Some councillors in the Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State have suspended the Chairman of the LGA, Wale Adedayo, for three months on allegations bordering on maladministration and mismanagement of funds.
The councillors announced the suspension through a letter signed by the Leader of the Ijebu-East Legislative Council, Akindele Fasheyi, and the six others.
In the letter made available to journalists on Thursday, August 31, 2023, the councillors said Adedayo’s suspension was as a result of allegations of maladministration and financial misappropriation.
“The Legislative Council received various allegations that needed to be investigated, and it has directed Mr Adedayo to appear at its next sitting on September 14,” the councilors said.
Adedayo recently accused Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, of diverting the revenue allocation to local governments in the state.
Reacting, Abiodun said his administration has never tampered with local government funds in the state, stressing that he often augments the funds allocated to local governments in Ogun State from the Federation Government to enable them (local governments) to meet their obligations.
The governor, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, said the local government funds in the state are being handled by the constitutionally recognised Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC).
READ ALSO: Abiodun: I’ve never tampered with local government funds
However, it was gathered that Adedayo was suspended by the councillors in the early hours of Thursday after some police officers stormed the local government secretariat alongside some thugs.
The Ijebu-East councillors have now preferred against Adedayo 15 allegations, which include the withdrawal of N4 million from the LG account for empowerment in 2022.
They stated that the programme never took place.
The councillors also alleged that N2 million was spent on Isese Day on August 20, 2022.
They added: “Other unexplained expenses include the N8.2 million sent from phase 2 of ‘the table and the chair’ project for schools out of which 20 chairs were made with N8.2 million.
“There is also the fact that an award of N20 million allocation from the state government is nowhere to be found.
“Another N15 million sent from the state went the same way without any project to show for it.
”There is also the inability on the Chairman’s part to account for over N2.5 million left in the Project Account of the council by previous administration for the completion of a school at Kajola, Ogbere.
”The school remains uncompleted till date.”
The councillors, therefore, stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
