Osun debt controversy: Assembly sets up probe committee

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BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

The Osun State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, set up a committee to investigate the discrepancies in the state debt profile.

The constitution of the committee was sequel to the earlier instruction of the Assembly that agencies of government should immediately furnish it with the updated details of the State’s debt.

The Speaker of the parliament, Timothy Owoeye at plenary inaugurated a 10-man adhoc committee to urgently do a thorough investigation about the exact debt profile of the state.

Owoeye in a statement by his media Aide, Kunle Alabi stated that the figure that the House of Assembly has is different from what was reeled out by the executive arm of government.

The committee has the Speaker as the Chairman, Chairman House Committee on Public Account and Chairman of Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Gbenga Ogunkanmi and Adebayo Olodo respectively as the Co- Chairman.

Others are the Minority leader, Kofo Adewunmi, Tunde Olatunji, Michael Adetoyi, Babatunde Ibirogba, Lateef ADEBISI, Babatunde Komolafe, Adiru Abefe and the Clerk, Simeon Amusan as the Secretary.

The Speaker noted that the situation if not carefully handled may affect investors and people who want to have transaction with the state.

Owoeye, while relying on sections 128 and 129 said, “for the purposes of any investigation under section 128 of this constitution and subject to the provisions thereof, a House of Assembly or a committee appointed in accordance within section 103 of this constitution shall have power to procure all such evidence, written or oral, direct or circumstantial, as it may think necessary or desirable and examine all persons as witnesses whose evidence may be material or relevant to the subject matter;”.

“The only institution that can clear the air on this is the House of Assembly, government is continum, this exercise is going to be transparent, that’s why we have co-opted the Minority leader into the committee,” he noted.