The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ondo state has kicked over alleged illegal deductions of N119million from the monthly allocation of local governments in the state by the council chairmen.
Addressing newsmen in Akure, the state’s NULGE President, Comrade Bola Taiwo alleged that the deductions were done in connivance with top government officials in the Accountant General and Finance ministry.
Taiwo said that the deduction in the last three months amounted to N357m. He noted that the illegal deductions had “further worsened the condition of council workers, especially who had been finding it difficult to receive full monthly salaries.
He appealed to the anti-graft agency “to help recover the three-months illegally deductions amounting to N357million and revert same to the Ondo state local governments accounts.
The union warned that “failure to recover the money, the Union would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony between workers and local government chairmen in the state.
The council chairmen under the umbrella of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) connived to deduct the money for phoney Comprehensive Healthcare Centres in all the local government areas.
Taiwo said that ” The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), proposed to construct and equip one Comprehensive Healthcare Centre in each of the 774 Local Governments and Area Councils across the country.
“Surprisingly, we discovered that the project has not been executed in any of the eighteen (18) Local governments in Ondo State
“It is pertinent to mention that the deductions have been made so far over the period of three (3) months.
“We officially communicated the State Government of the sad development, seeking to know the State government’s involvement in the illegal processes.
Precisely, on the 19th of October, 2020, we alerted the State Government to this unusual and illegal steps and copied other state functionaries, including the Accountant General, and we registered our dissatisfaction.
“We found out that the State Government has no involvements; except for the complicit of the Finance ministry and the office of the Accountant General of the State.
“It should be noted that the funds accruing to us from the Federal Allocation already is not enough. Now, imagine 119 million Naira being deducted on monthly basis from the source.
Taiwo called on anti-graft agencies to invite those involved for questioning on non-existing projects and their complicit roles in the illegal projects.
Vanguard