Globaltimes 
“State government only paying staff salaries, others”
Months after the inauguration of the Local Government executives in Ogun State, the statutory allocation for it’s smooth running have not been paid.
This is however against the extant laws creating the third tier of government, which hitherto gives the council the authorization to carry out it’s activities without the interference of the State Government.
Speaking with The News Ville on condition of anonymity, an official of one of the Local Government area maintained that the local government cannot do anything yet as it’s allocation have not been received.
He added that “make your findings from other Local Government, it’s the same. None of us have received any allocation since inauguration. We have only been doing skeletal works here”.
Another official of one of the local governments maintained that the local government chairmen have been stretched, as no fund was made available to effect the desired development promised the citizens during electioneering.
“This is the same thing that happened during the Sen. Ibikunle Amosun tenure where he rendered the Local Government useless. We thought we would see a difference but it seems this is the way Governors wants to continue to ruin the activities of the local authorities.
“We should not be begging for what is statutorily our rights, if not I would have said the governor should please do the needful, knowing that we have just three years to make sure all our promises are fulfilled”, he stated
The Ogun State government, had refuted claims that it tampered with the local government allocations, adding that about N9,904,945,970.80 was released by the State Government to argument the councils’ capital expenditure and effective running of the councils.
According to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Afolabi Afuape a total of N73,618,140,323.02 has been paid to all 20 Local Government Councils as statutory payment within the last 21 months.
The commissioner explained further that the State government has been augmenting the local government accounts to enable them pay the first line charges, which included primary school teachers’ salaries, local government staff salaries and allowances, primary school teachers, and local governments’ staff pension, not leaving out administrative sundry expenses for chairmen, traditional councils, statutory payment of local government service commission and unions’ check-off dues from May 2021 –July 2021.
He said statutory allocation received from the Federation Account for August stood at N3,433,170,398.83 and the first line charges deduction has a total of N4,055,100,639.78, showing a deficit of N621,930,240.90, while the deficit breakdown stood at N626,218,967.27 and the surplus of Allocation received over net salary stood at N4,288,726.32
Explaining further, Hon. Afuape said “while at the end, the allocation distribution to all 20 local government councils stands at a gross deficit of N N621,930,240.90
