The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state, Hon. Ladi Adebutu has stated that the recent outburst by the Chairman, Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo over an alleged diversion of local government funds in the state has vindicated his stand.
The media consultant to the governorship candidate, Afolabi Orekoya stated this Tuesday, while speaking with newsmen on the latest development in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
Orekoya stated that the letter written by Wale Adedayo has further brought to fore the stand of Hon. Ladi Adebutu saying the LG funds belonging to the 20LGAs have been diverted as at 2021.
The media aide added that the local government areas has been rendered redundant by the present administration led by Prince Dapo Abiodun, saying that the people at the grassroot could not feel the dividend of democracy.
“We are glad to witness the recent happenings in Ogun state, particularly the outburst of a local government chairman, a serving local government Chairman of Ogun state, Ijebu East Local Government chairman, Hon Adedayo Olawale who had always been standing with the truth and has vindicated Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu who has always been saying the LG funds belonging to the 20LGAs have been diverted as at 2021.
“He further said the situation have left the 20 local governments in the state redundancy. They could not perform. There was no way they could have reached out to the people the locals at the grassroot level. And of course, he said that was what led to why they lost in the last elections.
“This is the main thing we have always been saying that that election shouldn’t have been declared. So we are now beginning to see where the funds have been using to do all the things they were doing during the election.
“The money that was meant to be used by the local government to make the lives of the people better was diverted to buy votes. Well, if you go around the states, all the trunk roads, local roads are in terrible states. Look at all the markets that are meant to bring succor for the people at the grassroots.
“The farmers do not have opportunity to bring their goods from the farm to the market. Then what do we expect? And of course, the local government chairman, they are just there, sitting down warming the benches at their respective local governments. So we are very, very glad that this is coming up from a serving local government chairman”, he said
Recall that, Wale Adedayo, a local government chairman under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had 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.
