Two anti-corruption organizations have praised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for accepting their petition to investigate alleged mismanagement of funds in five Kogi State local government areas.
The groups called for a thorough probe into the 2024/2025 financial activities of Adavi, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, and Yagba East Local Government areas.
African Transparency Initiative (ATI) and Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) expressed their appreciation following the adoption of the petition at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Comrade Sola Babalola, Co-leader of ATI, stated, “We are pleased that within a month, the Commission has formally accepted our petition. This demonstrates their proactive approach to tackling corruption. Adopting the petition is just the beginning; we expect EFCC to commence a full investigation promptly.”
Babalola added that the organizations will remain in close contact with the EFCC to monitor progress and ensure the petition is properly acted upon.
The petition, originally submitted on November 18, alleges that Kogi State, despite receiving billions of naira in federal allocations, including Derivation Funds and the Local Government Share of the Federation Account, has failed to deliver basic services to residents.
Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, leading the groups, said research revealed that only 15–26 percent of the total allocations for the five LGAs were used for salaries and statutory overheads, leaving 74–84 percent—equivalent to N11–N21 billion—unaccounted for.
Otitolaye further reported that 87 percent of 1,200 surveyed residents rated service delivery as very poor, while 20 percent described the councils as non-existent.
Field inspections indicated that primary health centres are largely non-functional, roads remain untarred, and only 3 percent of planned water projects are operational.
The anti-graft groups urged EFCC to act swiftly on the petition to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of local government funds.