The administration of Ogun State announced yesterday that it had received N3.6 billion in federal funding for the state’s 20 local councils for October 2021.

The funding would include shares of statutory allocation, Value Added Tax (VAT), and exchange gain.

Afolabi Afuape, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, announced this during the statutory Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting at the Conference Hall, Oba’s Complex, Abeokuta.

He assured that the state government would not give up on its efforts to ensure that local councils in the state were managed properly and efficiently.

According to him, municipalities were able to arrange payment of March and April 2020 loans and cooperative deductions and still pay statutory first line charges such as primary school teachers’ salaries, local council employees’ salaries, pensions, traditional council and other costs.

At both the state and local council levels, Afuape said that the current government would not rest in its efforts to prioritise the welfare of its personnel and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to pay up any outstanding deductions as soon as allocations and internally generated income (IGR) increase.

Mr Michael Idowu, the Accountant-General and Permanent Secretary, State Treasury, said earlier in his presentation that N4.3 billion was required to offset the first line charges for the month, leaving the councils with a gross deficit of N697,6 million.