Osun Governor-Elect Raises Alarm Over Criminal Diversion, Mopping Up On LG Fund

The Osun State governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke has raised an alarm over reports of an illegal directive to local government.

According to a press statement signed by the governor-elect's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke revealed that the directive is for local governments to return about 80 per cent of recent allocations to the state in cash under a very dubious arrangement.

According to the report, the amount to be returned to the state by each of the councils varies from 30 to 25 million naira, leaving most of the local governments with about two to three million naira left after such criminal cash return to the Ministry of Local Government at Osogbo.

"The most criminal part of the directive was that the council managers are expected to prepare paperwork to cover up the withdrawn fund and categorised it as spent amount within the local government financial records.

"The report also revealed that the 30 local governments and area council are to conclude the fund movement to Osogbo latest by tomorrow Friday.

"We are aware that the council managers have been busy working to implement the directive as the fund are to be returned to the Ministry in cash before the closing of work tomorrow.

"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 a corruption trial."

Senator Adeleke also questioned the legitimacy of allocated funds meant for the local governments being withdrawn under such shady conditions, describing the cash withdrawal directive as “a clear act of criminal diversion of public fund.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 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 a dirty deal will be held accountable. Any elected or appointed official who engaged in the last minutes looting of the Osun treasury will face the full wrath of the law.

"We particularly call on council managers and bureaucrats to reject any illegal directive," Adeleke affirmed.