By Adibe Emenyonu
Following speculation in some section of the media that Edo State-born business mogul and Chairman of the Ocean Marine Solution Limited, Captain Hosa Okunbo, has taken ill and flown abroad after the state September 19 governorship election, a close aide to the philanthropist yesterday said his principal is hale and hearty, and bubbling with life.
The aide, who craved anonymity, while describing the report as not only wicked but nonsensical from the pit of hell, added that there is no iota of truth in it, and urged the public to disregard such report.
“The election has been fought and won, why are they still desperate to rubbish the image of Okunbo, and even wish him dead if they don’t have a hidden and vicious agenda of vendetta against him?” The source queried
He noted that: “In a rare show of statesmanship Okunbo congratulated the winner of the election; something I am sure they would not have done if the pendulum swung the other way around.”
He also described the allegation that Okunbo took contracts from Edo State Government which he never executed, as another round of lies
According to the source, “The records are there for anyone to check if Okunbo participated in any so-called contract sleaze; in any case, the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has been in office for almost four years now, why has he not come out with any evidence and proof that Okunbo is a defaulting contractor to the state?”
Talking about the Benin Airport Road project that Servtek Construction Company was involved in under Adams Oshiomhole’s government, he said the records are available at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to show that Okunbo is not the owner of the company as being bandied around by those who want to mislead the public.
“In any case, how come a contract Oshiomhole awarded for less than N7 billion is now suddenly put at over N40 billion if not that those intent on tarnishing the image of an achiever like Okunbo are blinded by lies and hate?
“He was never involved in the construction of Benin Airport Road and he has addressed the issue long ago during the tenure of Oshiomhole. The desperation of his traducers is pushing them to be recycling valueless materials and misinformation,” the aide, who refused to be named, added.
