Mr. Yahaya Bello, the Kogi State Governor has summoned all the state Local Government Directors and Sole Administrators for a meeting at Lokoja, Kogi state capital over monies paid to the councils by the Federal Government.

Mr. Onoja who gave only his first name told WEST AFRICA REPORTERS (WAR) via a telephone that the Governor summoned the Directors and Sole Administrators to the government house in a bid to force them to handover the monies paid to the councils by the federal government to the state government.

He said they have been in a meeting with the Governor at government house since Tuesday and are not likely to agree to release the fund over to them.

He told WAR that, the Governor has asked them not to pay salaries and carry out any project until when they are ready to go by his own instruction and directives how the money will be spent.

At the end of the meeting, Bello asked each of Local Government Directors to bring N30 million each from the council account.

A demand the Directors have asked him to get approval letter from Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria President authorising them to give him N30 million from the council account.

Another source told WAR that they are afraid of going to jail and aren’t ready to be picked up by the Nigeria anti corruption agency, Economic Crimes and Financial Corruption ( EFCC).

WAR could not immediately reach out to Kogi state Governor as Mr. Fanwo Kingsley, the Director Media and Publicity to the Governor, did not respond to question sent to him regarding the issue.

WAR had last week reported how Bello is plotting to collect money paid into Local Government account by Federal Government, in the plan he asked LG Directors to sign owing state govt N3 billion

Insider source in one of the local governments who spoke to WAR via a telephone, said Bello is forcing all Directors of Local Government (DLG) in the state to make the money available to the state.

A move all the DLG have refused.

When Bello discovered that the Directors of Local Government are not willing to hand the money paid to the local councils over to him, he asked them to sign document showing each local government borrowed N3 billion from the state Government.

A deal the DLG have refused to struck with the governor.

This newspaper learned that the money was paid to the local government to pay salaries and execute projects.

While the Igalamela LG is making plans to pay workers 100 percent of their entitlements, Idah LG has opted to paying 70 percent, an arrangement workers in Idah LG have since rejected saying they will either get 100 percent payment or nothing.

Another insider source who gave his first name as Onu, told WAR that the governor summoned all DLG to a meeting at Lokoja the Kogi state capital on Tuesday where he made attempt to get them sign borrowing N3billion from the state government.

He said the plan is that when the DLGs sign, it will show the governor did not collect the money from them, but that they paid the money they are owing the state government, even though such never existed.

A faction of state All Progressives Congress (APC) had last two weeks reconciled and agreed to work with Bello in the forthcoming November 16 Governorship election.

However the faction gave him a condition to pay all outstanding salaries and allowances owed to workers and pensioners in the state.

The faction say that is the only way they can work with Bello.

A condition that has since put Mr. Bello, the governor under pressure to raise monies and pay the bills, which explains why he wants to collect monies paid to Local Government Councils by the Federal Government.

Buhari government had said that
local government financial autonomy must commence June 1st, warning the state governors to get ready for the new plan.

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) handing down the warning, say nothing will stop the autonomy from commencing on June 1st agreed date.

Mr. Ahmed Dikko, (NFIU) media adviser disclosed that their action is from the legitimate powers provided by their Act 2018, a legislation establishing them.

It also disclosed that cash by the local government cannot exceed N500,000 per day when the law starts in June 1st.

“The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) is using this second press statement on the above subject to reiterate its position that the 1st June effective date of the guidelines to all financial institutions and public officials on the local government funds stands,” Mr Dikko said.

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Kogi LG Directors Refuse To Give N630 Million Council Fund To Gov Bello, Ask Him To Get Approval From Buhari