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….As Prince Omera Ugbede Opaluwa Marks One-year of Kogi’s Elected Council Chairmen with a Passionate Call for Accountability, Transparency

As the 21 local government chairmen in Kogi State mark their first year in office, Prince Omera Ugbede Opaluwa, popularly known as the Kogi Social Media Governor and now Kogi Funds Monitoring Governor, has raised serious concerns over the management of huge sums allocated to local councils across the state, particularly in Kogi East.

In a detailed statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Opaluwa questioned the whereabouts of billions of naira disbursed to the nine local governments in Kogi East over the past year.

He described the situation as a matter of public interest and a “Save Our State Call,” urging citizens, community associations, and professionals to demand accountability from their elected council leaders.

The activist commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his role in securing the landmark Supreme Court judgment of July 11, which granted financial autonomy to the 774 local councils across Nigeria.

He called the decision “truly historic, perhaps the most remarkable judgment ever delivered by the apex court in recent times.” However, he expressed doubt over whether Kogi State had implemented the autonomy, lamenting that “the 21 local governments in Kogi State appear untouched by this development.”

According to Opaluwa, despite the federal government’s claim that increased revenue allocations to states and local governments were the result of the removal of fuel subsidy, “Kogites have not felt the impact,” adding that “when we talk, we are tagged as opposition.”

He said records available on the civic data platform BudgIT show a clear rise in allocations, particularly in Kogi East, yet the evidence of infrastructural or developmental projects on the ground remains missing.

Citing the allocations to councils such as Dekina, Ankpa, and Ofu, which each received between ₦5 billion and ₦6 billion within the past year, Opaluwa said the figures call for immediate scrutiny.

He challenged the local government chairmen to publicly show what tangible projects were executed with these funds, adding that “no local government in Kogi has up to ₦250 million in wage bills; if they do, let them show us.”

The self-styled “Funds Monitoring Governor” further alleged that massive diversions were taking place through “collusion between Local Government Chairmen, State Auditors, Cashiers, ICT staff, and consultants, using fake vouchers and fraudulent payment codes.”

He lamented that agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have become too weak to summon those responsible for questioning.

Opaluwa also criticised the silence of Kogi’s elected representatives — from senators to members of the House of Assembly — accusing them of either complicity or negligence. “Kogi lawmakers have been mute over this matter, which makes one wonder if they take part in the diversion,” he declared.

He called on key stakeholders, including influential community bodies like the Igala Cultural and Development Association (ICDA) and Ukomu Igala Organisation, as well as respected Kogi indigenes in the judiciary, military, and civil service, to take up the challenge of demanding transparency.

According to him, these bodies have the legitimacy and civic responsibility to compel local leaders to account for public funds.

Opaluwa argued that genuine service delivery, not political defections or decamping ceremonies, should be the true measure of loyalty to President Tinubu.

“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 service delivery and keeping to promises,” he stated.

He warned that the continued diversion of local government funds could undermine Tinubu’s 2027 re-election prospects, as “real voters at the grassroots are not feeling the impact of these funds.”

Instead, he said, political leaders have become more concerned with orchestrating defections than addressing the poverty and infrastructural decay facing ordinary citizens.

Concluding his message, Opaluwa appealed for a collective awakening across Kogi State. “This is a Save Our State Call,” he wrote, urging anti-corruption agencies, civic groups, and residents to unite in demanding transparency, accountability, and development from their local government administrations.

The statement has since gained wide traction across Kogi’s online civic spaces, reigniting debates about financial mismanagement, state oversight, and the long-delayed implementation of full local government autonomy in Nigeria.

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