building was sold to a woman through an estate agent. “I then took a loan from GTBank to complete the house in Lekki where I am living now. When the interest on the loan became unbearable, I was compelled to sell the undeveloped land given to me by Chief Awolowo in DideOlu Estate in Maroko Victoria Island. One Mr. Ade Otusanya a friend of my son Femi AyoAdebanjo bought the land. “The contractor who built my Lekki house is Engr. Hakeem Sulaiman, Senior Partner of Messrs HA associates. The Electrical and Mechanical Contractor is Engr. Tokunbo Oshokoya, Senior Partner of Messrs Oshea Projects. The Architect is Mr. Deji Johnson.

The Quantity Surveyor is the late Otunba T.B Adebayo. “The Lekki property, the house in my village, Isanya Ogbo, and 3 Bedroom flat in a townhouse, at Omorinre Street in Lekki are the properties I have in the whole world. “I hereby authorize the EFCC to verify the above facts. “It is alleged that Chief Bisi Akande’s building at Ila-Orangun, which I understand is more than double the expanse of my house in Lekki and some other properties he has in Lagos and abroad were financed by Bola Tinubu. His house in Ibadan was also alleged to have been built by the contractor that built the secretariat in Osogbo, when he was the Governor of Osun State. “I hereby challenge Chief Bisi Akande to clear the air by disclosing the source of financing these properties as I have done above. “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the great philanthropist should also disclose the source of his wealth with which he bankrolled the elections of APC in the Southwest and that of General Muhammad Buhari and his various properties in Lagos. He should also authorise the EFCC to verify such details as I have done above.” Meanwhile, former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has replied Chief Bisi Akande over the uncomplimentary allegations in his autobiography. In a statement on Thursday, Prince Oyinlola spoke on some of the allegations in the book including the contract for the Governor’s Office popularly known as Bola Ige House, saying “I have just read a part of the recently released autobiography of my predecessor as Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, which concerns me. “He levelled some allegations against me and also made certain allusions and insinuations.

My forthcoming autobiography has already taken care of all the issues. “Notwithstanding that, however, I have the following preliminary replies to some of the issues he raised where he mentioned my name. This is for the benefit of Nigerians who may be interested in hearing my own immediate side of the story. “Bola Ige House contract: Chief Akande said I wrongly accused him of corruption in the construction of the Governor’s Office (Bola Ige House). I did not level any false charges against him. I came into office in May 2003 and discovered that the Governor’s Office complex which Akande inaugurated for use after he lost the election was really not completed. “The state government asked the contractor to come back to the site and complete the works, more so when evidence in government accounts showed that he had been paid. But the project consultant shocked everyone with his claim that part of the payment was taken back to finance the 2003 re-election bid of Chief Akande.

“The consultant said the contractor could not go back to work unless he was paid his full dues. One of Akande’s own appointees confessed collecting money from this contractor for Akande’s re-election. I consulted Chief Akande on this. “He denied having any deal with the contractor and the consultant. Some people were subsequently taken to court on a seven-count criminal charge. Stakeholders in the state and Alhaji Arisekola Alao later intervened. I have the details of who collected how much in my forthcoming book. “Chief Akande brought into his narrative some names including that of General Alani Akinrinade, whom he quoted as calling me on the content of a government file which Akande confessed was stolen by his people and brought to him in Ibadan. I state that General Akinrinade could not have called me “Lagun” which Akande inserted in his book. “General Akinrinade and everyone in the military called (and calls) me Ola or Oyin. In any case, I have records of every document I appended my signature to in my years in government. “Akande’s full advance payment of N800million on new Govt House: Chief Akande wrote on the Government House that he wanted to build on a site on Ilesa road in Osogbo which I stopped.

“I found it strange that Chief Akande who boasted that he was prudent and honest as governor, awarded the construction of a Government House in his last days in office after he lost the election and in advance, paid the contractors the entire contract sum of N800million. “Chief Akande confirmed this strange payment on page 393 of his book. This was a man who said there was no money to pay workers and pensioners but he had enough to pay a contractor in advance for a Government House after losing his re-election. In any case, the state already had an ongoing Government House started by the military government which Akande refused to complete. I completed the project and added chalets plus a presidential lodge. “Everything was completed and inaugurated within my first year in office. The state has continued to use the structures to date. Akande, in his book, condemned my decision to opt for that project instead of his own idea. Further details on this are in my forthcoming book.”

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