Senator Ademola Adeleke, the candidate for governor of Osun State, asserted that he had reliable information concerning an illegal instruction to local governments ordering them to pay the state government in cash around 80% of their most recent fiscal allocations.
According to the report, each council must return between N30 million and N25 million to the state government, leaving the majority of local governments with only two to three million Naira after such criminal cash is turned over to the Ministry of Local Government in Osogbo.
The Governor-spokesman, elect’s Mr. Rasheed Olawale, said in a statement released and provided yesterday that the most criminal aspect of the directive was that the council managers were required to prepare paperwork to cover up the withdrawn funds and classify them as spent amounts within the local government financial records.
The report also stated that the financial transfer to Osogbo must be completed by tomorrow, Friday, at the latest, by 30 local governments and area councils.
“We are aware that the council managers have been busy working to implement the directive as the funds are to be returned to the ministry in cash before close of work today (Friday).
“It is against the above background that the Governor-elect of Osun state, Senator Ademola Adeleke is urging council managers to beware of criminal conduct and collusion that may jeopardise their career and land them in corruption trial.
“Senator Adeleke questioned why legitimately allocated fund meant for the local governments are being withdrawn under such shady conditions, describing the cash withdrawal directive as ‘a clear act of criminal diversion of public fund.’
“We want to put it on records that we are closely monitoring the reported fund movement from the source to the destination. Those involved in the corruption enterprise should stop the plan as all the facts of the deal are in our possession.
“All last minutes agenda to further bankrupt Osun State are being monitored and documented. Any public servant involved in such dirty deal will be held accountable.
Any elected or appointed official who engaged in the last minutes looting of Osun treasury will face full wrath of the law. We particularly call on council managers and bureaucrats to reject any illegal directive,” the governor-elect affirmed.
