By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
In a row of two months, the Kwara state government has again lamented that it had recorded a shortfall of N1.6 billion from the federal allocation account in the month of November.
It would be recalled that the state had in October, also recorded a shortfall of over N1.5 billion from the federal allocation account for that month and slid from no 33 to 36 on the allocation table.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the state’s Joint Local Government Account Allocation meeting, the Commissioner for Finance, Engr. Ademola Banu, lamented that “in a row the state lost N1.6billion from the federal allocation account in the month of November.”
Represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Shaaba Umar, Banu who is also the chairman of the state JAAC, said the state government lost N1 billion while the 16 local governments lost N600million to the November allocation.
To this end, he said, the sum of N466, 029, 838.37 was distributed among the 16 local government areas in the state, adding that the state government had augmented the local government’s allocation with N500 million for the month of November.
This, the commissioner explained, would allow the local government areas pay their workers’ salaries and carry out some responsibilities required of them by law.
He, however, called on the federal government to address the dwindling allocations to states, cautioning that if urgent measure is not taken, it might hamper their development.
