EFCC invites Ondo Speaker, Clerk over fraud

Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited for questioning the Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun, over an allegation of fraud that allegedly rocked the Assembly recently.

In addition to the speaker, it was gathered that the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Bode Adeyelu, and the Deputy Clerk, Mr Amos Olowogorioye, and the Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Education, Mr Felemugudu Bankole, and some civil servants were invited by the anti-graft agency.

An authoritative source in the Assembly stated the fraud was allegedly committed in 2019 when the lawmakers were said to have attended a two-day seminar organised by the National Productivity Centre, Lagos and it was later discovered that they did not attend the said seminar.

According to the source, the alleged pseudo-seminar was slated for Wednesday and Thursday, December 11 and 12, 2019.

The source said, “A document in the Assembly shows that the seminar was aimed at institutional productivity, consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in both public and private sectors, to accord workers and organisations the platform in achieving high productivity as well as giving impetus to the seminar in charting the pathway in revitalising the educational sector.

“However, it was discovered that there was no such seminar organised, thereby the money released by the state Ministry of Finance amounting to N2.4m went to the private pockets.”

However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr Gbenga Omole, denied the invitation, saying nobody was arrested or invited by the EFCC.

He said, “As far as I know it is not true that the speaker was invited by the EFCC.”

The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly is the political head of the Ondo State House of Assembly, elected by the Members of the Assembly. The incumbent Speaker is Bamidele Oleyelogun who succeeded the former speaker Jumoke Akindele following change of the leadership of the house.