From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Osun State House of Assembly has set up a committee to look into the debt profile of the state.
The legislators had earlier instructed that agencies of government should immediately furnish the house with the updated details of the state’s debt.
The Speaker, of Osun House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye at the plenary on Thursday inaugurated a 10-man ad-hoc committee to urgently do a thorough investigation about the exact debt profile of the state.
In a statement by his media Aide, Kunle Alabi, the speaker stated that the figure that the House of Assembly has is different from what was reeled out by the executive arm of the government.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had raised the alarm that the state is indebted to the tune of N407.32 billion, saying that his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola borrowed N18 billion after the July 16 governorship election.
The assembly committee has the Speaker as the Chairman, the Chairman House Committee on Public Account, and the Chairman of the Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon Gbenga Ogunkanmi and Hon 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, Mr. Simeon Amusan as the Secretary.
The Speaker noted that the situation if not carefully handled may affect investors and people who want to have transactions with the state.
The Speaker while relying on sections 128 and 129 said, “for 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.
“(a) 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 a continuum, this exercise is going to be transparent, that’s why we have co-opted the Minority leader into the committee,” he added.
