The Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Tuesday alleged the former Chairman of the union, Adewumi Faniran of holding on to the Union’s property, six months after his tenure expired.
The current executive which was empowered by the congress of the Union in February this year, to demand return of all Union property in Faniran’s care, had in March hired an auditing firm in Ibadan to look into the accounts of the union in the last three years.
According to Pacesetternews among the accounts he (Faniran) failed to handover are the union’s account FCMB (4512024018), ACCESS BANK (0033402424) and UBA (1016639383), which monies realised in three years through the Union’s investments; NUJ Guest House, Pen Group of Schools and rent payable by the tenants, have not been accounted for till date.
The union also said that all transactions made on the above mentioned accounts after December 18 are fraudulent transactions.
A statement issued by the Secretary of Oyo NUJ, Sola Oladapo on behalf of the Ademola Babalola-led executive stated as follows:
“We write to inform Mr Adewunmi Faniran, the immediate past Chairman of the council to handover all union properties in the next seven days.
“The union lamented Mr Faniran’s refusal to handover union properties including accounts, six months after the expiration of his three-year term.
“Faniran’s three-year term which commenced in December 2016, ended in December 2019 after the union’s election held on December 18, 2019 and overwhelmingly won by Ademola Babalola and others.
“We wish to state that the union will take further actions on this matter if the properties are not properly handed over in seven days.
“The union said that it had in February sent letters to Faniran and other members of his cabinet to return the union properties including accounts of the union.
“The letters were also copied to their employers and security agencies in the state, but only the immediate past Secretary has returned some of the properties in his custody.
“We, however observed that Mr Faniran’s refusal to handover the union accounts was an orchestrated plan to cover up some financial improprieties of his administration, which we already identified.