Ogun to pay ex-councillors

FILE: Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun

The Ogun State Government has assured former councillors who served across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state between 2021 and 2024 of payment of their outstanding severance entitlements.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday.

According to Hamzat, Governor Dapo Abiodun had directed that the money be paid, adding that the process was on course.

He said, “We are working on it and as soon as we are done, they will get their severance. The governor has actually directed that we should go and work the cost implication which we have done. Some of them are owing anyway, they have taken loans from banks.

“We need to sort this out so that we pay the bank before they ask the council or the state government to pay back. That is where we are, but I can assure you they will get their money.”

The ex-councillors had on Thursday, during a press conference in Ijebu-Ode, appealed to Abiodun to approve the payment of their outstanding severance and benefits and those of other former local government political officials.

The former council officials, under the aegis of the Ogun State Councillors Forum, 2021–2024, said the payment would provide much-needed relief to former political office holders facing financial difficulties after leaving office.

A former Leader of the Legislative Council of Ijebu North Local Government, Abass Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of others, said some of them were struggling to meet basic family and medical obligations.

He disclosed that the forum had lost about 25 of its members, while at least two former secretaries to local governments were currently battling serious medical challenges, based on information available to the forum.