Ajimobi accuses Akala’s aides of taking away curtains, furniture, television from Govt House, says ‘when I left on May 29, spoons, knives intact’

Former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has told his successor, Seyi Makinde, that before he left office on May 29, his aides paid for all the official vehicles they took away.
He also said he left all utensils intact in the Government House unlike his predecessor, Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala, whose aides looted the Government House a few days before leaving on May 29, 2011.
Ajimobi also advised Makinde to monitor activities of civil servants and those working in Government House instead of accusing his aides of carting away government property after the expiration of their tenure.
He spoke on Sunday in his Oluyole, Ibadan residence after observing the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the Ansar-Ur-Deen prayer ground, Liberty Area, Oke Ado.
Ajimobi declared: “If we are talking vehicles, I think papers have been written. When you are in government, there are policies to be taken.
There are decisions taken. We took the decisions that anybody using vehicles at that time should pay and take it away. And that was what we did. Go to every state, Federal Government and all other states, there is nowhere in the world that people will work and not take away their vehicles when they are leaving.
“So, let them go and check many of those people in government, the civil servants. When I moved into the Government House, Agodi, I didn’t see any furniture; they took the whole curtains, furniture, chairs, tables, television, home appliances up till the last table spoon. Ask Governor Seyi Makinde if they took anything from the Government House, when he got there, up to spoons and knives. I left them there.
But you know why? It was because I worked up till the last day in office”.
Ajimobi’s advice followed the accusations and counter-accusations between his administration and the state government on recovered government vehicles.
The former governor said the admonition became imperative after alleged moves to tarnish his image and that of his former aides on alleged missing property, especially vehicles.
He added that the lesson he learnt, which necessitated the move, was that government workers and aides took advantage of Alao-Akala leaving the Government House a few days before the legitimate expiration of his term as governor to loot and plunder the official government residence.
“As it is being done all over the world, even in corporate organisations where people are allowed to leave positions they occupied with their official vehicles, I also allowed aides of my predecessors in office to leave with their official vehicles.
“I took the decision to advise people to pay for such vehicles before leaving with them”.