The Conference of Local Government Executive Secretaries in Lagos State has debunked an allegation by the former Minister of Works and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adeseye Ogunlewe that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was causing underdevelopment the grassroots by deducting 80 percent from funds accruing to local governments in the state.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the executive secretaries described the allegation by Ogunlewe as a “blatant falsehood” which is nothing short of “an act of gross irresponsibility and a clear evidence of desperation of a man whose political diminution has inflicted an advanced state of abnormal behaviour”.
Executive Secretary of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Chairman of the Conference, Alabi Kolade David, who addressed journalists alongside his colleagues, recalled the role played by Ogunlewe in the past, and wondered where the former Minister “suddenly and mischievously discovered his love for Lagosians so much that he felt it was his responsibility to raise false alarm”.
His words: “For the information of teeming Lagosians, it is on record that in 1999, the people of Lagos East Senatorial Constituency voted Senator Seye Ogunlewe on the platform of the progressive party, Alliance for Democracy. In a classic case of betrayal of trust, he crossed to the rival PDP and became the minister of works.
“As minister, Senator Seye Ogunlewe actively conspired with other members of the PDP to withhold the funds due to the local governments of Lagos State for 23 months in violation of an order of the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land.
“Through the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), he (Ogunlewe) unleashed mayhem on Lagos motorists and engaged our Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in a war from which many still carry the scars till today.”
While urging the public to disregard the allegation, the executive secretaries said rather than deduct from council funds, Ambode elected to empower the 20 local government and 37 LCDAs in the State.
They added: “Governor Ambode’s 23 years in the local government service enabled him to see the strength which lies within while others see only the weakness. Governor Ambode has resolved to promote, protect and propagate the autonomy of the Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, in the conviction, that the old system of looking down on management of councils is unhelpful and unsustainable.”
