Unverified reports have circulated regarding the purported freezing of accounts belonging to local governments in Ondo State, raising concerns among officials and residents.
An unofficial communication, ostensibly from the office of the acting governor, surfaced online last Friday, instructing council caretaker chairmen not to tamper with the finances of their respective local governments.
However, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, dispelled these claims on Sunday, stating that the acting governor has not issued any order to freeze the council’s accounts.
She described the reports as fake and baseless, urging the people of Ondo State to disregard the rumors.
“At no time has the acting Governor or any functionary of the state put a freeze on local government accounts or order any closure. This information is fake and baseless. We ask that the good people of Ondo State, particularly officials of local governments, disregard the rumour.
“Necessary complimentary personnel/civil servants have been deployed to the LCDAs and they have been advised to exercise due diligence and processes in their operations by the government.
“The state government is committed to proper functioning of the new 33 LCDAs and the existing 18 LGAs in the state as a way of enhancing development at the grassroots,” she said
In a separate development, the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has commented on the recent decision by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, due to health concerns.
The move, designating Aiyedatiwa as acting governor, has been labeled as long overdue by the PDP.
The party contends that the state has witnessed a period of stagnation over the last six months due to Governor Akeredolu’s ill health. Speaking to The PUNCH, Kennedy Peretei, the Publicity Secretary of the Ondo PDP, expressed the hope that Aiyedatiwa’s assumption of the acting governor role would usher in a phase of progress after the prolonged stagnation.
‘Akeredolu’s medical vacation is long overdue; I don’t know why they waited this long to do this. The Ondo State is already the butt of every joke. Let’s pray that things will at least move in the state instead of the stagnation witnessed in the last six months,’ remarked Peretei.”
