The family of late governor Kolapo Ishola of Oyo state on Tuesday reacted to the statement of the former Chief of Staff to late governor Abiola Ajimobi, Dr. Gbade Ojo , who claimed that more than N30million was released to the family to support the burial of the late former governor Ishola by the then governor Ajimobi’s government.
Dr. Gbade Ojo , while fielding questions on an Ibadan based private radio station , IBR 92.5fm Radio , last Saturday was quoted as saying that more than N30million was released to the family of late governor Kolapo Ishola by Ajimobi’s administration to support the burial of the former governor.
The family of Kolapo Ishola, through a statement signed by the spokesman of the family, Mr. Amos Akinlabi Ishola stated that no single kobo was ever released by Ajimobi’s government before, during and after the burial programme of late governor Kolapo Ishola .
” 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 life time 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 “, he said.
He said one would have expected someone of Dr. Gbade Ojo academic, intellectual, and social standing to always present his positions and arguments on empirical facts based on sound unbiased research efforts.
Dr. Gbade Ojo, he further said , should realise the sacredness and sanctity of human life and have respect for the death of these elderstatemen who had served the people meritoriously while they were in the saddle as executive as executive governors of Oyo state.
Death is certain, and inevitably, every humans will also pay the debt , the Kolapo Ishola family spokesman stated.
The statement which was made available to Naijaexaminer in Ibadan reads in part ” 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.
The family turned down the government gesture when the then government under the leadership of governor Abiola Ajimobi decided to play politics with our daddy’s burial programme ” .
