A lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Chief Olorunsuwa Elijah Ola, has tendered an unreserved apology to the Kogi State Government over his claim that the World Bank was handling the rehabilitation of the Kabba-Olle-Iluke Road.
The Kogi Government had announced plans to rehabilitate the road, which has been in a dilapidated state and has caused untold hardship to the people of Bunu land, most of whom are farmers.
It had also announced the bidding process for the project, which was approved by the State Executive Council chaired by Gov. Ahmed Usman Ododo.
However, in a post on a social media platform, Ola claimed that the road was approved by the World Bank. He could not substantiate the claim, which would ordinarily link the project to World Bank-backed initiatives such as the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) and the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
Investigations by newsmen, however, showed that there was no truth in the lecturer’s claim.
During visits to the World Bank-assisted projects, officials reportedly denied the claim. They said that if the road were under their purview, ACReSAL and RAAMP would have handled the bidding process in line with global standards.
Government officials were said to have made several attempts to reach Ola to retract the statement, but he refused. Instead, he called on the people to fact-check him.
He was subsequently given 48 hours to retract the claim, which was seen as antagonistic to a project that has long been the dream of many, both within and outside Bunu land.
Following his invitation by the Kogi State Police Command, Ola, having realised his error, apologised to the state government in a letter he personally signed.
The letter was titled “Retraction and Apology to Kogi State Government on My Publication on Construction of Kabba-Olle-Iluke Road.”
In it, he said: “I had in my earlier write-up adduced that the construction of the said road is to be sponsored by the World Bank based on the information at my disposal as of the time of publication of the said WhatsApp piece.
“Recent information has however confirmed that the said road construction is a sole project of the Kogi State Government.
“This is to correct the earlier write-up and offer an unreserved apology to the State Government as the publication is not meant to cause any embarrassment to the state.”
With the apology, it is now clear that the road is solely sponsored by the Ododo-led administration. Two other roads, including the Bassa and Ibaji roads, are also receiving government attention.
