Alleged Fund Deduction: PDP Wants Probe Of Ekiti LGs' September 2012 Budget
SAN FRANCISCO, October 01, (THEWILL) - The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest has called for a probe into the allegation of deduction of local government funds made against Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi by the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
The party said the probe became necessary following last week Tuesday's questionable passage of the 2012 Budget of the 16 local councils by the State House of Assembly, including over N5bn state government expenditure.
The party sated that it is curious that 36 days after the governor issued a seven-day ultimatum to NULGE to apologize over the union's allegation that he deducted N1bn monthly from the councils allocation, the governor has not sued NULGE as he threatened.
“The hurried passage of 2012 Budget on 25th September 2012, three months to the end of the year, is a sign of Fayemi's desperation to cover up his alleged stealing of local government funds,” it argued in a statement released by its zonal publicity secretary, Hon Kayode Babade.
“Instead of going to court as he threatened, Fayemi in a bid to cover up his alleged pilfering of the local government funds, made the rubber-stamp Ekiti State House of Assembly to hurriedly pass the 2012 budgets of the 16 local governments last Tuesday, 25th September 2012!
“Smuggled into the budgets were about N1bn as the councils' contribution to the renovation of public secondary school buildings, about N1.2bn as their contribution to payment of Social Security Scheme for the elderly, N1.9bn for payment of 100 Vigilante Peace Corps, among other questionable contributions to Joint Projects!”
The first question to be asked, PDP further argued, is where on earth a year's budget is passed on 25th September?
“This is a clear indication of intention to cover up the governor's pilfering of the councils' fund as alleged by NULGE and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must look into this allegation,” another part of the statement read.
“It is also important to ask Fayemi what the state fund is being used for if local councils are the ones paying for renovation of schools, paying for social security, and funding Vigilante Group and other government projects.”
It, therefore, urged EFCC to “assist Ekiti people by stopping Fayemi from further pilfering of local councils funds so that the people can stop suffering in the midst of surplus resources.”