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Association of Local Government (ALGON) Chairmen has described Oyo State Government directives to caretaker chairmen to contribute N15 million each for the construction of a secretariat complex for the Local Government Service Commission and staff pension board as a fraudulent scheme to siphon council funds.
ALGON made the assertion in a statement by its Chairman, Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, yesterday.
It said after considering the issue diligently, ALGON found out that the directive was a fraudulent scheme to siphon council funds by using the illegal caretaker chairmen as pawns.
“It is a white elephant project designed to siphon money regularly from local government purse,” ALGON said.
Referring to the memo issued by a permanent secretary, Local Government Service Commission on the governor directives, ALGON said the memo was illegitimate and contravenes the constitution which grants financial, project choice and implementation autonomy to councils.
“The illegality becomes more pronounced when the huge fund is expected to be coughed out by illegal caretakers, who, in principle and law, must not have access to local government account. This is also a breach of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit guideline on local government finances.
“Building an imaginary secretariat is not, cannot and must not be a priority of any serious people-focused, responsible local government administration in view of compelling needs to provide good roads, renovate dilapidated primary schools, primary health centres, provide water, markets, agricultural inputs, among others, for the grassroots.
“These illegal caretakers are hereby strictly warned in their own interest not to be accomplices to this ‘ultra-modern’ fraud by the state government. It is a sure way to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission net, to prosecution and eventual imprisonment. The governor has immunity against arrest and prosecution which they don’t have, so don’t be entrapped by any illegal order. In a democracy, there is nothing like ‘obey the last order’ and ignorance is never an excuse in law.
“We advise them not to ruin their lives because of mere pittance they may receive from the ‘ultra modern’ loot. No law, we repeat, no law empowers a state governor to direct local government administrators to release money or stylishly loot for him. Local government finances are properly budgeted for based on needs assessment of the council area and appropriately approved by the legislative arm. Anything to the contrary is fraud and stealing by tricks,” ALGON said in the statement.
