A group, Oyo State Grassroots Financial Accountability Initiative, has challenged Governor Seyi Makinde to apply the same standard of accountability he demands from the Federal Government to the finances of the 33 local governments in the state.
In a statement issued by its Convener and former Minister of the Federal Republic, Elder (Dr) Wole Oyelese, the group said while Makinde’s demand for funds allegedly owed to Oyo State by the Federal Government is legitimate, accountability cannot be selective.
The group said the governor has been persistent in demanding that the Federal Government account for billions of naira allegedly owed to Oyo State in NNPC dividends, but must also face reality on the ground regarding local government funds.
“Governor Makinde, your demand for financial accountability from the Federal Government is legitimate, but accountability cannot be selective. If you insist that Abuja must release money due to Oyo State, the people of Oyo State are equally entitled to ask what has happened to the funds due to their 33 local governments in the past eight years,” Oyelese stated.
According to the initiative, the adverse effect of non-direct remittance of local government funding is felt at the grassroots, leading to poor maintenance of rural roads, inadequate primary healthcare facilities, neglected public markets and refuse collection, deteriorating public primary schools, and reduced capacity to respond to local emergencies.
The group demanded a transparent accounting of funds due to each of the 33 local governments, asking six key questions:
1. How much each local government received from the Federation Account monthly in the last seven years.
2. How much was transferred into each local government’s own account and what happens afterwards.
3. What deductions, charges or transfers were made after the funds reached the local governments.
4. Who authorised those deductions and under what legal authority.
5. How much each local government spent on their own and on what projects.
6. What mechanisms exist for elected officials and residents to scrutinise the accounts.
Oyelese said the questions should be answered with actual figures, bank records, allocation statements and audited accounts, not political speeches.
He noted that if funds were unlawfully withheld, appropriate institutions should establish responsibility and ensure restoration.
The former minister referenced the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment on local government autonomy, which reinforced the constitutional position that local governments should receive allocations directly and that states cannot undermine their financial independence through unconstitutional arrangements.
“The people of Oyo State have a right to know what has happened to the statutory allocations due to their 33 local governments. These funds are not the personal property of the governor, nor are they the private resources of any political party,” the statement said.
The group called on Governor Makinde to publish monthly allocations due to each local government, amounts actually received, all deductions and transfers, and the legal authority for each arrangement.
“Our position is not that the governor should abandon his demand against Abuja. It is that he should apply to his own administration the same standard of accountability he demands from others. We support every legitimate demand for money owed to Oyo State, but we demand the same transparency for money owed to Oyo’s local governments,” Oyelese added.
