By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
OSOGBO — The Osun State Government has issued a scathing warning to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), accusing both federal agencies of attempting to illegally divert local government allocations to private accounts allegedly linked to political loyalists of the former administration.
In an official statement released by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Dosu Babatunde, the state alleged a “conspiracy” aimed at sabotaging ongoing legal proceedings at the Supreme Court concerning local government administration in Osun.
According to Babatunde, “We have credible information indicating that plans have been finalized by the CBN and AGF to pay Osun LG funds into private accounts of impostors—individuals not recognized by law or the local government accounting structure of the state.”
He revealed that the Osun Auditor General for Local Governments had earlier communicated formally with the CBN, introducing the legally appointed accounting officers of the state’s 30 LGAs, including the Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLAs) and Directors of Finance. Despite this, the CBN Osogbo branch allegedly rejected the list, raising fears that the funds were about to be misdirected.
Babatunde described the alleged move as a “blatant violation of Nigeria’s public finance laws”, and warned that any transfer of public funds to private individuals would not be recognized as legitimate by the Osun State Government.
“This unconstitutional action will have grave consequences. The Osun State Government will not hesitate to take all lawful steps to ensure accountability and protect the public interest,” the Commissioner stated.
He further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Finance to urgently intervene, expressing confidence that the plot was being orchestrated without their knowledge or approval.
“This is a clear attempt to subvert the rule of law and compromise public finance systems. Mr. President must act to stop this travesty,” Babatunde appealed.
This development comes in the wake of lingering tensions between the Osun State Government and some officials allegedly aligned with the former administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola. The dispute over control and legitimacy at the local government level is already a subject of litigation before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
As of press time, neither the CBN nor the AGF’s office has issued an official response to the allegations.
🗞️ Newspot Nigeria will continue to follow this developing story and bring updates as events unfold.
