Grant money ‘scandal’ rocks Omoyele Sowore’s Revolution Now movement

Activist publisher an anti-corruption crusader Omoyele Sowore has been accused of cornering funds meant for one of his followers and lying about it.

The allegations are coming from Oluwatosin Adeniji, a member of Sowore’s anti-bad-governance Revolution Now movement.

“Omoyele Sowore, it’s sad that you of all people could take advantage of my predicament,” Adeniji said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“I went to prison last year November over #EndSARS but you decided to apply for a grant in my name without informing me. Before, during, and after the application was made, not even my consent, yet we live under the same roof.

“Fast forward to January, I found out that a grant was applied for in my name but since you were in detention I had to ask your lawyer Tope Akinyode because I found out that he was the lawyer involved in the process of the grant. He admitted that you both applied for a grant in my name but you didn’t tell me because he felt you wanted to make it a surprise and that he didn’t know the current status that I should find out from you.

“Since Akinyode said it was meant to be a surprise, I waited this long hoping you would inform me but you didn’t. Since we stay in the same house, I decided to take the bold step by demanding my grant funds from you.

“First, you admitted that a grant was applied for in my name through the late Innocent Chukwuma but you are not sure he submitted the application till his death. You also raised concerns that it was possible that Chukwuma submitted the application and someone went behind your back to get the funds. This sounded absolutely unbelievable, especially coming from a man of your kind who would cross seven seas to unravel a mystery.

“Also, you said to me that the reason I wasn’t informed was that you wanted Akinyode to open a human rights office in Abuja with the funds but he (Akinyode) revealed to me in our conversation this morning that there was a separate application for that. When I insisted that I must get my funds from you, you then said it wasn’t you that applied but Akinyode did.

“I reached out to Akinyode immediately and he said he wrote a concept paper for a grant in my name but acted based on your instructions (to which I have evidence).

“When I further insisted on getting my grant from you, you and Akinyode connived to reverse your words and denied outrightly that no grant was ever applied for in my name (whereas I have evidence of Akinyode admitting to it many times before this plotted denial).

“I really feel oppressed and sad that after giving my commitment to serve in your movement for years to fight a system of oppression, the same you is this person dishing out all these oppression and lies just to get away with it,” she wrote.

Adeniji attached screenshots of WhatsApp conversations she had with Sowore and with Akinyode over the matter. She also tagged Sowore to the post.

In one of the screenshots, someone believed to be Sowore did say Akinyode applied for a grant in Adeniji’s name but denied that he (Sowore) had anything to do with it.

Sowore, on his part, replied to the Facebook post and tagged Adeniji too.

He said:

“Adeniji reached out to me earlier claiming a grant application was written in her name and I have confirmed to her that nothing of such existed.

“Further, I volunteered to refund her if any grant was collected on her behalf without her knowledge without prejudice to any further action she would like to take!

“Please note that this response is not intended as an attack on Adeniji. She’s been a committed member of our movt over these years and assisted me in the last two years in particular while I was unjustly detained and restricted to Abuja.

“Lastly, if anyone knows of any foundation that issued a grant on her behalf without her knowledge, kindly reveal it to the public so that she can get her rightful entitlement.

“I never applied for or received any grants in her name or her behalf!

“Again, I insist that I never applied for a grant in her name or received an approval for a grant in her name or collected a dime in her name,” Sowore said.

Sowore is the founder of Sahara Reporters, a digital news platform know for exposing government and corporate corruption.