Kwara House recommends suspension of 16 LG chairmen
By Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin
The Kwara state House of Assembly yesterday recommended the suspension of 16 local government council chairmen over allegations bordering on misappropriation of N33 billion.
This followed a resolution of the House after it considered a petition written by one Seidu Aliyu and presented at plenary.
House Leader, Mogaji Olawoyin, tabled the petition which was unanimously considered after a debate, prompting the lawmakers to recommend the suspension of the local government chairmen.
According to the petitioner, the council chairmen had mismanaged and misappropriated N33 billion received from the federation accounts in the last two years.
The House leader called for a thorough investigation of the council chairmen in view of their alleged misconduct that caused the petition against them.
In his submission, a member representing Ipaye/Malete/Oloru, Babatunde Abdulkareem Paku, said the House has been inundated with reports over alleged fraudulent activities in the third tier of government in the last two years, just as another legislator, Abdulwahab Opakunle, urged the House to critically look at the allegations since the lawmakers represent the interest of the people.
Also speaking, the member representing Ojomu/Balogun Constituency of Offa Local Government Area, Saheed Popoola, said there was need to properly investigate the alleged financial impropriety against the council authorities, adding that local government chairmen are public officer and thus accountable to the people.
Salaudeen Ganiyu of Omupo Constituency moved a motion for the suspension of the council chairmen pending the outcome of the investigation and was seconded by Awolola Olumide of Isin Constituency.
Reading the resolution of the House, the Speaker, Salihu Danladi, urged Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to suspend all the local government chairmen in the state to allow proper investigation of their alleged mismanagement of council funds in the last two years.
He referred the petition to the joint House Committees on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Ethics, Privileges and Judiciary, asking the committees to report back in the next two weeks.
