OSCOED Ila-Orangun N200 million Fraud: Plot to remove Osun college provost thickens...

The Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun is engulfed in a serious financial mess as over N200 million was said to have been squandered within five months of the assumption of office by the new governing body.

Investigation revealed that the college, under the supervision of the chairman of the governing council, Peter Babalola, spent N81 million for the accreditation of five courses and obtained N35 million loan approved by the state government on December 6, 2023.

Findings showed that Babalola holds council meetings almost every week, in contravention of the 2011 circular of Osun, which stipulates that the meeting should be held quarterly. It was gathered that the council chairman goes home with a minimum of N660,000 per meeting, despite the quarterly operational cost of N500,000 approved for him.

Documents exclusively obtained by Daily Sun revealed that a sum of N4 million was paid into the account of Akinlaja Wonuola, a bursary staff, on December 12 2023, for accreditation and allegedly diverted to Babalola’s account.

Another document available to Daily Sun showed how a sum of N3 million was paid into the account of Babalola on July 28, 2023, through his  Access Bank account number: 1227278622, shortly after the inauguration of the governing council.

A sum of N1,785,000, which was purportedly meant for accreditors’ flight tickets during the accreditation was paid into the account of Akinlaja Wonuola, and was equally diverted to the account of the chairman during the accreditation exercise.

Also, on December 10, 2023, another sum of N4 million for the purchase of equipment for the English laboratory was issued, but findings showed that the equipment had already been procured and paid for in the past.

Investigation revealed that the purported transactions had caused a misunderstanding between the council chairman and the provost of the college, Prof Jimoh Afolabi.

However, the reason for the misunderstanding between Babalola and Afolabi could not be ascertained. Findings showed that plots to remove the provost have been afoot.

A panel was allegedly set up by the council chairman, comprising the immediate past deputy provost of the college, Dr Philip Bamgbala, who is refunding money to the college, in connection with 2018 accreditation financial impropriety.

Also in the panel ‘solely’ constituted by Babalola is the serving Deputy Registrar, Mrs Folake Adeniyi, a former acting provost of the college, who is facing trial at the Federal High Court, over alleged fraud of the amphitheater, Dr Gbadamosi Basiru. It was reliably gathered that the purported panel to ensure the removal of the provost has fixed its meeting for today. But, Babalola denied all the allegations, stating that “provost is signatory to all the accounts and how the money of the institution are spent.

Babalola, who spoke to Daily Sun on the telephone, said, “What is causing all these problems is because I demanded accountability from them (Rector and ex-Bursar). They are the ones involved in illegalities, which I will expose soon,” he threatened.

Daily Sun