Can 774 council chairmen account for their funds? EFCC's quiet nationwide probe begins

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun a nationwide investigation into the financial activities of all 774 local government chairmen across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The probe examines how council funds have been managed and spent since local governments gained financial autonomy following a Supreme Court judgment. It is being handled by the EFCC's zonal directorates, with officers conducting the exercise discreetly.

The commission is looking at whether councils have been accountable in managing their allocations, whether chairmen have the capacity to administer public resources, and whether financial autonomy has translated into improved service delivery at the grassroots. It is also assessing chairmen's administrative capacity, managerial competence and integrity in handling public resources.

An official of a state Ministry of Local Government confirmed the investigation, saying all local government chairmen in the state were being investigated.

Separately, a coalition of civil society organisations under the Lygel Youths & Leadership Initiative called on the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to publicly release findings from investigations into alleged diversion of Ogun State local government funds. The group cited a 2023 petition by former Ijebu East Local Government Chairman Wale Adedayo. It said the most glaring internal crisis of the administration remains the strangulation of the third tier of government.

What the EFCC does with the probe will shape how the Supreme Court's judgment is implemented in practice. Financial autonomy was meant to bring governance closer to the grassroots. Without accountability, it risks becoming a new channel for mismanagement. A nationwide examination of every council chairman signals the anti-graft agency is treating the autonomy rollout as a test of whether funds actually reach communities.