.State warns principals, teachers against collection of illegal fees
Oyo State Government has said that the Accountant-General of the State, Kikelomo Adegoke, did not contradict the position of the governor, Seyi Makinde, on the payment of judgment debt to former council chairmen and councillors.
Reports in a section of the media had twisted the contents of a letter sent to some banks by the accountant-general, claiming that she contradicted the governor’s stance that the state had no money to defray the judgment debt.
But the state government said that the letter, which was sent to the banks in respect of the garnishee order placed on the state’s account in 10 commercial banks by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in December 2023, was consistent with Governor Makinde’s position.
The state government, in a statement signed by Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media, Suleiman Olanrewaju, said: “In the letter, the Accountant-General informed the affected banks that the Oyo State Joint Local Government Allocation Account, domiciled with First Bank of Nigeria, had already been put on lien to the tune of N3,425,300,000, being the total amount of the judgment debt.
“Having adequately provisioned for the debt, it is therefore both unconscionable and inequitable for nine other banks to do the same in the circumstances.
“This is in fact, consistent with Governor Makinde’s position.”
“While speaking on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) on December 23, 2023, Makinde said although the state had already made provision for the judgment debt, the money would not be paid until the Supreme Court responded on the clarification, which the Oyo State Government had sought from the apex court.
“It is unfortunate that some misguided individuals, with the intent of creating an imaginary division within the Oyo State Government, have coloured the contents of the letter to make it seem like Makinde lied.”
The statement added that the governor had neither said the state would not pay the debt nor had no money to pay, but that the process of the law would be followed to a logical conclusion to avoid paying Oyo State’s money to wrong people.
Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Salihu Adelabu, yesterday, warned principals and teachers against collection of illegal fees as schools resumed.
The commissioner, who gave the warning while monitoring the resumption of schools for the second term academic activities in Ibadan metropolis, reiterated that education is free from Primary to Secondary Schools in Oyo State.
He, therefore, warned principals and teachers to desist from collecting illegal fees from students and parents.
