EFCC, ICPC Urged To Release Report On Ogun Council Funds

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have been called upon to release to the public their investigative reports of local government funds and procurement  under the current administration in Ogun State.

The request was made in Abuja yesterday by a group, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiative (LYLI), led by its executive director, Lekan Oladapo.

The group expressed concern about the management of local government funds in Ogun State and alleged lack of openness in the award of contracts.

According to the group, “The most glaring internal crisis of this administration remains the  strangulation of the third tier of government.

“Without a robust and functioning local government administration, there is hardly any programme of the Federal Government that can work in any part of the country, Ogun State inclusive.

“We recall the 2023 petition by the former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Hon. Wale Adedayo, who courageously affirmed that the Ogun State Government had consistently withheld federal allocations and Ecological Funds meant for the 20 local governments in the state.

“Despite the administration’s denials, the reality on ground has indeed shown that the Local Governments have operated under a ‘zero allocation’ reality, where they are unable to perform basic functions like rural road grading or maintaining primary health centers without begging the state executive for ‘intervention funds.’

“This is a direct affront to the Supreme Court’s ruling on financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local governments. It is also a direct assault on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to reposition the grassroots for quality developments,” the group said.

It also questioned what it described as the “closed-door” nature of public procurement in Ogun State.

The group cited a case in April 2026 when civil society groups like the, Right Thinkers Global Initiative (Eagleping), were forced to invoke the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act just to get details on the N1.39 billion New Ogun State House of Assembly Complex project.

It challenged the state government to show the people one major, newly constructed and fully functional state hospital built from the ground up in the last seven years.

According to the group, “Out of over 530 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs), the administration admitted in late 2023 to only renovating about 42—less than 10percent.

“Of course, this is a direct result of the Local Governments not getting statutory funds as it is the responsibility of each local government to manage PHCs.

“The General Hospitals, which are primarily the responsibility of the State Government, are suffering from a ‘paralysis’ of service—chronic understaffing and a lack of modern diagnostic tools. Painting old walls is not the same as building a modern healthcare system,” it said.

The group, while alleging discrepancies in the documents Governor Abiodun submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), called for a full, independent verification of these records to ensure the integrity of the mandate he holds.

It added: “Documents in the public domain suggest that the declarations submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2019 and 2023 elections may contain false claims or omissions regarding his past.”

The group queried the administration’s contribution to the development of the state’s economy, regretting that Ogun State has failed to take advantage of its closeness to Lagos to attract investment.

It said: “Ogun State’s proximity to Lagos is its greatest asset, yet it has been treated as a burden.

“For years, the Agbara-Atan-Lusada industrial corridor—which houses some of Africa’s largest factories—remained a nightmare of mud and craters.

“While recent ‘Federal’ projects like the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway have started to touch these areas in late 2025/2026, the state’s own contribution has been reactive rather than strategic.

“Because of the lack of a coherent ‘Border Town Development Plan,’ potential billion-naira investments are staying in Lagos or moving to other states, while Ogun residents in Akute, Denro, and Ishasi remain cut off from basic infrastructure,” the group said.