The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is secretly investigating the 774 local government chairmen across the country over their management and spending of public funds since the councils gained financial autonomy, according to the PUNCH, ABNTV reports.
The investigation, which is being handled by the commission’s zonal directorates, is aimed at determining whether the councils have been accountable in the management of their allocations.
It was further gathered that the anti-graft agency is particularly interested in assessing how the chairmen have managed the funds allocated to their respective councils, their capacity to administer public resources and the extent to which the autonomy has improved service delivery.
An official of a state Ministry of Local Government had earlier confirmed the development to our correspondent, saying all the local government chairmen in the state were being investigated by the anti-graft agency.
“All the local government chairmen in the state are currently being probed by EFCC over their spending,” the official said.
However, sources within the EFCC confirmed that the investigation was ongoing across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, stressing that the exercise was being conducted discreetly.
One of the sources said the commission wanted to establish whether the councils had demonstrated accountability and managerial competence since the Supreme Court judgment granting them financial autonomy.
The source said, “All the local governments across the country are being investigated. It’s discreetly being done. You know the Supreme Court ruling granted them financial autonomy. We want to know whether they are accountable.
“We want to see their definite impact on the economy as a result of the financial autonomy that has been granted them. We want to see whether they have the necessary managerial skills, and whether their integrity quotient is high.
“We want to see comparatively what was existing before the autonomy and what is existing now and whether there has been development. It is not about the state you mentioned alone; it is across the country. All the EFCC zonal offices are handling the investigation secretly.”
The investigation comes more than two years after the Supreme Court affirmed the financial autonomy of the 774 local government areas in the country and barred state governors from controlling funds meant for the councils.
In May 2024, the Federal Government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, instituted a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the governors’ control of local government allocations.
