Former council helmsmen in Oyo State have acknowledged the receipt of one billion naira deposited in the account of their lawyer, Niyi Akintola, senior advocate of Nigeria.
OYOINSIGHT.COM had yesterday reported how Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, approved the payment of the former council officials.
This newspaper recalls that the payment became necessary following the Supreme Court judgement which nullified the sacking of the former council officials.
In the memo addressing the N1,000,000,000 release, the government had stated it was part of the over four billion naira is it to pay the affected former officials.
But on Thursday, the former council officials while acknowledging receipt of the one billion naira, said that their total money is over seven billion naira and not four billion naira.
PRESS RELEASE.
For the Record: Gov. Makinde Paid N1 Billion Out of N7.056 Billion to ex- ALGON Members, as the Supreme Court Judgment Creditors.
We, the former democratically elected Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, wish to acknowledge the payment of One Billion Naira (N1 bn) by Oyo State Government, the Judgement Debtors in Suit No. SC/CV/556/ 2020.
The part payment of One billion Naira by Gov. Seyi Makinde led Oyo State Government, is sequel to the Supreme Court Judgment delivered on 7th May,2021, which inter alia, ordered that Gov. Makinde should pay all salaries and allowances of all the elected Chairmen and Councilors of the 33 Local Government Councils and 35 Local Government Development Areas, who were parties / appellants to the suit.
After series of rigmarole, deliberate delay of payment by Oyo State Government, the representatives of elected Chairmen and Councilors under the auspices of ALGON and our brilliant and resilient lawyers, eventually met with the representatives of Oyo State Government. At the end, it was unanimously agreed after careful calculations that the total judgment payment is N7. 056 billion Naira after deductions of PAYE.
So, we are surprised that in the public statement issued by Oyo State Government, the general public was misinformed that it had paid One Billion Naira out of a total sum of Four Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Four Million, Eight Hundred and Eight Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Sixty Five Naira, Sixty Kobo. (N4, 874, 889, 465 : 60).
As usual, the Government lied again with the statement and figures quoted as the total judgment sum due to us.
For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the total judgment payment as jointly calculated and agreed with the state government is Seven Billion, Fifty Six Million Naira Only (N7. 056 Billion).
Our team of lawyers are already taking appropriate steps to call the attention of the Oyo State Government to the “error” which we considered as a deliberate ploy to mislead the good people of Oyo State.
We also reiterate that the One Billion Naira paid by the Oyo State Government is just about 14% of the amount Supreme Court directed the Oyo State Government to pay us and we consider this to be a flagrant disobedience of the order of the Supreme Court as the court did not at anytime order that the judgment sum be paid in installments.
A meeting of all structures of the former ALGON will be called very soon to discuss and review next steps.
We appreciate our dedicated lawyers, the fair judiciary, our members who stood firm to defend grassroots democracy with a lot of threat and sacrifice in Oyo State, our party’s leaders, the objective media and all democracy loving people of Oyo State for their support throughout the struggle as the struggle will continue to its final logical conclusion until the total implementation of the Supreme Court judgment. Thank you all.
Signed
*Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye MDII*
*Immediate Past* *ALGON (Forum 68) Chairman*
*Oyo State*
