Principals, Governing Boards Saw Grants As Extra Emoluments — Makinde
• Gives Platinum Consultants Pass Mark
Oyo State governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has insisted his inability to pay grants to secondary schools is because of a lack of transparency in the management of the grants by principals and members of the school governing boards, majority of whom he claimed were card-carrying members of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Recall that the school governing board was an initiative of the immediate past Abiola Ajimobi Government.
The governor who was on Fresh 105.9FM’s Political Circuit monitored by newsmen insisted that: “Principals and Governing Boards saw grants as extra emoluments, and just spent it anyhow. If it was monies donated by parents, maybe there may not have been problem, but if government money, then it has to be accounted for.
“At a point, grants paid by government was around N400Million, now it’s around N160Million, after I insisted on proper accountability. The question is, where was that N240Million going before?
Claiming that the way the grant is calculated is by multiplying the number of students in a particular school by N3000, Makinde retorted that even in the former administration, 100% compliance wasn’t even maintained, so if he could do 50% or less, on the altar of proper accountability, then there shouldn’t be any issue.
On the issue of Platinum, the appointed consultant for the management of the finances of state-owned tertiary institutions, the governor expressed satisfaction with his performance, even disputing allegations by the host, Mayor Isaac Brown, that the consultant usually makes a percentage from whatever is realized from the institutions.
“Our people’s problem is transparency, and it was a lack of it that caused the hiring of a consultant who’s done so well, thus far,” Makinde said.
