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Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has restated that his administration funds security strictly through the budget and extant financial rules.
In a statement on Friday signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor declared that “Under my watch, we don’t operate security votes in the sense Nigerians understand it.”
According to Adeleke, Osun has no slush fund disguised as security votes, insisting that all outlays are processed within the law.
Naija News reports that the Governor listed the items the government pays for under security, which include operational support for security agencies, funding for operations to quell communal crises, support for communal peace activities, and financing Amotekun, among others.
According to him, such expenses are raised by memo and cleared through the statutory approval and payment process in line with public finance regulations.
“I am proud to declare that the Osun State Government under my watch does not operate a slush fund that our media friends call security votes. Our security needs are met through the approval process. I face resistance over the policy but I stick to it even at great cost,” he said.
Adeleke said the policy was informed by what he met in November 2022, stressing that Osun needs every kobo for development.
“Our earnings from FAAC allocations and internally generated revenues are channelled to key sectoral projects, from infrastructure to agriculture to health, among others. We also target payment of workers’ emoluments, pensions and outstanding salary debt,” the Governor noted.
He added that his team maintains a delicate balance between human and infrastructure spending and, “within less than three years, we have good records widely verified by local and national stakeholders.”
The governor disclosed that his administration created a special project account to save unexpected inflows from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), describing it as a shock absorber to guarantee the completion of ongoing infrastructure projects.
While expressing hope for an early resolution of the Osun local government fund seizure, Adeleke reassured residents and stakeholders that the government remains focused on delivering human and capital projects on schedule.
The post Osun Does Not Run ‘Security Votes’, All Security Spending Is Budgeted – Says Gov Adeleke appeared first on Naija News.
