Oyo Assembly Investigates LG Chairmen, HLAs Over Audit Report
The Oyo State House of Assembly has looked into the local government councils’ financial operations to guarantee accountability and transparency in the public account of the state.
As a result, representatives from the thirty-three local government areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Oyo State’s Department of Oyo State appeared before the House Committee on Public Account, Finance, and Appropriations for examination.
The exercise, according to the chairman of the committee, Hon. Akeem Mustapha, was in response to reports from the Oyo State Auditor General that were submitted to the House in 2021 and accused some local governments of misusing funds.
Hon. Mustapha stated that the committee needed to invite each of the 33 local councils and LCDAs in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended after carefully deliberating and considering the Auditor General’s report on the House floor.
The congressman promised that anyone found guilty of misappropriating state funds would pay it back to the treasury following the exercise.
He repeatedly emphasized, however, that effective record-keeping and accounting must be prioritized by local governments as well as other state administrative and financial departments.
“What we noticed is that our people are not keeping proper records and in accounting or any organization, keeping record is very essential, once the records are straight, there won’t be any loss of funds”
Hon. Mustapha, therefore, said that upon the completion of the exercise, the Committee will give it’s recommendations to the House and the Assembly will pass it’s resolutions to the executive.
Reacting to insinuations that the Oyo State government has not been properly funding local government administration, the Chairman House Committee on Local Government, State Honours and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Akintunde Olajide, said that the present administration at its inception cleared backlog of salary debts of some council areas.
He, however, said that despite the economic crunch in the country and the world at large, Oyo State government has been releasing the monthly running cost and other allocations for the effective running of the local government administration.
Author
