The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has alleged attempt by impostors to divert Osun State local government revenue allocations to personal accounts.
Aliyu Kankara, president-general of NULGE, made the allegation at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, on June 10, 2025, a letter signed by one Okolie Rita, purportedly emanating from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, directed unauthorised persons to open and maintain revenue allocation accounts on behalf of the state’s local councils.
“The letter directed that any two of the chairmen, treasurers or directors of finance and administration or personnel management in each of the Local Governments in Osun State should endorse an application letter for the opening and maintenance of the accounts earlier opened by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for each of the local councils.
“This directive is an aberration and in contravention with the law on Local Government Fiscal Autonomy.
“As a union, we are embarrassed to say the least, by this surreptitious move to supplant extant law and place the running of the accounts of Osun State Local Governments in the hands of impostors who are not recognised by the law,” he said.
Mr Kankara added: “For clarity purposes, the law expressly and unequivocally stipulates that authorised signatories to local governments’ accounts are career officers, specifically the directors of finance and supplies and directors of administration and General Services.
“Others are the local government chairmen and heads of local government administration to countersign for confirmation”.
He said the intention of the letter and the author was to sabotage the local government fiscal autonomy and deny the people of Osun state the abundant benefits derivable from the extant law
According to Mr Kankara, the local government fiscal autonomy has not only endeared the President Bola Tinubu” government to the masses, but also brought the dividends of good governance to the grassroots.
He, therefore, appealed to the president, the attorney-general of the federation and the CBN governor to urgently address the situation.
Mr Kankara said the union would not hesitate to deploy all the instruments within its power to ensure the right things are done.
“If you allow people who are not supposed to have access to the funds of local government to do so, there will be serious consequences.
“What will happen to the salaries of our members? What will happen to the common man who relies on the local government in Osun State?
“If the CBN refuses to listen to our plea, we are going to sit down, discuss and see the next line of action to take.
‘We are a labour union, we are a trade union and we know our last resort,” he said.
Mr Kankara also faulted the non-implementation of the Supreme Court judgement delivered over 11 months ago that gives financial and administrative autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country.
(NAN)
