Oyelese accuses Makinde of hypocrisy, demands publication of Oyo LG allocations

Elder Wole Oyelese, convener of the Oyo State Grassroots Financial Accountability Initiative, a civic group, has challenged Governor Seyi Makinde to account for statutory allocations due to the state’s 33 local government areas over the past seven years.

Oyelese, a former Minister of Power and Steel and former co-chairman of the Oyo State Elders’ Council, said the governor should apply the same accountability standards he demands from the Federal Government to his administration.

In a statement issued on Thursday, he said while Makinde was justified in demanding payment of funds allegedly owed to Oyo State by the Federal Government, including NNPC dividends, residents also deserved transparency regarding local government finances.

He said inadequate funding of local governments had affected essential services, including rural road maintenance, primary healthcare, public markets, environmental sanitation, primary education and emergency response.

Oyelese called on the governor to publish the monthly allocations due to each local government, the amounts received, all deductions and transfers, and the legal basis for the financial arrangements.

He also demanded details of local government expenditure, including projects executed, officials who authorised deductions and mechanisms available to elected council officials and residents to scrutinise the accounts.

“These questions should be answered with actual figures, bank records, allocation statements and audited accounts—not political speeches,” he said.

Citing the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment on local government financial autonomy, Oyelese said local governments were constitutionally entitled to financial independence and direct receipt of their allocations.