Shakirat Oloko was last Saturday disallowed by the officials of the board from travelling to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.
While speaking with journalists, Shakirat, the wife of ex-Akala loyalist said no reason was given for not allowing her to travel with others after her passport was returned and she was asked to go away. Recalling her experience, Mrs Oloko said: “As we queued up and were being screened, with intending pilgrims being attended to in preparation for the hajj travel on Saturday, a man just walked up to me and asked me to come with him.
When we got into a room, he told another man there that ‘this is the suspect’. I did not know what he meant, but I was embarrassed. They later returned my passport to me, and asked me to go, without any explanation.”
But her husband, Abass Oloko described the action as witch-hunting, insisting that it was meant to punish him and other members of his family.
He said the National Pilgrims Welfare Board regulations stipulate that only six month-old pregnant women should not be allowed to travel, arguing that his wife was only three months pregnant. Oloko added that though the international passport of her wife was returned to her after she was prevented from travelling with other approved pilgrims, but “her deposited travelling money which I had earlier paid, has not been returned to her uptil now that I am talking to you. The action is witch-hunting, since I resigned last month,” he said.
The state Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, while reacting to the allegation through his Special Adviser on Public Communications, Prince Dotun Oyelade, simply said it was a non issue. His words: “Abass Oloko is not an issue here and we won’t glorify his tantrums, his mischief notwithstanding.”
Alhaji Oloko, a very close aide and advocate of the governor’s administration until about a month ago, had a face off with his former boss, who had earlier accused the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao of attacking his political camp.
Following his attacks on the government and inciting statements credited to him, Oloko resigned his appointment as the vice chairman of the pilgrims board when it became obvious that he was going to be sacked by Governor Akala.
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