Fresh Allegations Loom Over OSOPADEC Board as Icon-James Tam, Others Slam Chairman Prince Biyi Poroye
Fresh allegations of financial impropriety and deepening administrative failure are once again hanging over the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), throwing the commission and its Board Chairman, Prince Biyi Poroye, into the centre of a growing public storm.
Barely a year after the inauguration of the current board, OSOPADEC is being linked to reports of alleged financial misconduct involving hundreds of millions of naira, stalled programmes, and what critics describe as a commission drifting without direction or conscience.
Political commentator and public affairs analyst, Icon-James Tam, has been one of the loudest voices condemning the situation, describing the unfolding crisis as both alarming and shameful.
“OSOPADEC is once again in the news; not for development or impact, but for allegations of financial misconduct running into hundreds of millions. What is even more disturbing is the loud and suspicious silence that has followed,” Tam remarked.
According to him, the commission under Prince Biyi Poroye’s leadership has failed to justify its existence to oil-producing communities, many of which remain trapped in poverty and neglect despite yearly budgetary allocations.
Tam questioned the absence of accountability mechanisms and the sudden quietness of groups that once prided themselves as defenders of the people.
“Silence in the face of decay is not neutrality; it is complicity. When activists go quiet, when communities accept decline as normal, institutions lose the fear of accountability,” he warned.
At the heart of the criticism is the unfinished student bursary scheme, with outstanding payments yet to be completed, even as discussions reportedly emerge about opening new applications. For many stakeholders, this reflects what they call administrative recklessness and lack of empathy.
Icon-James Tam also highlighted the state of abandoned infrastructure across mandate communities, citing the General Hospital in Agadagba-Obon, now reportedly overtaken by neglect, as a painful example of OSOPADEC’s failure.
“You inspect abandoned projects, take photographs, and issue press statements, yet nothing changes on ground. That is not governance; it is public relations without responsibility,” Tam said.
He further recalled a humiliating incident during the last festive season when youth groups visiting the commission were allegedly told there were no funds for customary engagements; an encounter that reportedly degenerated into confrontation and forced the closure of the commission’s gates.
“A commission that cannot handle routine obligations but is linked to allegations of ₦400 million, ₦90 million and more has serious questions to answer,” he added.
With Prince Biyi Poroye as chairman of the board, critics insist that responsibility cannot be shifted elsewhere. They argue that leadership is about results, transparency, and trust; none of which OSOPADEC is currently projecting.
“This is not a personal attack,” Tam stressed. “It is a call to wake up. OSOPADEC was created to drive development, not to become another symbol of abandoned promises.”
As pressure mounts, stakeholders are calling on the OSOPADEC board to open its books, address the allegations directly, and account for its stewardship since assumption of office.
For the oil-producing communities of Ondo State, patience is thinning. The silence is breaking. And unless decisive action is taken, public outrage may soon replace restraint.
Efforts to reach the OSOPADEC Board Chairman, Prince Biyi Poroye, for comments on the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.