Society Gists

Crisis looms in Ogun State as one Barrister Sunday Adeniyi who served as Chairman Transportation Committee has been accused to have collected bribe to install new Chairman of Tricycles Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (TORAN), Prince Wasiu AbdulWassi, popularly known as Yayi Agbara.

Yayi Agbara disclosed this via a Facebook post where he accused Barrister Sunday Adeniyi of demanding cash worth N20 million from him to emerge as the Chairman of TORAN.

Yayi wrote, “It’s worrisome that while some leaders are thinking of making Ogun state peaceful and keying into the peaceful agenda of the government of the day, Barr. Sunday Adeniyi is promoting a personal agenda and using public office to amass wealth. Just a few weeks after Governor Abiodun disbanded the committee in February 2020 for carrying out illegal activities. The Tripartite Committee set up by the state house of Assembly which was further pronounced on the floor by the speaker of the house.

“The said Barrister of law who is supposed to be an advocate of justice has now turned himself to the opposition to the principles of the noble profession represent.

“He has on various instances requested I give him money to be installed as the chairman of the association due to the power given to his committee back then. He requested #20million and compelled me to pay the same. He requested I make my payment on cash but was clever by half to have ignorantly collected some of the money through his business account. Details of proof are very intact. After giving him above 50% of his demand, he now said if I didn’t complete the amount, he’ll take the chairmanship position to where they don’t have tricycles to make show his power.”

In another post by the TORAN newly elected chairman, he confirmed paying the sum of #10 million, half of the asked price to Barrister Sunday Adeniyi company’s account.

“He was clever by half. They made me paid into his account to nail him. He received it.”

However, this is not the first time the committee which was set up by Gov Dapo Abiodun to oversee the activities of transport unions and monitor the sale of government tickets to transporters in Ogun State has been accused of corrupt practices, bordering on printing of fake tickets and allegedly demanding cash from aspiring transport union leaders multiple times.

Giving more insight into how such bribery monies were collected from aspirants in the union, a member of the Governor Abiodun’s administration who pleaded with our source to be anonymous said, Barrister Sunday Adeniyi is not the only corrupt leader in the government. He said, practically all leaders in the government benefitted from the fund collected from all aspirants.

All efforts to reach Yayi Agbara and Barrister Sunday Adeniyi proved abortive, their phone number rang multiple times and they are yet to return the calls at the time of filing this report.