Amosun left N18.3bn for Abiodun – Ogun ex-finance commissioner

A former Commissioner for Finance in Ogun State, Mr Adewale Oshinowo, on Monday said the Ibikunle Amosun-led administration left about N18.3bn in the state treasury for his successor, Dapo Abiodun.

Oshinowo, in a statement in Abeokuta, insisted that the claim by Abiodun that he met an empty treasury was far from the truth.

Abiodun had said he took a loan of N7bn to pay workers’ May salary, claiming that he met an empty treasury.

But the former commissioner said the Abiodun-led government inherited over N18.218bn, comprising N5.7bn from the Federation Account and N2.5bn from the Ministries Departments and Agencies.

He further said the N10.6bn refund Pay As You Earn  due to Ogun State would have been paid to Abiodun in May 2019.

The statement read in part, “Contrary to the empty treasury slogan, the Dapo Abiodun-led government inherited over N18.218bn, comprising N5.735bn from the Federation Account and N2.483 billion from the Ministries Departments and Agencies.

“The N10.6bn refund for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) due to Ogun State, which the Amosun government had laboured for three years to obtain, and which was due to be paid in May 2019, should be part of the amount inherited by Dapo Abiodun.

“Therefore, the Amosun administration can assert that it effectively left N18.8bn in the coffers of Ogun State Government.”

Oshinowo maintained that the governor had no justification for borrowing a dime from banks to pay May salary.

Oshinowo added that Abiodun’s government would need to explain the motive behind the N7bn loan he claimed to have obtained on May 30, 2019.

“It is the usual practice that for such large sum of money to be borrowed  from financial institutions, the Ogun State Executive Council must debate and ratify it, while the  approval of the Ogun State House of Assembly must be obtained.

“At the national level, both the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office must also give written approval as part of the process for obtaining a loan.

“Clearly, none of these mandatory approvals were complied with,” he added.

On the governor’s claim of discrepancies in the state monthly payroll, Oshinowo said, “In addition to the salary obligations of the civil service, the state also pays emoluments and allowances for the other two tiers of government; the entire public service, consisting various parastatals, agencies and other auxiliary workers.”

He advised Abiodun not to play politics with the state account, warning that the action might have economic implications.

Attempts to get reaction from the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, and the Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Ojo Emmanuel, failed  as the duo’s mobile rang out.

Somorin also had not replied to text messages sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report .