$350,000 fraud: Why Abidemi Rufai is a symbol of Abiodun govt – PDP

 


A Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested in the United States for alleged $350,000 fraud, has been described as a symbol and replica of the government he serves in Ogun State.

Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested recently for defrauding Washington’s Employment Security Department in last year’s unemployment fraud attack, was suspended by Abiodun after the report of his arrest went viral across the globe.

The 42-year-old Ijebu-Ode indigene is the CEO of Ecobet and founder of Omo Mayodele Global Foundation.

Following his arrest, the Abiodun government came under heavy criticisms as Nigerians on the social media querried how he became a government appointee “without proper background check.”

Speaking on the incident, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Akinloye Bankole, said Abidemi Rufai symbolises what the present government represents.

Bankole described as worisome, the fact that similar issues keep recurring in the government of Gov Abiodun, which he described as “filthy, unkempt and untidy”.

Bankole did not mince words when he said the issue of fraud started with the governor himself, making a reference to his educational records.

The PDP spokesman expressed worries that Ogun, which is the state of super icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Wole Soyinka and others, is now in the news as parading appointees with questionable characters.

His words: “The whole episode that surrounds the arrested suspected fraudster named Abidemi Rufai, a senior aide to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is very worrisome.

“It is always sad that issues like this keep recurring in a government that is so filthy, so unkempt and so untidy.

“The different stories of fraud and scam started even from the governor himself, as regards his educational records. This was displayed and we all saw it during the buildup to the last gubernatorial election in the state; the same election that eventually gave birth to him as the governor of Ogun State.

“So, if we call Abidemi Rufai a symbol or replica of the Abiodun government itself, I think is a beautiful summary.

“It goes to encapsulate the filthiness of the government as we have it in Ogun State.

“It is so unfortunate that Ogun State that parades Superstars and super icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Wole Soyinka and a whole lot of them, is now parading people of indecent and questionable characters, whose means of livelihood still remains shrouded in secrecy.

“It is very sad that we are in this sad stage. I only hope that this gets to an end in due course,” Bankole submitted.

Recall that Abiodun suspended his Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, in January for allegedly involving in s3xual harassment with a teenage girl in Ogun Waterside. The government has since kept sealed lips over the incident.