- Ogun State Governor denies diversion of local government funds, citing constitutionally mandated Joint Account and Allocation Committee for management
- Governor Abiodun responds to allegations, highlights recent meetings where substantial funds were shared among local governments for various purposes
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has stated that his administration has frequently had to supplement funds allocated to local governments in the state from the Federation Account in order for them to meet their obligations.
Abiodun spoke in response to allegations made by the Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo, that the state has allocated zero revenue to local governments since 2021.
Adedayo bemoaned the inability of LG chairmen to carry out projects in the last two years and urged Chief Olusegun Osoba, former governor of the state, to intervene immediately and persuade Abiodun that “the statutory Federal Allocation to Local Governments in Ogun State should be allowed to reach each of them as envisaged by the 1999 Constitution.”
Like Abiodun, the Council boss was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and he wrote to the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) requesting that the governor be investigated for alleged diversion of local government funds.
According to him, in the last two years, Abiodun has not paid a dime to local government accounts as a result of federal allocation.
Adedayo, in separate petitions to the EFCC and the ICPC on Tuesday, requested the anti-graft agencies’ immediate intervention.
However, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, the governor stated that he had never tampered with local government funds.
He was perplexed as to how adding to the funds allocated to local councils to meet their obligations amounted to hijacking their funds.
According to Abiodun, funds earmarked for local governments in the state are managed by the constitutionally mandated Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC).
According to the governor, JAAC members ensure that the third tier of government receives the necessary allocations for optimal performance.
He said;
The latest meeting by the JAAC was held last week, and was widely reported in the media.
At the meeting, which was held at the Conference Hall, Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, over N5bn was shared among the 20 local government areas, out of which over N2 billion went into paying teachers.
Between May 2023 when the Governor was sworn in for the second term and July 2023, the JAAC shared among 20 local governments N4.531b, N4.444b and N4.497b respectively on first line charges and just last week N5.2b was shared among the local governments for the month of August, the statement read.
According to him, the JAAC is made up of major stakeholders in local government administration, such as the Governor’s Chief Economic Adviser, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Accountant General of the State, the Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, all 20 local government chairmen, one representative from each of the state’s four Traditional Councils, representatives from SUBEB, NULGE, local government pensioners, and retired officials.
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