House Restrains LG On Excess Crude Oil Fund

The Kogi State House of Assembly has passed a resolution restraining local government councils from utilising proceeds from the excess crude oil as well as the intervention fund without an approved supplementary budget passed by their respective legislative councils and proper vetting by the Assembly. Our correspondents reports that the lawmakers made the move to entrench accountability and fiscal discipline in the local government administration. Moving the motion which was jointly sponsored by Hon. Adams Olorunmo of Ijumu Constituency and Hon. Zachare Ohiemi, representing Olamaboro Constituency, as well as Hon. Ibrahim Yunusa representing Bassa Constituency, the lawmakers said motion has become imperative, in view the discovery that most of the councils did not have an approved budget for 2009. Deliberating on the motion titled “utilisation of proceeds from excess crude oil and intervention fund to local governments” which was unanimously adopted on the floor of the house, members decried the way and manner previous funds were expended on projects without an approved budget.