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Ekiti Assembly suspends 16 council chairmen indefinitely over alleged corruption

By Ayodele Afolabi, Ado-Ekiti
19 December 2018   |   2:38 am
Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday suspended indefinitely the chairmen and councillors of the 16 local councils of the state over alleged corruption and nepotism.

Ekiti Assembly

Ekiti State House of Assembly yesterday suspended indefinitely the chairmen and councillors of the 16 local councils of the state over alleged corruption and nepotism.

The House said the chairmen were suspended to allow for unimpeded but thorough investigation of the finances of the third tier of government, which it said, left much to be desired.

The lawmakers said that appropriate sanction awaits any of the chairmen or appointees found culpable in the alleged misappropriation of public funds.

Briefing newsmen at the Assembly Complex after the plenary session, the leader of Legislative Business and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Gboyega Aribisogan, said there should be reform in the administration of the councils.He said: “There is the urgent need for forensic audit of account of the local councils in the state. Appropriate sanction must be meted to any erring elected official culpable in the misappropriation and diversion of public funds.”

Meanwhile, a source close to the suspended chairmen told The Guardian that the seven-man standing committee demanded N500,000 each from the 16 of them, totalling N8 million.

The source said the suspended chairmen allegedly sourced the money privately since political office holders have not been paid since the inception of the new administration in the state.When asked by the reporter to confirm the allegation, Aribisogan said that he was not aware of such development and that the allegation was not true.

“This question should be directed to the committee. I don’t know anything about that and I don’t think the allegation is true,” he said.In a related development, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has approved the appointment of Education Secretaries for the 16 Local Government Education Authorities in the state.Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, said that the appointment is coming barely a month after the governor redeployed the former occupants of the positions.

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