N1.6bn NUJ Housing Scheme: Report Indicts Elumoye, Omowole
Former Chairman of Lagos Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Deji Elumoye, and President of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs. Ify Omowole, have been indicted by the report of an investigative committee set up by NUJ to look into the housing scheme initiated by both NAWOJ and NUJ.
The 26-page report, which was submitted to the Dr. Qaseem Akinreti-led Executive Committee of the Council, accused both Omowole and Elumoye of malfeasance, corrupt practices and outright fraud. According to the report, the housing scheme under the NUJ/NAWOJ Mowe Land Committee entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a building company, Messers Primewaterview Holdings Limited, in fraudulent circumstances and leading to defrauding of Council members who subscribed to the scheme. The report, has therefore, recommended outright cancellation of the MoU with the company, claiming the agreements were skewed to favour the company and not the members.
The report reads in part: “For instance, the developer, based on the MoU, is to take 300 units of houses in the scheme to defray its cost of infrastructural development but the MoU did not state the cost of infrastructure to be built.
Besides, the firm had spent N21 million of the N73 million it collected from NAWOJ/ NUJ on ‘road stabilisation,’ which to the committee should not have been since it is part of infrastructure development to be paid for with the 300 housing units. “Omowole’s unilateral withdrawal of subscribers’ US$227,000 due to the falling exchange rate and also to pay the developer (Primewaterview Holdings Limited) the advance of subscribers’ counterpart funding is unacceptable because as at the time of withdrawal of the money there was no signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NUJ/NAWOJ Pen Jewel Estate and Primewaterview Holdings Limited as developer.
“The $227,000 was withdrawn four clear months before the signing of the MoU.” The committee, therefore, submitted that Omowole must refund N4.3 million and must also provide evidence of remittance of the earlier N4 million from this money to the NAWOJ Pen Jewel Estate account, apart from the additional N779,000 collected from subscribers for the purchase of forms. The report added: “Mr. Elumoye must also refund N4 million being the excess on the alleged N10 million he claimed to have paid to the traditional land owners (Omo Oniles) after findings revealed only N6 million was paid.”
Elumoye is also to refund the N2 million he claimed to have paid for the extra land he bought on behalf of the Lagos NUJ Council in Mowe since he was unable to provide evidence of purchase of same.” Meanwhile, Akinreti has commended the investigative committee, pledging the commitment of his administration to implement the recommendations as soon as the executive committee and the congress of the Council concluded deliberations on the matter. When contacted on the phone, Omowole said she was yet to see the report. She said: “I cannot comment on it now until I see the report.”
When a report like this is given by a committee, it ought to be subjected to congressional resolution. Until that is done, I cannot comment on the report.” On his part, Elumoye said everything had been politicised. He said: “I did not tell anyone I paid N10 million to land owners; it was N6 million paid to Omo Oniles. The records are there. At the Congress I will tell the whole world what has transpired.”
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