Stakeholders at the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting have commended the Ogun State Government for ensuring accountability and transparency in allocation of funds to local councils.

The stakeholders, comprising representatives of traditional rulers, council chairmen, pensioners, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), among others, lend their voices at the August 2022 edition of the meeting, held at the Conference Hall, Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The Obiri of Ayepe, Oba Adebisi Okubanjo, said the sustenance of the meeting had distinct the state among its peers in the country, saying the current administration’s strides on the overall development of the state was laudable.

Chairman of NULGE, Ayuba Olatunji and his Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) counterpart, Akinola Abiodun, appreciated the state government for keeping to the promise of paying the gross salary.

Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, represented by Permanent Secretary and Accountant-General of the State Treasury, Mr. Babatunde Aregbesola, said the 20 councils received N4, 685,649,984.81, which includes shares of statutory allocation, Value Added Tax (VAT) and exchange gain from the federal allocation for August 2022.

Okubadejo said N4,070,874,949.67 was for the payment of first-line charges, which include primary school teachers’ salary, councils’ staff salary, pensions, traditional councils and other charges, as well as contributory pension and co-operative deductions, excluding PAYE and five percent bond on pension, amounting to N323, 049,938.12, as N614,775,035.14 remains gross surplus for the month.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, said irrespective of the surplus, the council chairmen need to concentrate more on the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR), urging them to be prudent in their spending.