2 weeks ago
4
By Dayo Johnson, Akure
A civic radical successful Ondo State, the Ondo Redemption Front (ORF), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for an probe into the alleged diversion and mismanagement of authorities and section authorities funds.
In the 2 abstracted petitions signed by A.O. Ajulo, Esq., Secretary of the group, ORF accused the Ondo State Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of violating the Constitution and the July 2024 Supreme Court judgement that directed that section authorities allocations from the Federation Account beryllium paid straight to section councils.
The radical alleged that portion the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) released hundreds of millions of naira monthly to each section government, immoderate councils reportedly received arsenic small arsenic ₦5 million.
Citing the August 2025 FAAC report, the petition listed allocations of ₦742.6 cardinal to Akure South, ₦681.5 cardinal to Ilaje, ₦607.6 cardinal to Akoko South East, ₦564.6 cardinal to Akoko North East, and ₦515.6 cardinal to Ifedore, among others, insisting that “there is simply a wide spread betwixt authoritative disbursements and what councils really receive.”
“The Ondo State Government, done its Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant-General, has continued to enactment successful usurpation of the Supreme Court’s directive by intercepting and diverting Local Government funds,” the petition read.
The radical urged the anti-graft agencies to audit the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLA), reappraisal inflows and outflows implicit the past 2 years, and comparison the records with projects executed astatine the grassroots.
In different petition to the EFCC, the ORF called for an enquiry into the usage of national allocations and internally generated gross (IGR) by the authorities authorities successful the past 10 months.
According to the group, credible fiscal monitoring platforms, including BudgIT and information from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, amusement that Ondo State received implicit ₦127 cardinal betwixt January and August 2025 — ₦109.6 cardinal betwixt January and July and ₦17.79 cardinal successful August alone.
Despite these inflows, the radical alleged that the authorities has failed to supply transparent records of however the funds were spent, nor has it publically accounted for its IGR performance.
“The citizens of Ondo State are entitled to cognize however implicit ₦127 cardinal of nationalist funds, excluding IGR, person been managed oregon expended wrong little than a year,” the petition stated, calling for a forensic audit of each authorities and section authorities accounts.
The ORF described its petitions arsenic being successful the nationalist interest, stressing that transparency and accountability stay indispensable to bully governance and fiscal responsibility.
Government, ALGON Deny Allegations
Reacting, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, and the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Ondo State Chapter, Hon. Donald Fasua, dismissed the allegations arsenic mendacious and politically motivated.
Takuro said the authorities authorities has ensured due disbursement of section authorities funds, adding that the councils person collectively saved ₦15 cardinal successful a associated relationship to concern superior projects.
“This is impervious that they are readying beyond recurrent expenses. The authorities has besides paid implicit ₦12 cardinal arsenic gratuities to section authorities retirees done accordant savings agreed upon astatine JAAC meetings,” helium said.
He maintained that each fiscal decisions were jointly agreed upon by assembly chairmen and not imposed by the government.
“What the authorities has been doing is simply a unanimous decision. It is not thing enforced connected anybody. If anyone disagrees, fto them travel retired openly,” Takuro added.
On his part, ALGON Chairman Donald Fasua described the diversion allegation arsenic baseless, insisting that section authorities chairmen are afloat successful power of their funds.
“It is not true. The politician is not diverting our funds. Since we assumed office, we person embarked connected improvement projects crossed our LGAs,” Fasua said.
He cited examples of projects successful Akure South, including the acquisition of 10 vehicles wrong 5 months, arsenic good arsenic ongoing roadworthy and h2o projects ac...
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