Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has accused the 18 local government councils in the state of mismanaging a staggering N83 billion in federal allocations over the past year.
He made the claim during a courtesy visit by the acting chairman of Akoko-Edo Local Government, Alabi Bliss Oshionogue, and local councilors to his office in Benin City.
The Governor revealed that the federal government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had increased the monthly allocation to local governments in the state, with the councils receiving over N6.5 billion monthly from January to September 2024, and more than N8 billion per month from October to December.
This brought the total amount disbursed to the councils to over N83 billion in one year.
Okpebholo pointed out that before the Tinubu administration, Edo’s local governments received only N3.5 billion per month, but this allocation had significantly increased to support grassroots development.
He criticized the local government chairmen, particularly those from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for failing to deliver tangible results despite the influx of funds.
He cited the example of local governments allegedly withdrawing up to N800 million monthly from their accounts while infrastructure, such as schools and classrooms, remained in dire need of attention.
The Governor vowed that his administration would address these issues, prioritizing investments in agriculture and ensuring better governance at the grassroots level.
Alabi Bliss Oshionogue, the acting chairman of Akoko-Edo, pledged his commitment to working with the Governor to achieve the administration’s developmental goals for the state.
