LP cries out over massive sale of Govt. property by Agagu to cronies for peanuts

The Ondo State Chapter of Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday raised an alarm over the sale of multi-billion Naira Bielomatic Machines, a state-of- the-art automatic Exercise Book making machine, for a paltry N4.8million by the embattled Governor of the State, Dr Olusegun Agagu to his crony despite strident cries for the preservation of the machine.

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LP in a release by its Director of Press, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi described the development as not only unfortunate but another in the massive looting of the State’s resources which has become the hallmark of Agagu’s government following its sack by the Election Petition Tribunal on July 25, when Agagu’s pyrrhic was annulled.

According to the party, it was sad that Agagu has started selling off several of the legacies he inherited from his predecessors in office for paltry amounts of money to his fronts and cronies. It disclosed that the automatic Exercise Book making machine was sold to a front brought into the State by Agagu, Messers Benhan Interaction Limited for a mere N4.8million even when the current value of the machine which is one of the very few in the country now is estimated at over N2billion. Specifically LP expressed dismay that Agagu could still go ahead to sell off the machines despite cries from several quarters of the usefulness of the machine to government programmes as conceived by his predecessor who bought it 18 years ago.

Says Olabisi: “It will interest Nigerians that this Bielomatic Machine which was bought in 1989 and installed in 1990 with a capacity of producing 60,000copies of Exercise Books within an hour was, at the instance of government, valued by a company, Spicer Nigeria Ltd in 2004 at N80milllion while a new one in the market then cost over N200 million.

“But Agagu at his 17 th State Executive Council (EXCO) Meeting held May 7 th 2008 caused the machine to be put up for sale. A kangaroo tender was put in place and three (3) companies, ostensibly fronts of the Governor, tendered at ridiculous low price for this machine. The companies were: Blessing Equipment Nigeria Enterprises, which quoted N3.5million for the Machine; Statruton & Lycett Nigeria Enterprises, quoted N2.750million while Benhan Interaction Limited quoted a sum of N4.910million.

“Surprisingly and in a strange manner too, the Coordinator of the Product Pricing and Monitoring Unit (PPMU), Mr. Ife Iji, who is Femi Agagu’s (the Governor’s younger Brother and Chief of Staff) bosom friend, in a letter with Reference Number PPMU/AD/149 dated 20 th of June, 2008 written to the Permanent Secretary Cabinet and Special Duties further reduced the price of the Bielomatic Machine to N4.815m and ordered it sold to the highest bidder, Benhan Interaction Limited.

“Curiously enough, the office of the Auditor General raised an Audit Query on August 14 2008 in which it disagreed with the price quoted by the PPMU insisting that this was at variance with the findings of its Audit Investigating Officers who had done their survey on the prevailing market price of the said machine.

“In his bid to have his way, Agagu caused a five man panel named “Board of Survey” headed by one Mr. S.G Fasemo to be set up. The panel was told in plain terms that Government has made up its mind to sell off the machine due to its policy of carrying out its printing jobs only in black and white format so they better behave.”

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This, according to LP was the manner in which Agagu caused a gigantic multi-billion naira machine to be sold to his crony and is on the verge of being dismantled and taken away from the State for a mere N4.8million. 

But the LP while warning of the grave consequence for any companies, individuals and groups to collaborate with government to loot the State’s resources in this transition period when a competent court of law has already declared Agagu’s position as Governor illegal, LP posited that in the fullness of time, such companies, individuals and group would be made to face the wrath of the law.

In Olabisi words: “In the last few months, Agagu and his acolytes have embarked on the a scorched earth policy by carrying out massive looting of the resources of the State aqll in his vain bid to incapacitate the in-coming administration of Dr Olusegun Mimiko who had been declared as the Govenor-elect of the State by the Election Tribunal. Frivolous contracts are now being awarded at ridiculously high prices; government vehicles disappear to government officials’ private homes. Those who were mere paupers as at 2003 when Agagu became governor are now super-rich while the poor masses go to bed with rumbling stomachs. Water, roads, electricity are only a mirage while Agagu spins fantastic yarn of billions of naira spent to make these amenities available to an unsuspecting Nigerians but in reality, nothing is on the ground to show for this huge funds which he claimed he had spent. In the fullness of time, those who brought us to this sorry pass would be made to face the consequences of their actions. Our advice to those who engage in the business of raping the people’s resources with Agagu and his acolytes is to beware.”