The Chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Moyosore Ogunlewe, has denied allegations that he or officials of the council assaulted a journalist, Habeeb Adejobi, within the council Secretariat premises, describing the claim as false and politically motivated by critics who were against the development programmes embarked upon by his administration.
Aside from that, the chairman dismissed reports indicating that the appointment of supervisory councillors, stating that the local government chairman is empowered by law to appoint officials he can work with for the progress of the local government.
He stated this on Friday while distributing food packs under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and funds from the council to Muslim clerics and mosques, to assist them in completing their fasting and projects under construction in their worship places.
Addressing reports on different allegations against him, Ogunlewe disclosed that the stories were sponsored by political opponents.
On the journalist’s claim, the council chairman stressed that no such incident occurred within the council premises.
According to him, the individual in question was only questioned after he was found within the council premises without proper identification.
“We just saw a cameraman within the premises of the local government, and he was questioned. I personally asked him where he was from and requested his identification, but he couldn’t produce any ID card,” Ogunlewe said.
He explained that the cameraman initially claimed to be from Arise TV, but later reports about the incident indicated that he was a staff member of Murhi International Television (MITV), raising questions about his mission at the council secretariat.
Ogunlewe said the matter was later reported at the police station to clarify the situation.
“We took him ourselves to the police station. If anyone was attacked, people would ask about his camera or phone. Nothing of that sort happened. Nobody assaulted any pressman,” he said.
The chairman added that the matter was reported at the Nigeria Police Force Area H Command in Ogudu, Lagos, and that the issue had since been resolved.
On the cabinet appointment, he said: “The law is clear. The chairman has the right to appoint supervisors. What happened here is not different from what has happened across the state”.
Ogunlewe also responded to allegations by a councillor who claimed to be a whistleblower over an alleged ₦100 million fraud linked to an empowerment programme in the council.
The chairman denied the allegation, saying the empowerment programme was conducted openly and that beneficiaries received their payments transparently.
“He claimed there was ₦100 million fraud, but everyone was present during the empowerment programme and saw beneficiaries receiving alerts,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that there was a whistleblower within the council, alleging that the lawmaker raising the allegations was attempting to avoid disciplinary action over a sexual harassment petition before the legislative council.
“There is no whistleblower anywhere. The claim is just a gimmick to divert attention,” he added.
Despite the controversies, Ogunlewe said the issues had not distracted his administration from delivering governance to residents of the council.
He said several infrastructure projects were ongoing, including the construction of a five-storey administrative complex, road rehabilitation projects, and improvements to public facilities across the local government.
“You can see construction and renovation happening across the local government. We are building a five-storey world-class administrative block and reconstructing major roads, including those in Ajayi Aina and Taiwo Street in Ojota,” he said.
The chairman maintained that his focus remains on completing projects and leaving what he described as a strong legacy of development in the local government.
On the distributions to Muslim clerics and Mosques across the council area for special prayers for Nigeria, the chairman stated that the gesture would also be extended to the Christians for their support to the development of the country, particularly the Kosofe Local Government.
While disclosing that 150 mosques in the local government benefited from the gesture, Ogunlewe added that the gesture aimed at encouraging prayers for peace and stability in the country.
“We are giving support to about 150 mosques within the Kosofe Local Government for special prayers. The message is simple: continue to pray for Nigeria and for peace in the country,” Ogunlewe said.
“I’m a Christian myself, so definitely we will also reach out to Christians in no time, that I can assure you”.
He stressed that the initiative was intended to promote unity and prayers for the nation amid global tensions and conflicts.
