Ekiti: LG Boss Exposes Govt; Attorney General Defends “Outrageous” Deductions From LG Funds

By Ayodele Oni

Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti state, Mr Olawale Fapohunda, has flayed ongoing misinformation about Local Government finances in the State.

Fapohunda, in a reaction to claims by a former Council Chairman, Mrs Omotunde Fayuji, that the State Government controls substantial amount from funds accruing to Councils, said this position may be far from truth.

Mrs  Fayuji, former Chairman, Ado Local Government, reportedly claimed during a radio interview that she would sign for N200m but only N7m was released to the Council by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

There have been complaints that funds accruing to Local Governments in the State are being diverted by the State Government through Joint Accounts Allocation Committee,(JAAC) monthly meetings.

But the Chief Law Officer of the State explained that “To be sure, what the woman said was that she is aware that the allocation for Ado Ekiti LGA  is 200m Naira out of which she had about 7m to undertake capital projects.

“However depressing that sounds, is that not the historical tragedy of our Federation? Is that not why we have been clamoring for fiscal federalism at least since 1999?

“Without prejudice to the accuracy of the amount allocated and amount received by Ado LG, in Nigeria, there is what is called statutory deductions.

“These are amounts deducted as first line charge from allocations of Federal, State and Local Governments.

“I am aware that in every Local Government in Ekiti State, such deductions will include salaries of local government staff, primary school teachers, allowances of traditional institutions, existing commercial debts( judgement debts) the list goes on including funding security in each LGA.

‘The story is not different with the States. You all may wish to look at what comes to each of the States in the Federation and find out how much is left for tangible projects after deductions.

“I dare say in Ekiti State, once salaries are paid there is very little left for capital projects.

‘Even the most vociferous critics of the Fayemi administration marvel about how we have managed to balance prompt payment of salaries and still undertake legacy projects while not forgetting social investment programs.

“Statutory deductions from what comes to a state includes salaries ( in Ekiti State this is a matter of life and death ) debts ( again we are servicing contractual /judgement debts that go back as long as the Oni era). Pensions.

“There are also debts owed the Federal Government which has recently become payable. And of course security.

“It is simply not true that the Federal Government is solely responsible for the funding of police and other security agencies.

“The States have a more than passive interest even if they have no command control over them.

“In summary by the time you make all these necessary deductions, you will find that there is little left for capital projects.

“The bad news is that this is not likely to change soon. Even in the unlikely event of the PDP or SDP winning the next election.

“Sadly, we have not been able to get politics out of the way in dealing with important issues that affect us especially at the state level.”