LBSL: Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Pls Save Our Souls

The Managing Director of Lagos Bus Services Limited, LBSL, Mr. Idowu Olanipekun Oguntona has done more damages to the company. We are calling on His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to as a matter of urgency come to our aid and do the needful. 

Enough is Enough! It is time to call EFCC and ICPC in to investigate the massive corruptions being perpetrated in LBSL by the MD and his team.

How can a Managing Director whose staff are being underpaid and owed money acquire lands and build a mansion in a space of just one year not just for himself but also for his fellow cronies namely Shola Oni, Akeem Alaka and Folake Sadiq. 

Oguntonabis now moving around town in a brand new (2021 model) top of range SUV at a time he refused to pay staff entitlement for December 2021!! Can even our Mr. Governor boast of such opulence??

It all began when Oguntona took over the rein at LagBus during former Gov. Ambode’s administration. He quickly ran LagBus to the ground and all LagBus fund disappeared. LagBus was the pride of Lagos State transport both home and abroad. 

A company that former Governor Raji Fashola built and maintained from scratch and employed thousands of Lagosian. What a pity!. All because of Oguntona and Ambode’s greed to start off a new company primarily to ring-fence the income from passenger fare.

The team of Oguntona and Ambode succeeded in collapsing LagBus and sent many of its staff into poverty, many of whom are still struggling to feed their family.

Oguntona was Ambode errand boy who had no experience in transport sector. 

It make all staffs wonder what criteria was used to appoint him for such a huge task. He claimed to be a finance professional but how many financial position role or experience did he have before becoming MD of LagBus? Not even one. He was a level 12 employee in Lagos State civil service. 

We dare him to provide verifiable copy of his CV! He was embarrassed that his then Head of Finance was both older and more experience than him, so he frustrated him out of LagBus.

Oguntona immaturity and inexperience began to show when he cannot work with seasoned professionals in LagBus. He was at loggerhead with all senior managers. 

In the same vein, a seasoned transport lawyer (Ms. Funmilola Osisanya) was acrimoniously dismissed and an inexperience law graduate, Folake Sadiq was employed to oversee the complex legal matter of LagBus all because of Folake’s family friendship ties with Mr. Ambode.

The HR manager also was not spared. He was sacked and replaced with Oguntona’s church member who has no clue about staff management and welfare. A hardworking Lagosian was sacked and replaced by an empty-head Non-Lagosian because of Oguntona’s selfish evil nature. The suffering on bus Captains/Drivers and junior staffs by Oguntona and his church mistress Jennifer Imarhia is unbearable and inhumane. 

Even street dogs get better treatment than staffs at hand of Jennifer Imarhia(HR Manager) and Oguntona. What is the job of this Jennifer Imarhia? No wonder she placed all staffs under outsourced contract saying staff are too much for her to handle.

The truth of the matter is that Oguntona feel threatened by people who are more knowledgeable than him. The worst of all is the appointment of Akeem Kayode Alaka as the Chief Financial Officer. Alaka is a friend of Mr. Ambode’s wife and that was the only criteria for the job! Alaka claim to be a qualified accountant but word soon got out that he cannot prepare a simple months account. 

Two seasoned, experienced Accountants (both fellows of ICAN and UK prestigious ACCA) were unjustly sacked to make way for this Alaka to remained Chief Financial Officer (CFO). No wonder the finance of LBSL is in such a huge mess and the company is carrying a huge debt of several hundred millions after just 2 years of operation. 

Lagos State Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transportation are well aware of this fact because LBSL was summoned for a meeting in Alausa Secretariat over this matter.

Where did Oguntona get the money to build his house in Lekki? Shola Oni, where did you get money to relocate to Lekki from Agege? Akeem Alaka, where did you get money to build houses in Ikorodu? In fact, let all of them answer where they get money to buy their expensive cars and SUVs. 

Was approximately N47m received from State Treasury Office and shared by them in May/June 2019 not enough for their greed? This was taxpayers money from the Lagos State Treasury Office being given as pocket money under the guise of attending international training!! What sort of training cost over N11m per person? Where is the evidence of attendance at training? With such expensive training, one will expect them all to be Professors by now but Akeem Alaka (CFO) still cannot prepare account, Folake Sadiq (Head of Legal) still cannot interpret Lagos State law. What a waste!!

Several hundreds of Millions had been paid out of Lagos State Treasury Office to LBSL. Most notably over N500m LBSL collected in year 2019/2020 to buy towing truck. Ask Oguntona, where is this invincible towing truck? All these while he refused to pay hardworking Bus Captains/Drivers a reasonable salaries of just N80,000(before tax and deductions) per month. He cannot give the hardworking staff their usual Xmas/New Year incentive of Rice and Vegetable Oil. He was saying there is no money in the company and, yet, he was buying brand new SUVs.

Even 13th month payment written in staff employment contract, he refused to pay. He said it is LAMATA that instructed him not to pay staffs 13th month salary. 

What is LAMATA’s business with LBSL internal issue? Or Is it LAMATA gave him approval to use staffs 13th month salary to buy exotic SUV or build houses in Lekki?? And he deceived some bus Captains/Drivers with silly N10,500 so that we dont go on strike. Was that LAMATA again? What a wicked soul Oguntona is! We still can’t fathom what kept him on the job when MD/CEO of all parastatals were changed except him that is 100% Ambode loyalist.

Let Oguntona tell us what happened to the fund he collected for rehabilitation of Park and Ride Bus Station opposite 7up Ojota. Another taxpayers money being shared amongst his cronies. It is high time EFCC and ICPC are called in to investigate the activities of Idowu Oguntona and his team.

Why was N2m, N3m, N5m etc. paid to several junior staffs account in October 2021? This was prior to the visit of teams from Alausa Secretariat to audit the books, only for Oguntona to send out an account details for the staff to return the money to a different bank account (Access Bank account no. 0717167915) at a later date. This is a classic case of diversion!! No queries given to anybody in finance because the plan was masterminded by Oguntona and Alaka to divert fund out of LBSL.

Oguntona have done enough damage to LBSL. Lagosians working in LBSL had suffered enough by his greediness and selfishness. Staff no longer want to work with him. You put staff life at risk during #EndSars# protest by allowing Lagos State buses to be used by hoodlums. 

We have not forgotten. Pack your bag and go! Pack your bag and go! Pack your bag and go! Enough is Enough!!!

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should know that Oguntona is an enemy within his administration. Otherwise how do you explain Oguntona’s presence and support at Ambode’s Press Conference on the eve of 2019 APC primaries. Mr. Governor sir, do not be deceived, Oguntona’s loyalty is to Mr. Ambode. The bond between Oguntona and Ambode dated back to when Ambode was Director in the Civil Service.

Our Amiable Mr. Governor sir, please come to our aid. The staff of LBSL are suffering.

Written by Concerned Staffs of LBSL!