A big fight is currently raging in Alpha Beta Consulting, a tax collecting firm owned by former Lagos governor and National leader of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the immediate past managing director of the company, Dapo Apara on the control and sharing of a whopping N30 billion the company makes for collecting taxes on behalf of the state government.
The state government rakes in at least N300 billion yearly from Internally Generated revenue, IGR out which Alpha Beta gets 10 per cent, according to a suit filed by the former managing director, who said he was wrongly sacked from the company after discovering some fraud involving the former Lagos helmsman.
Though Tinubu is not a director of the company, Apara accused him of committing the fraud through three other directors, Gboyega Oyetola, now governor of Osun state, Olumide Ogunmola and Tunde Badejo, who he claimed are fronts of the politician.
Part of the allegations is that the former governor directed his fronts in the firm to move over N2 billion to two companies owned by him without Apara knowledge as a senior partner in the company.
The plaintiff confronted the former Lagos strongman with the matter following which his was demoted and later sacked.
Apara has now asked a Lagos High court to give him justice and stop massive corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, among other vices in Alpha Beta.
The ex-managing director of the firm named Alpha Beta, Tinubu Akin Doherty as defendants in the case, where he accused them of wrongly terminating his appointment, even though he sole built the company from base.
Sometimes in 2000, Apara said the suit “he solely conceived, prepared and presented a proposal to the Lagos State Government on providing consultancy services using his fim, Infiniti Systems Enterprises, (the claimant) with respect to using computerisation to track and reconcile the Internally Generated Revenue of the State.
“The claimant avers that following the presentation of his proposal to the Lagos State Government, the 2nd defendant (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) who was at the time the governor of Lagos State demanded that 70 per cent equity interest in the project be assigned to a certain Olumide Ogunmola before he, the 2nd defendant will approve the project.
“The claimant avers that he then met the said Olumide Ogunmola (who he had never met before) and it was agreed that a limited liability company be incorporated in which the claimant will hold 30 per cent shares while Olumide Ogunmola and his partners will hold 70 per cent of the shares of the company.
“The claimant avers that following the agreement alluded to above; Alpha Beta Consulting Limited was incorporated in 2002 with the following shareholding ratio: Dapo Apara – 30 per cent, Olumide Ogunmola – 40 per cent, Adegboyega Oyetola – 30 per cent.
“The claimant avers that upon the commencement of business operations, the 2nd defendant (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) directed that the 30 per cent shareholding of Adegboyega Oyetola be transferred to one Mr. Tunde Badejo. This was done.”
The bottom-line according to the plaintiff is the 10 per cent paid to Alpha Beta monthly by the state government.
Apara said “after the incorporation of Alpha Beta Consulting Ltd in 2002 and structured according to the dictates of the 2nd defendant (Bola Ahmed Tinubu), the 2nd defendant in his official capacity as the governor of Lagos State then approved that Alpha Beta Consulting Ltd be awarded consultancy contract for the assessment and collection on behalf of the Lagos State Government all taxes and Internally Generated Revenue due and payable to the state at a 10 per cent consultancy fee (subject to a benchmark which varies from time to time).”
Meanwhile, Tinubu has not denied owning the rich tax firm even though his name does not appear in the company’s documents.
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