BY OLA AJAYI
IBADAN — OYO State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has warned the Local Government Transition Committee chairmen sworn in yesterday that   his   administration will not tolerate any act of corruption.

The governor gave the warning at the swearing in of the 24 chairmen yesterday.

Nominees in the remaining nine councils of Ibadan North East, Lagelu, Ona Ara, Ido, Egbeda, Itesiwaju, Atisbo and Saki West Local Government  areas are yet to be cleared.

The governor stressed that he would not like a situation where the local government helmsmen would be invited by anti-graft agencies for corruption related cases.

He said: “I do not want a local government chairman who would be invited by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, during our own time. We will not be corrupt; we will not defraud the masses and we will not have any cause to visit EFCC.”

Governor Ajimobi told the council chairmen that it had become fashionable for political office holders to see oath-taking as routine which they jettisoned immediately they got into office.

He reminded them that God would ask every political appointee who swore in vain to give account on the last day.

“This is an epoch-making occasion. It is unprecedented. We are making history because, for the first time in the history of the state, we are bringing on board men and women of honour who are all of highest integrity and in terms of quality, they are all graduates. This is the first time in the history of this state that we will be having chairmen of local governments who are all graduates,” he said.

That is what pacesetting is all about. We must set pace in quality, not in decadence; not in corruption; not in things that are evil,” he said.
Ajimobi called on the chairmen to join hands with the government to bring about transformation, restoration and repositioning of the State.

He  enjoined them to make accountability, faithfulness, transparency, effectiveness and confidentiality their watchword.

“You must do the right thing at the right time by not stealing money, by not being fraudulent and corrupt. You must serve the people because the greatest form of godliness is service to humanity,” he said.