…reiterates respect for LG autonomy
By Ademola Orunbon
The Ogun State government has called for the cooperation and support of the third tier of government in a bid to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State towards achieving its revenue target for the year.
This is just as the State government reiterated that it would not undermine the autonomy of the local government administration.
The Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, made the call at a meeting with the Chairman and Representatives of the 20 Local Government councils, held in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Okubadejo, in a statement signed by Press Officer, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Kunle Sokunbi, noted that the monthly allocation from the Federal Government to local governments in the State was grossly insufficient to meet its financial obligations, disclosed that the Governor, Dapo Abiodun-led administration has always augmented the allocation every month, for even spread of dividends of democracy to all the nooks and crannies of the state.
“You cannot achieve world-class governance without recognizing the powers and financial autonomy of the local government as enshrined in our constitution. That is why we introduced the monthly Joint Account Allocation Committee meeting to discuss the financial status and relationship between the State and Local Government. This emphasizes the transparency and accountability of this administration.
“It is also to show to all our Local Government stakeholders that the money that is coming from the Federal Government in their favour is not spent by the State government at all”, Okubadejo said
While underscoring the importance of Public-Private Partnership to the overall development of the State, Okubadejo admonished the Local Government administrators to desist from collecting unwholesome revenues from investors operating in their local government areas.
He explained that such practice promotes unhealthy investor relations and in some cases results to double taxation which affects the State’s Ease of Doing Business index ranking.
According to him, revenue items such as tenement rates and others have been harmonized and taken care of by the Land Use and Amenities Charge (LUAC).
Also speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Afolabi Afuape, lauded the State government for the meeting, saying such an interface would further engender a symbiotic relationship between the two arms of government.
