The seven-man committee set up by the Ondo State Government to take inventory of vehicles and equipment of the Ministry of Environment and Waste Management Authority in the custody of ZL Global Alliance has submitted its report.

The committee was immediately commissioned to begin the second phase of the investigation.

Receiving the report, Ondo State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Oyeniyi Oseni, commended the committee for not ignoring the assignment, which is considered very sensitive in the lifetime of the ministry.

Oseni assured that the ministry would go through the report, look at the recommendations, and consider strategic plans arising from the audited report to guide the ministry forward.

While commending the committee for completing some of the fieldwork within a short period, Oyeniyi affirmed that the content of the report would be thoroughly reviewed.

He stressed that proactive steps would be taken to correct any anomalies arising therefrom.

He said that the committee’s report was the first phase of their assignment and hinted that the assignment given to the committee might also be extended beyond the inventory taken level to finding the ministry’s equipment with ZL Global Alliance.

The Commissioner bemoaned the costs and employment opportunities lost in the state during the years the ministry’s equipment was in the hands of ZL, describing it as a colossal loss to the state.

Oyeniyi further stated, “What we had witnessed was unfortunate, and there is no way we can push that aside. We should be able to evaluate what it has cost us in terms of the assets lost and other opportunities for our people. As such, there is a need to ask questions to know where the ministry made mistakes and to prevent such in the future.”

In extending the responsibilities of the committee to cover the second phase, Oyeniyi appealed to them to work diligently by coming up with a solid audited report which would enable the ministry to know what the partnership has earned for the state and if otherwise, to identify where improvements are needed.

He charged the committee to be magnanimous enough to allow the representative of ZL Global Alliance to be part of the committee to see for themselves the level of damage, losses, and looting caused by their staff so that by the time the ministry releases their findings, they would not be able to dispute it or claim it does not reflect the realities on the ground.

The Commissioner thanked the Honourable Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State for providing their best services to the Ministry of Environment to recover from the mess. He also informed that the Ministry of Justice is assisting the Ministry in recovering some of its assets that were handed over to ZL Global Alliance in Operation Flush.

Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Omotayo Akeju, stated that the committee, upon its inauguration, was able to do a thorough job, conducting verification both in the Ministry and Waste Management Authority and carrying out on-site investigations of those items with ZL Global Alliance.

Akeju, who thanked Oyeniyi for the confidence reposed in the committee by extending their responsibilities to cover the second phase of the auditing assignment of the facilities and equipment with ZL, promised that the committee would deliver within the period given to complete the assignment.