Government Of Ondo State Criticizes Akinyelure’s Ng Claim -cares

Yesterday, the Ondo State Government denied charges made by Senator Ayo Akinyelure, who represents the Ondo Central District, that the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) was changed into a state initiative.

Additionally, it dismissed as unfounded Akinyelure’s claim that the state misappropriated and reduced a federal government free grant of N3.2 million per small business owner intended to benefit roughly 5,000 beneficiaries to a state scheme where each recipient received just N300,000.

According to reports, Akinyelure made the accusations while speaking with the Executive Director of the Bank of Industry at a recent Senate committee hearing (BoI). The allegations were false in content, misleading in context, and ridiculous in theatrical presentation, according to a statement from the state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju. She also noted that “the NG-CARES program adopted as Ondo CARES program, is in line with the Federal Government’s directive, which allows states to domesticate the scheme.”

In a related incident, the Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, annulled Iroju Ogundeji’s impeachment as the Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly and dismissed Samuel Aderoboye as the new Deputy Speaker.

The court ordered the House to immediately reinstall Ogundeji as the Deputy Speaker after describing as unlawful, nullifying, and invalid the alleged dismissal of Ogundeji on November 24, 2020.

Adetan Osadebey, the trial judge, said that the legislator had not received a fair trial, noting in particular that the alleged impeachment had been carried out before the Assembly established the panel to look into him.