Table of Contents
- The Lunacy Behind the Article
- Discrediting Governor Dapo Abiodun
- Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC)
- Support for Ogun Students
- Conclusion
There is a clear absurdity that permeates the piece titled “Governor Dapo Abiodun and His Greek Gift,” allegedly authored by Femi Orebe and published on the online platform, Apple’s Bite. It represents the revival of a long-discredited myth aimed at undermining a current positive initiative. The writer claims that the circumstances in Nigeria’s local governments have not improved since the Supreme Court ruling that granted them financial autonomy, yet he places the blame squarely on the Ogun State Governor. His writing is filled with venom and anger, lacking the intellect, civility, or education to appear credible to a rational audience. This piece, a misguided fabrication from a political pawn whose loyalty seems to be purchasable with a mere bottle of beer, has been disseminated across various platforms under different headings. If you wish to read it on Nairaland, a site where the anti-Abiodun faction finds solace in blatant inaccuracies and slander that would never be accepted by legitimate media, the title is: “Local Government Autonomy, Dapo Abiodun and Tinubu.”
The author baselessly asserts that Governor Dapo Abiodun “smiles at party meetings” while systematically undermining the autonomy guaranteed by the Supreme Court and upon which the President has staked his legacy. However, he fails to provide any evidence to support his vitriolic claims, showing confidence in the Abiodun Derangement Syndrome of his benefactor, who previously governed Ogun State in a thuggish manner. Even if his memory has failed him, he must recall that his associate, Wale Adedayo, who in August 2023 claimed that the Dapo Abiodun administration had seized Ogun LG funds and that the local governments in the state had received no allocations from the Federation Account since 2021, relied on public discontent against governors rather than solid evidence to support his argument. The Abiodun administration published corrections clarifying that the Governor had never misappropriated local government funds and was not a signatory to their accounts; thus, Adedayo only had his unfounded accusations as evidence.
During a session at the state House of Assembly, the body responsible for distributing local government funds in Ogun State, known as the Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC), confirmed that every fund approved by the committee during its monthly meetings had consistently been allocated through the various local government accounts. The process of fund management was conducted in monthly meetings attended by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, his Permanent Secretary, the 20 local government chairpersons, the Commissioner for Finance, the State Accountant General, the President and Secretary of NULGE, representatives of Traditional Councils in the State, the Local Government Service Commission, the Bureau of Local Government Pension, and representatives of local government pensioners, among others. In the 26 months he served as local government chairman, Adedayo attended JAAC meetings 15 times and did not mention zero allocations during that time. Furthermore, rather than a criminal misappropriation of local government funds, the Ogun JAAC confirmed that the Abiodun administration actually supplemented their earnings from the Federation Account during the COVID-19 crisis, as those funds were insufficient to meet even the first-line charges! In 2020, local governments, with a budget of N43.121 billion for first-line charges, received only N34.750 billion from the Federation Account, resulting in a deficit of N6.619 billion. In 2021, they received N38.723 billion, while the payment for first-line charges was estimated at N47.845 billion. In 2022, the required payment for first-line charges was N54.182 billion, but the Federation Account only provided N47.845 billion, leaving a deficit of N17.4 billion as of January 2023. To prevent hardship for the grassroots population, Abiodun chose to provide assistance!
Certainly, Ogun students in tertiary institutions at that time will recall that Abiodun distributed N50,000 to each of them to help them through. He also provided financial assistance to primary and secondary students, but directed it through their parents. He introduced CNG buses, motorcycles, and tricycles well before President Tinubu took office and announced the removal of subsidies, arguing that these vehicles would leave the people of Ogun with more disposable income due to their lower operational costs. Now, two years later, a corrupt sycophant of political opportunists, masquerading as a poet yet unable to escape the rhetoric of demagoguery (“The vehicles gleamed under the Abeokuta sun, their metallic paint catching the light like promises wrapped in cellophane”), is attempting to use Governor Abiodun’s presentation of SUVs to local government chairpersons on Christmas Day to resurrect a falsehood aimed at discrediting the people's Governor. What a disgraceful spectacle!
Bakare submitted this piece via seyibakre@gmail.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main argument against Governor Dapo Abiodun?
The main argument against Governor Dapo Abiodun is that he is accused of undermining the financial autonomy of local governments in Ogun State, despite a Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing it. Critics claim he has misappropriated local government funds without providing credible evidence to support these allegations.
What evidence contradicts these allegations?
Evidence contradicting the allegations includes statements from the Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC), which confirmed that all funds approved for local governments had been properly allocated. Additionally, the Abiodun administration has publicly clarified that the Governor has never misappropriated local government funds.
How has Governor Abiodun supported local governments financially?
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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