Ilesa Water Project: Osun Lawmakers Demanded $5m From Me – Project Consultant

By Sodiq Yusuf

The Project Consultant handling the $106m Ilesa Water Project, Engineer Tawa Williams, has accused the Osun House of Assembly of demanding a sum of five million dollars from her on the project.

Williams alleged that the Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Hon. Nasiru Olateju, demanded the $5m bribe on behalf of the assembly.

Williams stated this on Thursday, in Osogbo, while answering questions on Morning Spring on Western Spring Television, a private television station in Osun, monitored by OSUN DEFENDER.

The consultant said the lawmakers had invited her and the team working on the site after an earlier inspection, lauding the quality of work done so far before demanding the ‘bribe.’

“The House is asking for five million dollars and I said I don’t have five million dollars to give to anybody. They asked for it for themselves. They are asking for takeaway grant and they are saying that they will go to the press and say that the quality of work that we have done is not good.

“I told them that one year ago, you were on the site. You were commending us. Now, you will go back to the press and say we have not done well, what would be your reason?

“Yes. They demanded the bribe. I am saying it from all sense of responsibility. It did not come from the house as a whole. The Chairman of the House Committee on Water Supply and members of his committe called us to the meeting. They were saying that we didn’t give them money, and I was saying we do not have money to give to them. The money I have is to do the job.”

Engineer Williams also denied using a 75 million naira project vehicle, as claimed by the Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, noting that the project vehicle, cost only 45 million naira.