Happy One Year Anniversary to all Kogi Local Government Chairmen.
Let me adopt the inverted pyramid style to unveil the important aspects of this call for public scrutiny and questioning.
First, I want to appreciate President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the efforts he made in the Supreme Court judgment on July 11, granting financial autonomy to the 774 local councils. It was truly historic, perhaps the most remarkable judgment ever delivered by the apex court in recent times.
But I am beginning to doubt if the 21 local governments in Kogi State are part of this development.
President Tinubu boldly removed fuel subsidy upon his assumption of office, but we Kogites have not felt the impact and when we talk we are tagged as opposition.
The presidency has claimed that the benefits of this are being pushed to states and local governments, which has clearly shown in the rise in our allocations.
I will use my own zone, Kogi East, with 9 local governments, as empirical evidence of this rise because the details are available on me.budgit.com but there is nothing to show for it in my state.
Below is the amount that has come to Kogi East’s 9 local governments so far during the one year of the current elected chairmen in office.
- OFU LG
August 2025: ₦619,140,515.18
July 2025: ₦563,357,659.24
June 2025: ₦520,157,406.03
May 2025: ₦510,403,796.37
April 2025: ₦486,881,768.19
March 2025: ₦515,569,300.44
February 2025: ₦535,732,799.39
January 2025: ₦448,731,356.41
December 2024: ₦506,600,029.19
November 2024: ₦439,467,813.15
October 2024: ₦413,739,949.68
TOTAL: ₦5,559,782,393.27 (five billion, five hundred fifty-nine million, seven hundred eighty-two thousand, three hundred ninety-three naira, twenty-seven kobo).
- IDAH LG
August 2025: ₦477,035,246.17
July 2025: ₦434,408,044.18
June 2025: ₦401,842,478.77
May 2025: ₦393,716,685.48
April 2025: ₦376,274,092.59
March 2025: ₦397,807,345.43
February 2025: ₦414,181,611.01
January 2025: ₦347,404,334.62
December 2024: ₦390,015,681.92
November 2024: ₦340,363,545.60
October 2024: ₦320,699,511.97
TOTAL: ₦4,293,748,577.74 (billion)
- IGALAMELA LG
August 2025: ₦558,761,620.75
July 2025: ₦508,772,236.51
June 2025: ₦470,583,549.09
May 2025: ₦461,185,261.64
April 2025: ₦440,294,940.12
March 2025: ₦465,905,480.01
February 2025: ₦484,804,165.88
January 2025: ₦406,365,451.99
December 2024: ₦457,264,359.67
November 2024: ₦398,109,159.96
October 2024: ₦374,739,220.67
TOTAL: ₦5,026,785,446.29 (billion)
- IBAJI LG
August 2025: ₦554,106,799.33
July 2025: ₦503,627,869.32
June 2025: ₦463,560,671.94
May 2025: ₦455,734,813.07
April 2025: ₦434,823,999.53
March 2025: ₦460,368,316.86
February 2025: ₦477,583,708.11
January 2025: ₦399,944,261.23
December 2024: ₦452,543,581.22
November 2024: ₦391,476,989.48
October 2024: ₦369,292,738.87
TOTAL: ₦4,963,063,748.96 (billion)
- DEKINA LG
August 2025: ₦714,706,746.14
July 2025: ₦649,655,611.71
June 2025: ₦598,284,845.32
May 2025: ₦588,131,422.95
April 2025: ₦560,420,488.12
March 2025: ₦593,996,201.79
February 2025: ₦615,994,745.13
January 2025: ₦515,455,066.01
December 2024: ₦584,590,786.57
November 2024: ₦504,566,897.76
October 2024: ₦475,212,610.07
TOTAL: ₦6,401,015,421.57 (billion)
- ANKPA LG
August 2025: ₦686,268,554.88
July 2025: ₦625,526,641.58
June 2025: ₦580,339,984.11
May 2025: ₦567,745,498.22
April 2025: ₦541,651,207.85
March 2025: ₦573,488,990.45
February 2025: ₦597,569,028.00
January 2025: ₦500,827,458.64
December 2024: ₦562,902,574.87
November 2024: ₦490,900,986.99
October 2024: ₦460,962,415.33
TOTAL: ₦6,188,183,340.92 (billion)
- BASSA LG
August 2025: ₦540,781,774.87
July 2025: ₦492,808,306.10
June 2025: ₦456,815,293.09
May 2025: ₦447,043,033.29
April 2025: ₦427,005,757.18
March 2025: ₦451,646,920.32
February 2025: ₦470,661,401.28
January 2025: ₦394,729,321.79
December 2024: ₦442,857,861.05
November 2024: ₦386,862,601.97
October 2024: ₦363,883,069.27
TOTAL: ₦4,874,095,339.21 (billion)
- OLAMABORO LG
August 2025: ₦572,215,572.52
July 2025: ₦521,065,540.46
June 2025: ₦482,075,341.05
May 2025: ₦472,382,862.78
April 2025: ₦450,937,216.92
March 2025: ₦477,209,592.43
February 2025: ₦496,610,797.86
January 2025: ₦416,244,727.38
December 2024: ₦468,385,259.60
November 2024: ₦407,804,161.91
October 2024: ₦383,769,107.59
TOTAL: ₦5,148,700,180.50 (billion)
- OMALA LG
August 2025: ₦528,451,099.72
July 2025: ₦480,378,943.15
June 2025: ₦442,308,303.58
May 2025: ₦434,724,096.63
April 2025: ₦414,918,416.91
March 2025: ₦439,165,319.00
February 2025: ₦455,750,213.59
January 2025: ₦381,757,335.90
December 2024: ₦431,526,443.90
November 2024: ₦373,701,118.44
October 2024: ₦352,577,692.37
TOTAL: ₦4,735,258,983.19 (billion)
These current chairmen were sworn-in October 2024, yesterday marks their one year anniversary in office.
I want to cease this opportunity to appeal to all well meaning stakeholders from Kogi state especially Kogi East, to ask these chairmen to provide projects where these funds were spent on.
We have associations like ICDA, Ukomu Igala which are registered with CAC with right to demand accountability.
We have top Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Military, Police and other security officers who have served and still serving that can ask our chairmen for accountability or invoke the assistance of agencies to oversee these things.
There are a lot to say but I am trying as much as possible not to bore you with lengthy stories.
Government and Governance shouldn’t be all about scanty decamping ceremonies to give Mr. President fake promises that Kogites are behind him, it is about services delivery and keeping to promises. I don’t think Tinubu should be struggling for decampees if these funds gets to our local governments and judiciously used at the local level.
Kogi lawmakers from Senators, House of Representatives, House of Assembly Members have been mute over this matter which we don’t know if they take part in the diversion.
No local government in Kogi has up to N250m wage bills, if they do let them show us, and if they have used even 10% of this money on any project, let them show us with evidence.
We know how these diversions are being carried out with Local Government Chairmen, Local Government/State Auditors, Cashiers, ICT staff of local governments, Consultants, raising of fake vouchers, generating Codes for projects payments and all but i have not gotten there.
Agencies like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ICPC Nigeria have become so weak that to carry out primary duties by inviting these people for questioning is too difficult.
Tinubu’s re-election would have been seamless if the real voters at the local are feeling the impact of these funds but NO! leaders are concerned about leaders defecting rather than wooing voters to defect.
This is a Save Our State Call!
– Prince Omera Ugbede Opaluwa
Kogi Social Media Governor, now Kogi Funds Monitoring Governor.
