Baro Port Scandal: Oyetola and Oyebamiji Caught in the Web of Waste and Corruption
The recent summons issued by the House of Representatives to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, marks yet another disgraceful chapter in the public life of two men whose tenure in public service has consistently raised more questions than answers. The ongoing probe into the Baro Inland Port project exposes a disturbing case of financial recklessness, mismanagement, and alleged embezzlement of public resources under their supervision.
It is alarming that despite the colossal sums allocated to the Baro Port project, purportedly completed and handed over, there is no trace of operational activity at the site. No movement of cargo. No access by road. No sign of life. Yet, records show that billions of naira were spent on this venture, and today, the facility remains idle and wasted. The fact that both Oyetola and Oyebamiji are being compelled by federal lawmakers to provide documents ranging from contract papers to inspection reports points to a gross failure in transparency and accountability.
This unfolding scandal mirrors Oyetola’s track record as former Governor of Osun State. During his tenure, public funds were managed with opacity, infrastructure was neglected, and debts multiplied with no proportional development to justify the borrowing spree. His administration left behind numerous uncompleted projects and a bitter legacy of economic stagnation. Now in Abuja, rather than redefining governance at the federal level, he appears to be replicating the same pattern of waste and inefficiency on a national scale.
Bola Oyebamiji, on his part, has proven to be more of a silent enabler than a capable administrator. Having served under Oyetola as a finance commissioner and now heading NIWA, he bears direct responsibility for the oversight of this multi-billion-naira port. Under his leadership, the Baro Port has become a national embarrassment, one that undermines both public trust and economic strategy. Instead of delivering results, he has delivered silence and shadows, raising questions about how much he really knows and what roles he played in the disappearance of funds.
For the people of Osun State, this is not just a federal issue, it is a reflection of the kind of leadership we must never allow to return. Oyetola and Oyebamiji, despite their past failures, continue to operate in positions of national influence, and yet their presence brings nothing but baggage, scandal, and retrogression. Their involvement in this unfolding Baro Port fiasco is not an isolated misstep; it is part of a broader pattern of poor governance that has repeatedly cost the people their development and dignity.
There must be a collective reckoning. The people of Osun must come to terms with the fact that these individuals, by their actions and inactions, have further damaged the public image of the state while contributing to the national problem of abandoned projects and looted funds. Confidence in them should not only be withdrawn, it must be extinguished. They have failed to justify the trust reposed in them, and they have no moral grounds left to ask for it again. Their Legacy of Loss Billions Gone, Nothing to Show Now the Nation Calls
Baro Port Scandal: Oyetola and Oyebamiji Caught in the Web of Waste and Corruption
The recent summons issued by the House of Representatives to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, marks yet another disgraceful chapter in the public life of two men whose tenure in public service has consistently raised more questions than answers. The ongoing probe into the Baro Inland Port project exposes a disturbing case of financial recklessness, mismanagement, and alleged embezzlement of public resources under their supervision.
It is alarming that despite the colossal sums allocated to the Baro Port project, purportedly completed and handed over, there is no trace of operational activity at the site. No movement of cargo. No access by road. No sign of life. Yet, records show that billions of naira were spent on this venture, and today, the facility remains idle and wasted. The fact that both Oyetola and Oyebamiji are being compelled by federal lawmakers to provide documents ranging from contract papers to inspection reports points to a gross failure in transparency and accountability.
This unfolding scandal mirrors Oyetola’s track record as former Governor of Osun State. During his tenure, public funds were managed with opacity, infrastructure was neglected, and debts multiplied with no proportional development to justify the borrowing spree. His administration left behind numerous uncompleted projects and a bitter legacy of economic stagnation. Now in Abuja, rather than redefining governance at the federal level, he appears to be replicating the same pattern of waste and inefficiency on a national scale.
Bola Oyebamiji, on his part, has proven to be more of a silent enabler than a capable administrator. Having served under Oyetola as a finance commissioner and now heading NIWA, he bears direct responsibility for the oversight of this multi-billion-naira port. Under his leadership, the Baro Port has become a national embarrassment, one that undermines both public trust and economic strategy. Instead of delivering results, he has delivered silence and shadows, raising questions about how much he really knows and what roles he played in the disappearance of funds.
For the people of Osun State, this is not just a federal issue, it is a reflection of the kind of leadership we must never allow to return. Oyetola and Oyebamiji, despite their past failures, continue to operate in positions of national influence, and yet their presence brings nothing but baggage, scandal, and retrogression. Their involvement in this unfolding Baro Port fiasco is not an isolated misstep; it is part of a broader pattern of poor governance that has repeatedly cost the people their development and dignity.
There must be a collective reckoning. The people of Osun must come to terms with the fact that these individuals, by their actions and inactions, have further damaged the public image of the state while contributing to the national problem of abandoned projects and looted funds. Confidence in them should not only be withdrawn, it must be extinguished. They have failed to justify the trust reposed in them, and they have no moral grounds left to ask for it again. Their Legacy of Loss Billions Gone, Nothing to Show Now the Nation Calls
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