N357million projects Scam: NULGE drags Ondo AG, Finance Commissioner, ALGON Chair to EFCC
Nov 25, 2020
By: Oluwatosin Adesola
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has raised the alarm over illegal deductions of N119million from the monthly allocation of local governments in Ondo state by the 18 council chairmen in alleged connivance with the state Accountant-General, Laolu Akindolire and the State Commissioner for Finance, Wale Akinterinwa.
The Ondo state chapter of the Union therefore sought immediate arrest of the state ALGON Chairman and Chairman, Akoko Southwest local government, Mr Oloruntegbe; Akinterinwa and Akindolire for illegal deduction of the N119million in the last three months, amounting to N357million.
Addressing newsmen in Akure, the state President of NULGE, Comrade Bola Taiwo alongside his SAC members, said the council chairmen under the umbrella of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) had connived with the federal ministry of finance and the Accountant-General of the federation and their state counterparts to deduct the money for phony Comprehensive Healthcare Centres in all the local government areas.
Pix: at the press briefing.
Comrade Bola said the illegal deductions had further worsened the condition of council workers especially who had been finding it difficult to receive full monthly salaries.
The NULGE President appealed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to help recover the three-months illegally deductions (N357million) and revert same to the Ondo state local governments accounts, warning that failure to recover the money, the Union would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony between workers and local government chairmen in the state.
Comrade Bola said, “ALGON’S ILLEGAL DEDUCTIONS FROM THE SOURCE ON LGs ACCOUNTS TO FUND PROJECTS: The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), proposed to construct and equip one Comprehensive Healthcare Centre in each of the 774 Local Governments and Area Councils across the country. Surprisingly, we discovered that the project has not been executed in any of the eighteen (18) Local governments in Ondo State
“It is pertinent to mention that the deductions have been made so far over the period of three (3) months. STEPS TAKEN SO FAR On discovering this shady deal, we consulted with ALGON who confirmed our discovery.
“We officially communicated the State Government of the sad development, seeking to know the State Govemment’s involvement in the illegal processes. Precisely, on the 19th of October, 2020, we alerted the State Government to this unusual and illegal steps and copied other state functionaries, including the Accountant General, and we registered our dissatisfaction. We found out that the State Government has no involvements; except for the complicit of the Commissioner for Finance and Accountant General of Ondo State.
“It should be noted that the funds accruing to us from the Federal Allocation already is not enough. Now, imagine 119 million Naira being deducted on monthly basis from the source.
“We want the EFCC to invite the Ondo State ALGON Chairman for questioning on why he decided to embark on these non-existing projects, and the Minister of Finance, Budget and planning, the minister of Justice, the Accountant General of the Federation, the Ondo State Commissioner of Finance, and the Accountant General of Ondo State on their complicit roles in the illegal projects.
“We also call on the EFCC to help us recover the three-months illegal deductions made so far and revert same to the Ondo State Local Governments accounts.
“We at NULGE would like to state without any measure of fear that if the three-months illegally deducted from our Local Governments accounts are not returned to us, and if any further deduction is illegally made at any future time, either by ALGON or any other group, NULGE cannot guarantee harmony between the Union and ALGON on one side and the colaborators on the other side,” Comrade Bola.
Reacting in an interview, the state finance Commissioner, Wale Akinterinwa denied making any illegal deductions from the allocation of the local councils.
