Former Ogun local government chairman Wale Adedayo says he was impeached and briefly jailed after publicly challenging how the state handled local council allocations, reigniting debate over local government financial autonomy in Nigeria.
Adedayo said he spent three days in an Abeokuta prison after accusing the Ogun State government of withholding statutory allocations meant for local council accounts. He said authorities denied diverting the funds and accused him of trying to turn residents against the government, adding that the case remains unresolved.
According to Adedayo, an official local government account opened during his tenure never received the allocations. Instead, funds were routed into a separate account that used his name and phone number, though he and other council officials had no access to it.
He said he could see alert notifications showing deposits and withdrawals of around ₦200 million at a time, but could not operate the account or control the funds.
Adedayo claimed other council chairmen have avoided raising similar complaints for fear of being impeached like he was. He argued that fixing the problem requires action from the state House of Assembly and the presidency, noting that removed fuel subsidy funds were meant to boost allocations for citizens. He also suggested governors’ influence over electoral mobilisation could complicate any federal intervention.
The claims surface amid renewed scrutiny of local government finances following calls for full fiscal autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 councils. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Federation Account allocations must be paid directly to constitutionally recognised local governments, barring state governments from withholding or controlling the funds.
Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Ogun State government have maintained that their handling of local government finances complies with the law.
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