••• How JAAC money was used to fund FOWOSO
A top government official ( name withheld ) of the Ondo state government has advised that unless there is redistribution of workers among the 18 local government areas, some local government councils will find it difficult to pay workers following the supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
The government official who does not want his name mentioned also told Roving Reporters that Amotekun Corps might be faced with financial challenges as funds being deducted from the Joint Account Allocation Committee, JAAC, to support the Corps might not be forthcoming following the supreme Court judgment.
He also disclosed that money were being deducted to fund the Foundation for Wives of Ondo State Officials (FOWOSO) programmes and events which was founded by Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the former first lady of the state.
The Supreme Court had granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country.
In a landmark judgement last Thursday, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to immediately start the direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts.
In its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Speaking on the implications of the judgement to Ondo state, the government official said, “ The judgment will affect some local government areas, particularly the big ones. Because the allocation they Will be getting will not be enough to pay their salaries because they have higher number top civil servants.
“Officials on level Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen are many in Akure South, Ondo West, Okitipupa, Ikare, Owo, and a few like that. Whereas other local government areas will have surplus in terms of Money.
“So it will affect the runnings of the Big local governments.
“Then, two, how do we address the issue of pensioners and those working in the Local Government Service Commission ?
“The Loan Board and some other agencies that are attached to the local government, that are supposed to draw money directly from the local government accounts and JAAC. Now that JAAC is no longer in existence, it will affect how they get money to fund their operations like the training department, the Loans Board, the Pension Board, the Local Government Service Commission.
“If they have to be paying workers without owing them salaries, it means, the Local Government Service Commission particularly, will have to redistribute the staff evenly such that workers will be transferred to those local government areas with a few number of workers , like Akure North and others. But if they don’t do that, the big local government areas won’t be able to pay their staff.
“Akure South, Ondo West, Okitipupa, Akoko Northeast, Owo local governments won’t be able to pay workers.Those people may not be able to pay salaries at all, let alone running the councils.
“There is a need for the state government to go back to the drawing board, after the judgment and restrategize on how to run the system.
“For now, how do they pay workers in the Local Government Service Commission? Because allocation does not go to that place. Only the 18 local government councils get allocation.
“For instance, the allocation coming to Akure South is higher than that of some local government areas in Akoko but the responsibilities and burden that Akure South is carrying outweigh the allocation from the Federation account.
“For instance in Akure South, The number of health centers are more than that of Akure North that is closer to it.
“Apart from that, the primary health care, at Oke Eda is funded from the local government accounts too. How will they get that now ?
“There are other areas that the government spends the local government money on.
“For instance, Amotekun corps, they deduct money from JAAC account to fund Amotekun. How do they now fund Amotekun from local government accounts when the Corps is a state government project ?
“If the local government chairmen refuse to fund Amotekun, the governor can not compel them because Amotekun is the creation of the state government.
“During the Akeredolu-led administration, each council from JAAC had a certain amount of money they released to fund FOWOSO.
“For your information, most of the IGR that belongs to the local government have been taken over by the state government through the ODIRS. Maybe quarterly, or yearly, they give them pittance.
“No local government councils can survive on IGR and it could lead to retrenchment of local government workers. I don’t know which sensible chairman will emerge just to pay salaries. It is not possible, and once salary is not paid, there will be crisis and upheaval.”
