Alleged funds diversion: Ogun govt team presents records from 2019

Nigerians have been urged to dismiss the allegation of diversion of local government funds levelled against Governor Dapo Abiodun by the suspended Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo, as the State Government presents records of allocations and disbursement of funds to Local Governments since 2019.

The presentation shows that the State has been augmenting the federal allocation to the 20 Local Governments in the state and noting less than N13.5 billion has been used to support them in the period under review.

In order to set the record straight and to tell residents of Ogun State that the allegation of diversion of local government funds levelled against Governor Dapo Abiodun by the suspended Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo was not true, a team of Senior Government officials have presented record of allocations from the federal government and disbursement to local government between 2019 to 2023.

Lead by the secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, the team comprises of the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, the Accountant General of the state, officials of the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs and other members of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the state.

While analysing the figures to journalists, the Chief Economic Adviser through the presentation made it known that the money from federal allocation in most times fall short of what the Local Governments require to cater for the payment of frontline charges which include payment of primary school teachers, local government Pensioners, traditional rulers among others.

The Secretary to the state Government on his part said, aside from the support that the state is providing for the local governments on federal allocation, the state government periodically provide money for them to carry out developmental projects in their areas.

They faulted the position of the suspended Chairman and queried why primary school teachers, traditional rulers, local government pensioners and other beneficiaries of federal allocation in Ijebu East LG have not staged protest if truly they are not getting allocation.