The Chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State, Taofiq Isah, has come under scrutiny for allegedly auctioning government properties valued at hundreds of millions of naira as his tenure nears its end.
Various items including motor vehicles, typewriters, motorcycles, furniture, cooking utensils, mowers, and other valuables were reportedly sold in an attempt to raise funds for the council following the freezing of state and local government accounts by Governor Alhaji Yayaha Bello.
According to The PUNCH, among the items allegedly sold were vehicles such as Toyota Corollas, Toyota Camrys, Toyota Hiace buses, Ford Hilux Vans, Ford Jeeps, and others, along with agricultural equipment like tractors and generators.
Concerns were raised about the timing of the auction, just a month before the end of Isah’s tenure, and the absence of due process in the sales.
A staff member from the Local Government, speaking anonymously, expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the auction process.
They also highlighted the negative impact on the community, citing impassable rural roads due to the reported sale of graders previously used for road maintenance.
A source said, “Before his appointment as an Administrator in 2016 and subsequent election as Chairman in 2020, the Local Government always graded the feeder roads but Isah has sold the graders and now, many of the rural roads are presently impassable and in a dilapidated condition.
“The alleged fraudulent auction activities were done in connivance with an auctioneer, Salawu Onimisi from Kogi Central,” the source alleged further.
In response to the allegations, the Chairman’s office defended the auction, stating that the sold items were moribund assets of little economic value to the council.
Also another anonymous staff member from the Local Government, speaking without authorization due to not being mandated to engage with the media, appealed to Governor Bello to intervene by stopping the ongoing auction process and ensuring the reimbursement of funds obtained from the sales.
Expressing concerns about the potential depletion of the entire Local Government’s assets if the auctions persist, she emphasized that none of the Local Government staff had benefited from the exercise.
Furthermore, she highlighted the lack of transparency and accountability throughout the entire auctioning process.
“There is nothing left in the local government anymore. The Government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello and eminent Ijumu personalities must not allow this fraudulent auction, which will turn our Local Government to a desert and shadow of itself to succeed.
“How will a man sell 70 per cent of government property to himself through proxy?” She queried.
The statement from the Chairman’s Special Assistant for Media and Publicity underscored the Chairman’s efforts in improving rural infrastructure during his tenure, citing initiatives in security, infrastructure, and basic healthcare facilities that earned him national recognition.
The statement read in parts, “It is a known fact that the assets have become moribund over the years and impacting on the local government’s lean resources can be auctioned out at a specified amount determined by auctioneers and money gotten remitted to the Local Government’s account,” he said.
