The Oyo State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Matters and State Honour has engaged the local government administrators on budget defence.
A week long exercise started on Monday at the Caucus Room, Parliament Building, Oyo State House Complex, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Addressing the journalist on the importance of the exercise, the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Olajide Akintunde, said that the budget defence exercise involves the chairmen, Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGA) and other top officials across the 33 local government areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
Hon. Akintunde disclosed that the engagement is not an effort to reposition the budgeting system at the local government level alone, it is also to ensure that local governments have robust and accurate budgets and to make them accountable for whatever they do with the local government fund in terms of finances and expenditure.
The lawmaker disclosed that the committee has the backing of the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria and Oyo State laws to carry out the exercise.
“Schedule 4 section 7 (f) clearly stated the roles of the House of Assembly concerning the budget of the local government and approvals, and the state law also stated in the Section 19 (2) of the power of the House of Assembly to oversee the budget of the local government and also Section 19 (4) talks about the power of the committee on local government to exercise their right on the local government. What we are doing right now is something that is lawful, and it is important for the local government administrators in the 33 local government areas that we have in Oyo State and LCDA to do the needful by presenting their budget.
“Our expectation is for them to have a robust and accurate budget and for them to be more accountable for whatever they do in terms of finances and expenditure of the local government. We are very much doing the right thing when it comes to the House of Assembly, all we are doing right now is performing and exercising our right as a legislature.”
Speaking on what the committee has discovered and observed during the exercise, Hon. Akintunde said that the committee has seen some grey areas and has encouraged them to do the right things in order to come up with a proper budget.
“Right now it is a starting point and you know it’s been a very long time for them to have a proper budget presentation, and the administration of his Excellency, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde is always going by the rules and laws of the country and the state. So our observation right now is putting them together and ensuring that their documents are properly made, we have seen some grey areas which are very important for us both to take hold of, and we have encouraged them to do the right thing when it comes to their budget presentation.
In his response whether the exercise is to prepare the local government administrators for autonomy, the committee chairman maintained that autonomy is not a new thing in Oyo State, however, agreed that the exercise will make them more transparent and accountable.
“To me autonomy is not a judgement that is strange; it is something that is already in existence, so it’s just for us to do the right thing. The judgment is all about paying the local government directly which the JAC have already made the provision for, pay to the state joint account and then disburse into the local government. In Oyo state, we don’t really have that kind of problem; it is not a general problem for us, all we are doing is just to ensure that we do the needful. Yes, it is important we prepare them ahead because their experience in having that kind of a direct payment to the local government it’s been a while, so for the administrators in the local government to understand how they will be preparing to be much more accountable and transparent is part of the exercise we are having right now, so as to be right,” Hon. Olajide Akintunde said.
