National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Residents of Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State have asked the council Chairman, Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, to account for the statutory allocations he had received from the federal and state governments since 2021.
This development is a fallout of the allegation of local government funds levelled against the Ogun State Government by the suspended chairman of Ijebu-East Local Government Area, Wale Adedayo.
These allegations were debunked by the state government, saying that contrary to the claim of zero allocation to the local councils, the state government has continued to augment the local government to allow them to perform the statutory financial obligations.
Members of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) and the other 19 local government chairmen of Ogun also disowned Adedayo when they said no council fund was lost.
The Ijebu-Ode LG Chairman who also doubles as Chairman of the Association of Local Governments in Nigeria, led his fellow council bosses to Gov Abiodun where they apologised over the statement made by the suspended Ijebu-East Chairman.
In other meetings with top government functionaries in the state, Emilola-Gazal re-echoed the fact that no money was missing in any of the local governments in Ogun.
But in what seems a turn of events, residents of Ijebu-Ode Local Government were not pleased with the confession from their chairman against infrastructure development and money purportedly collected through JAAC.
The people of the council area allegedly insisted they were not happy that the chairman had not been executing projects even when he had confirmed that the governor did not seize their funds.
In a notice pasted in strategic locations in Ijebu-Ode, residents gave Emilola-Gazal 48 hours to explain how he had spent the allocation he had received from the Federal Government since he came on board two years ago.
In the notice, the residents who addressed themselves as Concerned Citizens, said: “Gazal must go, Gazal must go, Gazal must go. Explain to the Ijebus what you have done with the collected federal allocation according to your claim.
“You are hereby given 48 hours to furnish the Ijebus how you spent the allocations. Failing to do this will lead to protests within the local government.”
A resident, who spoke anonymously said, “The time has come for our local government chairmen Tobe accountable, now that we know that the governor does not divert their funds”.
It was gathered that the council boss had since stayed from his office when his attention was called to the notice and the threat of a protest in Ijebu-Ode.
In his reaction, Emilola-Gazal described the development as a sponsored move.
“We all agreed that internal mechanisms should be explored to solve all issues because what will you gain if we keep dragging ourselves to the media? Even me, I have been maligned,” he said.
“Giving account is the easiest thing for me to do but nobody should give me an ultimatum; when it is time we shall come out and explain things. But let me just say, that this is being orchestrated by some persons within the local government, Yes! A few of them, and I can tell you that authoritatively.
“We have an idea of who they are. They are trying to cause a breach of the peace of the society and appropriate authorities will take them up,” Emilola-Gazal stated.
He confirmed that he had stayed away from his office, saying: “It is a sponsored move, yes, I stayed away from the office, We shall come at the right time and give account.”
(Channels TV)
