With the ongoing animosity over the level of involvement of the Oyo State government in the burial of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, another twist has been introduced to the plot as the family of another former governor, Kolapo Ishola revealed that late Ajimobi did not give them any money for the burial of their father.
In a statement signed by the family’s spokesman, Mr Amos Akinlabi Ishola, reacted to a claim by the former Chief of Staff to late governor Abiola Ajimobi, Dr Gbade Ojo.
Dr Gbade Ojo had said, while fielding questions on an Ibadan based private radio station, IBR 92.5fm Radio last Saturday, that more than N30million was given to the family of late governor Kolapo Ishola by Ajimobi’s administration to support the burial of the former governor.
An excerpt from the statement reads: “The family position becomes imperative to put records straight and disabuse the minds of the innocent public, whom Dr Gbade Ojo had fed with deliberate falsehood on the burial of Chief Ishola.
” For the avoidance of doubt and sake of emphasis aside the facts that no single dime was given to the Ishola family during the burial of our dearly beloved dad, the family also stated without fear of contradiction that the government of governor Ajimobi did not participate nor were they represented at the week-long burial obsequies on August 2011.
“Chief Kolapo Ishola of blessed memory during his lifetime was a peaceful and peace-loving statesman and as a peace-loving family, we would ordinarily not want to join issues on the raging controversies between the Oyo state government and the family of late governor Ajimobi, but for the need to put the record straight, and to disabuse the minds of the innocent public.”
The spokesman expressed disappointment in the way Dr. Gbade Ojo has projected a false story. He said ” one would expect an academic, intellectual, and social standing to always present his positions and arguments on empirical facts based on sound unbiased research efforts.”
He stated: “The family of former governor Kolapo Ishola has also been vindicated through a letter written by the Oyo state government in 2013 by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance. In the letter dated 7th March 2013 and addressed to the eldest son, Barrister Adekunle Ishola and signed by D.O. Olatunde for the Honourable Commissioner for Finance stated: I wish to refer to your letter with reference no KIC /11/2013 dated 8th January 2013 on the above subject matter and inform you that the state government did not appropriate any fund in respect of the burial expenses of late Chief Kolapo Olawuyi Ishola since the family turned down government gesture.”
According to him, there was a need to refuse the said gesture from the then government as it was evident that they were trying to play politics.
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