PUNCH
The Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of diverting the statutory Federal Allocation due to the state’s Local Governments in the last two years.
Adedayo, in a letter written to former Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on Sunday, and obtained by our correspondent alleged that over N10.8bn fund of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme was also diverted by the governor.
The LG boss claimed that the 10 per cent of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, which the constitution also stipulated should go to the local government has not been given since Abiodun reportedly got into office.
While attributing the diversion of funds as a key reason the All Progressives Congress lost some of the councils in the last general election, Adedayo urged Osoba to convince Governor Dapo Abiodun to allow the Federal statutory allocation to reach each of the councils.
According to him, the trend of denying local governments their due Federal Allocations in the State began during the Administration of former Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
He added, “This letter should have been written about two years ago. But I was wary of what many naive people would say about me. Besides, at your age and given the level of your selfless contributions to the development of our state, and Nigeria in general, we expect you to be taking a well-deserved rest at this time.
“Your urgent intervention is sorely needed to convince the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo 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. Since we (Ogun State Local Government Chairmen) got on board in 2021, there has been Zero Federal Allocation to each local government. The 10% of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, which the Constitution also stipulated should go to the local government has not been given since Abiodun got into office.
