Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde have been accused of denying local government lawmakers their full salary.
SaharaReporters reports that some aggrieved local government lawmakers in Oyo State accused Seyi Makinde of lying that they are receiving N300,000 as monthly salary while he only pays them N120,000.
According to the report,constituency allowances that should be used to take care of the people at the grassroots level have not been paid as well.
SaharaReporters said the lawmakers via their WhatsApp group with about 360 members, made the accusation.
A lawmaker representing ward 9 in the Surulere Local Government Area of the state, who simply identified himself as Omikunle, allegedly said that the governor refused to pay them their entitlements and had at a time said there was enough money in the coffers of the local government areas in the state.
He said, “Hon. Kayode, let’s be very sincere with ourselves, we don’t know how the governor is running the affairs of governance in the state, especially at the local government level. Let me say the truth, I was a smuggler and I had customers in all the states of the southwest states.
“If not that the federal government shut the borders, I wouldn’t have contested for councillorship in the state. The money we have collected in a whole year since we were elected, I can get it in two trips. I have friends in all the southwest local government legislative arms. I used to ask about their welfare in their respective state and they all blame Seyi Makinde for the way he treats us.
“Why is local government administration now bad in Oyo state? Our colleagues in other states used to tell us that people said Seyi was rich even before he became governor. Some of us said the last administration embezzled money. Which money did they embezzle? Have you forgotten when we were fighting on the issue of ALGON, Makinde said it openly that the outgone local government executives were after the money in the council.
“He further said he would not give them the money. I was the secretary to the local government chairman and the governor told us at that time that we were becoming rich soon. He said we would be the ones to spend the money. That was a year ago and where is the money today? I know at least four councillors in Osun state. Their salary is N250,000 and after that, they are receiving N100,000 imprest monthly. Oyetola also gave them N250,000 for their people in each ward. He has also given them N170,000 for the Sallah celebration now.
“Today, a year after, we remain councillor-elect. We purchased the form at N350,000 and while that of the House of Assembly was N600,000. Please, compare the kind of life we are living to that of state honourable. All the councillors in the state have been ridiculed.
“We have been lying to our constituents since we got to the office. But we are happy that they are all aware that the governor is not doing well for us. They used to tell us that they are aware that the governor is not doing well for us. They used to tell us that since they voted for Seyi, they didn’t see him again. They used to tell us that they knew that we didn’t have money to eat let alone give them money.
“We cannot campaign to anyone in our respective wards again. They are asking us to tell them what we have benefited from in the last four years. We have spent a year in office now, no allowance, no renovation of offices. We resume under the tree every day. We are not doing anything. No project to monitor. Is this a good life?
“Even a local government caretaker in Osun State is better than an elected local government executive in Oyo. Since I have been doing politics since 1999, I have never seen this kind of government before. If I had known that this is what I would encounter, I wouldn’t have contested.”
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