Local Govt Funds: NULGE Insists on Rule of Law in Osun, Debunks APC’s Claim

The Osun State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has denied allegations that it was responsible for the non-release of local government allocations in the state.

The union’s state president, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, made this known while responding to Senator Iyiola Omisore and the state All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to Ogungbangbe, the union’s stay-at-home action was aimed at stopping the imposition of court-sacked council chairmen and the payment of council funds through an account opening process that violates financial regulations.

He stated that the action was necessary to protect the members of the union from potential violence and to uphold the rule of law.

According to him “We are not on strike. We only stayed away from the local government secretariats for fear of being caught at crossfire.

“There was even an attempt to shoot at us by the security guard of the Central Bank in Osogbo when we went to open the local government accounts by the legitimate signatories to local government accounts.

“So, how has NULGE caused the non-payment of Osun local government Allocations ?”, the NULGE boss queried.

According to the state president of NULGE, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the stay away action was called to stop destruction of the local government system through deliberate disregard for court ruling especially as it affects the rightful elected leadership of the state’s local government system.

The union posited that the attempt to impose court sacked chairmen was followed by a desperate bid by the state APC to change signatories to the local government accounts, a process that was opposed by the union.

Instead of allowing the HLA, DFA and DAGS the director to be signatories to the local government accounts as prescribed by law, the state APc attempted to create a non-existing office of a treasurer in the account opening process, pushing out the career officers with direct responsibilities for management of Fund across the local governments.

The union he noted wrote relevant authorities to inform them of the anomaly and to request that the right process for account opening should not be tampered with. This position was also reiterated by the national body of the union.

Our union is not responsible for the fund seizure or non-release. The core issue is the attempt to pay the money to court sacked council chairmen of the APC.

We call on the CBN and other federal authorities to allow duly elected council chairmen of the PDP to take office and for the right officials to be signatories to the local government accounts.

We submit that Senator Omisore and the state chapter of the APC were wrong to have accused NULGE. We are on strike for the rule of law, and our strike does not stop the release of seized funds once the right officials are allowed to be signatories to the local government account.