The General Secretary of the United Action for Democracy (UAD), Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, has cautioned residents of Gwagwalada Area Council and members of the public against rushing to celebrate the recent initiatives of the council chairman, Hon. Kasim Mohammed, insisting that true accountability will only be measured by the transparency of the ongoing verification exercise.
Speaking with journalists during a brief interview, Wizeman reacted to the inauguration of a committee by the Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman to verify all projects, assets and staff records of the council.
According to him, the decision to set up the committee is a commendable and courageous step, but Nigerians should not begin to sing the praises of the chairman until the findings of the committee are made public and acted upon accordingly.
“It is a good and bold move, but we should not praise the chairman yet. The real issue is whether the information uncovered by the committee will be made available to the people or concealed,” he said.
Wizeman noted that there have been longstanding allegations of financial misappropriation involving billions of naira under the administration of the immediate past chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri, popularly known as Abu Giri, alleging that huge sums of public funds were expended without corresponding visible projects on ground.
He further stated that the former chairman is reportedly under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stressing that the verification exercise presents an opportunity for the current administration to expose any wrongdoing and restore public confidence in local governance.
The UAD secretary also referenced the ongoing legal battle between Chronicles Reporters and the council over access to public records, insisting that documents sought under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act belong to the people and should not be withheld from public scrutiny.
“The documents being requested are public documents. They belong to the people. Chronicles Reporters is already in court seeking access to them, and there should be no attempt to frustrate or conceal information that rightly belongs to the public,” he said.
Wizeman urged Chairman Kasim Mohammed not to suppress any incriminating evidence that may emerge from the committee’s investigation, adding that residents deserve to know the true financial and administrative state of the council, including any debts, liabilities or irregularities discovered.
“The chairman should not conceal any incriminating evidence found by the committee. The people of Gwagwalada deserve to know exactly what is happening in their council, whether it concerns debts, abandoned projects, missing assets or any other issues affecting public resources,” he stated.
He concluded by warning that civil society organisations, the media and pro-democracy groups are closely monitoring developments within the council and would continue to expose any acts of corruption or abuse of office.
“The UAD, the Take It Back Movement (TIB), other civil society organisations and media platforms such as Chronicles Reporters and Sahara Reporters are watching closely. We will not stop exposing criminalities in power, regardless of who is involved,” Wizeman declared.