By Kolawole Ojebisi
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has alleged that the 18 local governments in the state squandered a whooping N83 billion federal allocation given to them in 12 months.
The governor made this revelation on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Acting Chairman of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Alabi Oshionogue, councillors, and party leaders to his office in Benin City.
He said the federal government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, released over N8 billion monthly allocation to the 18 local government councils in the state in December alone.
Okpebholo stressed that there are no infrastructural developments and other projects on ground in the LGs to show that the staggering allocations were put into good use.
“Between January and September 2024, the 18 local government councils, according to the office of the state Accountant-General, got over N6.5 billion monthly as allocations. Between October and December, the local government councils received over N8billion monthly from the Federation Account.
“Cumulatively, the 18 local government councils led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in one year, earned over N83 billion as monthly allocations.”
He noted that before Tinubu’s administration, the local government were getting N3.5 billion monthly, but the President increased the allocations first to N6.5 billion monthly, adding that over N8 billion monthly was sent to them to enable rapid development at the grassroots.
“Before Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Edo State was receiving N3.5 billion monthly as local government allocation, but today, local governments in Edo State are receiving over N8 billion monthly. This is not state allocation,” he said.
While lamenting what he called the misconduct of the suspended local government chairmen, he said they had been in office for the past one year without nothing to show for it.
“These chairmen had the boldness to be removing N800 million monthly from local government accounts while our schools suffered without good classrooms, teachers and other infrastructure,” the governor added.
He said his administration would right the wrongs as Edo State must move forward, adding that “no individual will draw us back.”
“We will invest so much in agriculture. We will visit you to ensure we collaborate and make things work,” he said.
Acting Chairman of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Hon. Alabi Bliss Oshionogue, commended Governor Okpebholo for his interest in ensuring that those at the grassroots enjoy the dividends of democracy and good governance.
“We have agreed to work with the Okpebholo administration because governance is now moving to the grassroots. We will work with you to ensure you succeed and the state develops,” he said.
