Ogun Gov, Abiodun Refutes Allegation of Diverting N10.8 Billion LGA Funds

The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has refuted claims that he diverted more than N10:8 billion in statutory federal funding owed to the state’s local governments over the past two years.

Instead, he claimed, his administration had to increase the money given to the state’s local governments so that the council chairmen could fulfill their duties.

According to a report from Gistlover on Tuesday, Abiodun was charged with misappropriating federal funding that was mandated to go to the state’s local governments over a two-year period.

Ijebu East Local Government Area Chairman for Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, made the accusation against the governor.

He claimed that the governor also misappropriated more than N10,088 billion from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme.

According to Adebayo, since Abiodun took office as governor, the local government has not received the 10% of the state’s internally generated revenue that it is legally entitled to receive.

In the most recent general election, he claimed that this factor played a role in the loss of some All Progressive Congress (APC) council seats.

The allegation was in Adebayo’s letter to former governor Chief Olusegun Osoba, which The Punch obtained.

The former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was in office when local governments in the state allegedly started not receiving their fair share of federal funding, according to the chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government Area.

The Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC), which is recognized by the constitution, manages local government funds, and they make sure council chairmen receive the necessary allocations for effective performance, according to the governor, who swiftly responded to the accusations.

In a statement released by his chief press secretary, Lekan Adeniran, on Tuesday, the governor claimed that at the JAAC meeting that took place a week ago, more than N5 billion was distributed among the state’s 20 local government areas.

The governor explained that the JAAC is made up of key players in local government administration, including the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Accountant General of the State, Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, all 20 local government chairmen, one representative from each of the state’s four Traditional Councils, and representatives of SUBEB, NULGE, local government pensioners, among others.

The statement partly reads, “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 JAAC has the mandate to meet every month to ensure that allocations to local governments are discussed and properly presented for fund allocation.”