Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has said he experienced resistance over his refusal to operate security votes policy.
Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, obtained in Osogbo on Friday, subsequently reaffirmed his administrationâs commitment to sustaining security services through the budgetary process only.
âUnder my watch, we donât operate security votes in the sense Nigerians understand it. I face resistance over the policy but I stick to it even at great cost,â the governor said.
The Governor said Osun has no slush fund otherwise known as âsecurity votes,â noting that the Stateâs expenditure on security services are undertaken within the confines of the public finance law and regulations.
According to him, such security expenditures include operational support for security agencies operating in the state, funding of operations to quell communal crises, support for communal peace activities and funding of the state security outfit, Amotekun among others.
Such expenditures, Adeleke further posited, are processed within the context of statutory approval process which involves raising of memos and compliance with government payment process.
âI 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.
âMy motivation for insisting on the policy was the situation I met on the ground in November 2022. I believe Osun needs every kobo to meet her numerous developmental challenges. Our earnings from FAAC allocations and internally generated revenues are channeled to key sectoral projects from infrastructure to agriculture to health among others.
âWe also target payment of workersâ emolument, pensions and outstanding salary debt. We maintain a delicate balance on expenditure across human and infra sectors and within less than three years, we have good records widely verified by local and national stakeholders,â Adeleke said.
He added that his administration demonstrated foresight early enough when it created a special project account where unexpected inflow from FAAC are saved, pointing out that the initiative is a shock absorber and a smart way to ensure completion of ongoing infra projects in the state.
Expressing hope for early resolution of the issues surrounding Osun local government fund seize, the governor reassured the people and other stakeholders that his administration remains focussed and committed to completing its human and capital projects on schedule.
