A review by SaharaReporters of the recently released 2024 Auditor-General’s report for local governments in Ondo State has revealed that a government official diverted public funds intended for local council use for personal gain.
According to the report, a loss of revenue amounting to N3,269,000.00 was discovered. The loss, it was stated, involves Ajayi Catherine, the Rate Officer II at the Rate Unit, Treasury Department of the Akure South Local Government in Ondo State.
“The amount involved represents revenue collected on behalf of the Local Government but was not paid to the council bank account contrary to financial memorandum 39:3,” the statement in the audit report read.
The statement further read that “the revenue appears to have been converted to personal use by the said Mrs. Ajayi Catherine.”
The audit report also recommended that the officer, Mrs. Catherine, be transferred immediately to another “schedule that does not anyway involve handling of cash and other sensitive issues.”
“The management should please set up a strong powered administrative panel of enquiry to look into the loss, and to recover the remaining revenue booklets in her possession so as to serve as deterrence to some of her colleagues that may want to be involved in such a crafty act,” the report said.
“The management should ensure punitive measure is meted against Mrs. Ajayi Catherine who decided to play a fraudulent game in the Local Government,” the audit report, seen by SaharaReporters, read.
The audit report also raised suspicion of foul play in terms of revenue collection, noting that 68 revenue consultants could not be identified, leading to suspicion of faceless consultants and loss of government revenue.
It was noted that the “report contains the list of sixty-eight (68) revenue consultants in Akure South Local Government that refused to turn up for checking.”
The auditor noted that he observed this same trend in his previous report.
“Up till now, the Local Government has not taken any step to recover the receipts and money collected on behalf of Akure South Local Government in possession of these faceless revenue consultants.”
“One of the major reasons, if not the only reason advanced for engaging the services of Revenue consultants was to improve on the IGR, unfortunately the reverse seems to be the situation as the revenue generated in the Local Government actually nosedived at their engagement,” the statement in the audit report read.
Commenting on the development, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Lucky, Ebenezer Adeniyan, told SaharaReporters that the development will be investigated.
“This will be investigated and appropriate actions taken by the government,” he told SaharaReporters.