By Ayodele Oni
Osun State Government has challenged those, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alleging an N11billion diversion of Ecological funds to produce documentary evidence.
Speaking on Channels TV, the State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi denied claims by the all Progressives Congress ( APC) chieftains and anti-graft investigators that N11 billion in Ecological Funds was diverted into suspicious accounts by the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration.
Alimi insisted that critics should produce concrete documentary proof of the alleged transaction while sharply accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of political bias.
He claimed the agency swiftly acts on APC petitions while ignoring documented money laundering complaints filed by the state against former APC officials.
“The same EFCC to which the state government submitted petitions since 2025 regarding cash withdrawals over N1.6 billion against the Minister of Marine Economy, has closed its eyes to that petition. But whenever the APC submits any paper, they start working on it immediately.”
Alimi stated emphatically that no N11 billion Ecological Fund allocation reached state coffers only to be routed to suspicious private or corporate accounts, demanding that accusers back their claims with bank statements.
He pointed out that since direct federal allocations to local governments began in February 2025, the state government lost access to council funds, leaving local governments directly responsible for primary school teachers, council staff salaries, and local pensioners.
Alimi explained that with local government liabilities absorbing approximately N6.5 billion monthly from state interventions previously, the state budget operates under tight margins with no surplus funds left to mismanage.
“No such money was received for it to be transferred anywhere. I challenge them: please come out with the reason and back it up with evidence.”
Addressing ongoing investigations, Alimi criticized the anti-graft agency’s responsiveness, alleging an imbalance in how complaints from opposing political camps are handled.
He argued that while Osun officials (including the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Finance) routinely honor EFCC invitations, the agency acts with unprecedented speed whenever the APC submits papers against the Adeleke administration.
Alimi questioned the legal basis of freezing state accounts without a valid court order, describing it as an erroneous step that undermines state governance.
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