By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The immediate past Commissioner for Works and Transport in Kwara State, Engineer Rotimi Iliasu, has debunked news making the rounds that he was invited and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Iliasu who was addressing journalist in Ilorin, the State capital said he was shocked that such damaging and unfounded rumour could be peddled against him by an online publication during the week.
According to him, he had never been invited or detained either while in office or now that he is out of office by the anti-graft agency for any unholy reason.
He said rather, he remembered that while in office as Commissioner and an Engineer, the EFCC requested the assistance of his ministry to help assess projects it was investigating for proper evaluations.
Iliasu said interestingly, such projects were never that of the State Government. He pointed out that instead, they were other people’s projects, citing a University of Ilorin job allegedly done by a contractor that was being investigated by the EFCC.
The former Commissioner added that in order to give his Ministry the prestige and honour the anti-graft agency accorded it, he opted to lead the team of Engineers that carried out the assignment for EFCC and came out highly commended.
Speaking on his stint as Commissioner in office, Engineer Iliasu said as a professional, he collaborated with his principal, Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman to execute capital projects at cheapest rates compared with other states and the immediate past administration in Kwara. All the projects he said, passed the quality tests.
His words: “I have never been invited or detained by the EFCC. I thank God for the state and governor I served; the governor is very prudent and diligent in awarding contracts.”
He, however, expressed the views that certain people who undoubtedly could be politicians would be behind the sponsored rumour, saying “it’s all political, seems some people feel threatened by my popularity in Moro; my Local Government and the Senatorial District. They could be trying to look for a way to tarnish my good image.
“But, to me, I feel it should not be all about pulling-him-down stuff. Before now, I’ve resolved within myself that I will not be a disappointment to my people, especially my generation; the youth.
“All I want to do is to help my people in Moro Local Government which will be one of the greatest beneficiaries of this administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the last four years. I only want to give back to my people what is best for them.”
He spoke on the ongoing Tanke Flyover bridge that started while he was in office which was one of the reference subjects by his critics.
He said: “The quality is superb, verified and certified by all the appropriate professional bodies like Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
“The surface in some parts of the bridge may look rough, but no sincere person can doubt the quality of the work, taking into cognizance, the kind of materials used.
Speaking as an Engineer on the occasional building collapses in the country, he advised people intending to buy land to build houses to always ensure that they buy lands in the upstream areas which according to him would save them possible disasters occasioned by collapses or their structures being submerged by water in times of heavy rains.
Meanwhile, when the new cabinet members had been appointed and assigned portfolios, none is appointed for the Ministry of Works and Transport yet.