Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Ogun State Government on Friday created a clearer picture on funding of the 20 Local Government Areas(LGAs) administration with N1.8billion invested in executing projects in the councils across the three senatorial districts of the state.
It equally denied again any diversion of statutory and zero allocations, insisting that the present administration was determined to turn things around through developmental projects for LGAs in the state.
Recall that suspended Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Mr Wale Adedayo had alleged zero revenue allocation of LG funds by the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration in the state since 2021
But Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, while speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta, in company with the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor and Commissioner-designate, Dapo Okubadejo, said the current administration had been augmenting funds to the LG.
Talabi expressed further that in line with constitutional provision through the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), has been augmenting allocations meant for local governments in the state from the federation account due to shortfalls occasioned by COVID-19 and thee economic downturn in the country.
He denied any disagreement between the chairmen of the LGAs and the state government, saying that has been transparent, accountable, just and equitable in spreading developmental projects to all parts of the State with inputs from local government chairmen in the last few years.
The SSG maintained that the zero allocation had never taken place, insisting that the government routinely sends money to the councils to execute some projects to better the lots of the people at the grassroots
“Up to date, the state government has provided over N1.8 billion for all these local governments to do independent projects, in addition to whatever the state government has done, in addition to whatever the federal government has done and in addition to funding the deficit.
“The concept of zero allocation has not taken place. Otherwise, how have we been paying the teachers? How have we been paying the healthcare workers? How have we been paying the traditional council? How have we been paying the pensioners? How have we been paying the local government staff themselves? How is the chairman getting paid all these years? And then, we have what is called the security vote for the chairman.
“Because we are in an environment where people want to see what you have done, His Excellency, from time to time, makes money available to each of these local governments so that they do some community-based projects; projects that are closer to them.
“At the beginning of this administration, His Excellency asked the local government chairmen and other stakeholders to present three roads that are more important to them in the order of priority. That is why this administration can boast today that it has executed projects in all local governments. And these were not done without the consent and inputs of the local government operatives,” he noted
Okubadejo, while giving more insight into the workings of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), said that JAAC is a statutory and legal instrument that operates in other states.
“The process of local government account, financing or funding started many years ago, with the introduction of what we refer to as the Joint Account Allocation Committee. That’s the body that is responsible for the administration and the management of the local government direct allocation from the federal government.”
“When His Excellency took over the administration in 2019, and because of his pledge to be accountable and also be transparent, the Joint Account Allocation meeting started not long after that. That meeting is the one that is held every month. It is this administration that commenced, after a long time, the organization of the Joint Account Allocation meeting every month on the allocation of funds from the federal government to the local government and also the distribution of it.”
“And that meeting comprises of representatives of local government chairmen and all the regular stakeholders in local government administration. So, you have local government chairmen, the association of pensioners, members of the traditional council and all other members that are seated every month at the Oba’s Complex to discuss every month, how much comes in for local governments and how that money is distributed”.
“Now, the process is that the Joint Account Allocation Committee account is a completely separate account from the state government’s accounting process. It is managed and administered by different sets of staff that are involved in local government administration in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“The account and signatories are separate from the State government. The Accountant General and the Director of Treasury are not signatories to the JAAC.
“On a monthly basis, the Local Government Service Commission prepares the vouchers of salaries and allowances of local government staff, SUBEB prepares that of all primary school teachers, Bureau of Local Government Pensioners prepares that of Pensioners, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs prepares that of traditional council members.
“All the data prepared by all these bodies are sent to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, where they are reviewed, collated, and validated. These figures are referred to as First Line Charges. The figures are taken to the JAAC meeting, and once the allocation comes from Abuja, with respect to the JAAC, they disclosed the amount at the meeting as money for Ogun State local government funding. They table all the distributions, which are the First Line Charges, and distribute on local government to local government basis.” he added.