Kunle Adelabu
A major concern for residents across the state has been how much the local Councils are getting as allocations from the Federation Account and State Governments and how much they make as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and what they actually spend out of it on developmental projects.
Thus, their constant demand for the Council’s financial statement, a request that has continually met brick walls.
However, the Chairman of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Builder Sesan Daini, while responding to a question on the issue at a parley/interactive session with media men and stakeholders in Igbogbo on Monday, April 11, 2021, shed light on how concerned residents can access what that they have been doing with money that are put in their care.
He also said that the Office of the Auditor – General usually looks into their account every quarter and also issues annual audited reports which any interested resident can access through appropriate quarters.
“There is no difficulty for us to give financial accounting of our activities. We are usually audited on a quarterly basis by the Office of the Auditor – General. They come to check everything that we have done and at the end of the year, they publish what we called an annual audit report”, he said.
“This is not done by us and we are also not in possession of it (audited financial statement). It is a public document that is in the public domain and your question on our financial accounting has been answered by these documents “.
He also said that they usually present financial activities of previous years whenever they present a budget for the current year.
“While we do presentations of budgets, we also give the summary of expenditure and revenue of the government in a year and while we usually review what we have done the previous year in subsequent budget presentations, we do give this to the people to review and comment on.
“It is not going to be easy to give the documents to every individual but there is a constituted body that is in charge of the government accounting, including the expenditure and income, and anybody that needs it can seek for it to see everything that we have done”, he said.
Ikorodu Heroes had in March reminded the Chairmen of Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina; Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Adeola Banjo; Ikorodu West LCDA, Hon. Jumoke Jimbo – Ademehin; Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Builder Sesan Daini; Imota LCDA, Hon. Wasiu Agoro and Ijede LCDA, Hon. Fathiu Salisu, about their request for the release of the details of their incomes and expenditures in the last four years.
The group wants details of allocations from the federation account that are on a monthly basis shared among the federal, state and local governments, as well as allocation from state government and that of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and how the monies have been expended.
Despite the group’s threat to invoke the provision of the Freedom of Information Act to compel the councils to do its bidding, there has not been any response from the council chairmen.
