The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has committed to launching a comprehensive investigation into serious allegations of misappropriation of local government allocations in Kogi State. This decisive action comes after members of the Igala Youth Council (IYC) and other civil society organizations staged a peaceful protest at the anti-graft agency's headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Protesters Demand Accountability
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the demonstrators presented a petition alleging systematic diversion of funds intended for grassroots development, workers' welfare, and community projects across all 21 local government areas in Kogi State. The protesters specifically highlighted three councils – Dekina, Yagba East, and Adavi – as clear case studies of the alleged financial misconduct.
Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, Onogu Collins, President of the Igala Youth Council, stated that the alleged diversion has severely crippled local administration and deprived communities of essential basic services. "We are not making allegations but calling for transparency to strengthen grassroots governance," Collins emphasized during the protest.
Constitutional Violations Cited
The youth leader revealed that their analysis of publicly available records showed significant discrepancies between allocations received and actual salary expenditures across the local government councils. Collins demanded an independent audit of all local government allocations from 2024 to date and prosecution of anyone found culpable in the alleged financial mismanagement.
Collins further highlighted the constitutional implications, stating: "Despite the constitutional provision guaranteeing full autonomy of local government finances by the Federal government, the state government continues to interfere with and control funds meant for local governments. We state unequivocally that this is a direct violation of the constitution and gross misconduct."
Background of Local Government Autonomy
The protest and subsequent EFCC investigation come against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on July 11, 2024, which declared that local governments must receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account. The court described the long-standing practice of routing funds through state governments as unconstitutional.
Following this ruling, the Federal Government constituted an inter-agency panel to oversee implementation and directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to open individual accounts for each of the 774 local government councils nationwide to facilitate direct disbursements. However, this process remains largely unimplemented, creating the current controversy.
Receiving the petition on behalf of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, the Commission's Head of Media and Publicity, assured protesters that "diligent investigation will be carried out and the petition will be looked into" following the agency's standard procedures for handling such matters.
