The simmering face-off between the Chairman of Burutu Local Government Council, Dr Julius Takeme and members of the legislative arm has escalated, with the recent release of ₦2.5 million to each councillor for constituency projects further exposing the widening crack within the council.
Investigations by The Trumpet revealed that the amount released falls significantly short of the allocation contained in the council’s 2025 budget for constituency projects. The funds, approved on July 16, 2026, were also released months after the 2025 fiscal year had ended and after the council had already passed its 2026 budget, which contains a fresh provision for constituency projects. Councillors are said to have questioned why funds appropriated for 2025 projects were only released after another budget had taken effect.
Sources within the council confirmed the bickering between the council boss and councillors, adding that the legislators are claiming that the payment falls below Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s directive that each councillor should receive a minimum of ₦10 million for constituency projects.
A senior council official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, disclosed that the constituency project funds were only released after the intervention of the member representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Julius Pondi.
According to the source, the dispute over the constituency project funds is only one of several issues that have pitched the council chairman against the councillors over the past two years.
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The official alleged that the chairman had largely concentrated development projects in Ward 10 and Burutu, the council headquarters, while many other wards had received no projects.
He also alleged that major capital projects were executed without obtaining legislative approval, despite the council’s annual budgets having been passed by the House.
“The legislature approved the budgets, but specific projects, contract values and implementation details were never brought before the House for approval before public funds were committed,” the source alleged.
Among the projects cited is the ongoing construction of the council secretariat complex, which the source claimed is being executed by a contractor whose identity has not been disclosed to the legislative arm.
The source further alleged that about 87 per cent of the funds earmarked for two major projects had already been released without adequate legislative oversight.
He pointed other issues that are causing trouble were that the chairman allegedly awarded contracts through proxies and failed to comply with the due procurement process required under public financial regulations.
Beyond project execution, the official claimed that councillors had repeatedly complained over the non-release of their statutory running costs, forcing many of them to finance legislative activities from personal resources.
Financial records available to the council show that Burutu Local Government operated an approved budget of ₦8.7 billion in 2025 and over ₦15 billion in 2026. However, the source alleged that several capital projects were undertaken without the level of legislative scrutiny required under local government financial procedures.
The official further disclosed that attempts by the Delta State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Fidelis Tilije, and the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Kanemala Penawou, to broker peace between the chairman and councillors had failed.
According to the source, the prolonged standoff has adversely affected the administration of the council and raised concerns over accountability, transparency and adherence to due process in the management of public funds.
Efforts by The Trumpet to obtain the reaction of the Chairman of Burutu Local Government Council were unsuccessful. Several telephone calls placed to his mobile phone were not answered, while text messages sent seeking his response to the allegations were neither acknowledged nor replied to as of the time this report was filed. His response will be published when received.
