Makinde disburses N2bn to former LG chairmen

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Saturday, announced that his administration had paid another tranche of N2 billion to the immediate past All Progressives Congress Local Government Chairmen in the state as part of their entitlements.

The state government had, in 2021, released the sum of N1 billion to the ex-chairmen in fulfillment of the Supreme Court judgment that the sacked chairmen be paid their entitlements.

The governor made this announcement at the burial and thanksgiving service in honour of Mama Ruth Dare, mother of former Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, held at Sabo Baptist Church in Ogbomoso.

Makinde maintained that the money was released, on Friday, and would put an end to the long-drawn battle the ex-ALGON members had with him following their sack in 2019.

He said, “We are here to celebrate our Mama. It is a day of celebration because Mama was 92 before she died.

“I am sure Sunday Dare must have thought I wouldn’t attend this event because we don’t belong to the same party. I tell people not to fight because of politicians because it is not worth it. This is because we do a lot of other things together behind the curtain.

“When I took over as governor in 2019, I decided to sack all the LG chairmen because we felt their election was unconstitutional. As a result, they also took me to court for the government to pay their entitlements. We dragged the matter up to the Supreme Court level. But, on Friday, I paid N2 billion out of the debt. So, we are no longer fighting.”

The governor also told them that he would return to Ogbomoso in a few weeks to commission the 78.6km Ogbomoso-Iseyin-Fapote Road named after former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.

The funeral service had in attendance dignitaries including former Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.); Emeritus Professor Olu Aina; former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole; former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Paulen Tallen; and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, among others