NULGE warns CBN against paying Osun LG allocation to impostors

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Osun State Chapter, has issued a strong warning to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against paying statutory local government allocations into accounts operated by individuals it described as impostors.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Wednesday, the State President of NULGE, Comrade (Dr.) Kehinde Ogungbangbe, alleged that there is a plot by the CBN to channel Osun State’s local government funds into personal accounts of individuals who are not legitimate staff of the local government system.

Ogungbangbe described such a move as a direct violation of the financial laws and procedures guiding local government operations in Nigeria, stressing that it would amount to undermining the legal and administrative structure of grassroots governance.

He revealed that NULGE is in possession of a letter dated June 10, 2025, from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, titled: Payment of Statutory Allocation to Osun State Local Government and Opening of Account. The letter, signed by Okolie Rita O., Director of the Federation Account Department, directed the opening of local government accounts with two signatories selected from the Chairman, Treasurer, Director of Finance and Administration, or Director of Personnel Management.

Ogungbangbe, however, insisted that by law, the legitimate signatories to local government accounts are career officers—namely, the Directors of Finance and Supplies, and the Directors of Administration and General Services—while the Head of Local Government Administration and the Council Chairman serve only as countersignatories.

“We hereby remind the authorities that the authorized signatories, as stipulated by law, are not political appointees but core civil servants. Any attempt to alter this process is illegal and unacceptable,” he said.

The union urged the Central Bank to adhere strictly to the statutory financial protocols to avoid triggering a wider crisis and encouraging financial malpractice within the system.

Ogungbangbe also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the situation and ensure that the rule of law is upheld. He concluded by stating that local government staff in the state will remain at home in protest until the issue is resolved.