By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Kogi State Government and the state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have dismissed allegations of diverting Local Government (LG) funds, insisting the claims are politically engineered to smear the administration of Governor Usman Ododo.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, described the allegations, circulated by groups posing as civil society organisations, as “fabricated falsehoods sponsored by individuals desperate to mislead the public.”
Fanwo said the petitioners had offered “not a shred of evidence,” insisting the state has never tampered with LG finances.
He said all 21 LGs receive their full statutory allocations and independently manage payrolls, contracts and development projects.
According to him, those behind the allegations are pushing an ethnic agenda and lack basic knowledge of local government administration.
He added that Kogi’s reforms ended an era in which councils paid as low as 10 per cent of salaries despite receiving full allocations.
Fanwo noted that Kogi remains one of the few states where every LGA publishes its financial statements on a public portal accessible to the media, civil society and opposition groups.
“Transparency is routine here. Media noise is not evidence. Political drama is not proof,” he said.
Aligning with the state government’s position, Kogi ALGON Chairman, Hon. Tosin Olokun, also dismissed the allegations as ignorant and mischievous.
He maintained that the state does not interfere with LG allocations or internally generated revenue, stressing that councils have maintained 100 per cent payment of salaries and pensions while clearing long-abandoned gratuities.
Olokun highlighted extensive projects across LGAs, including the construction and remodelling of Primary Healthcare Centres and staff quarters, the installation of solar-powered water systems, and the rehabilitation of old water facilities.
He said rural roads have been graded, while tractors and inputs have been procured to support mechanised agriculture.
He also cited youth empowerment programmes such as CNG conversion training for 110 youths in each LGA, with tools being procured to support their transition into job creators. Several LGs, he added, have also built sports centres to reduce youth involvement in crime.
Regarding security, he said thousands of hunters have been recruited and equipped with motorcycles, and that some councils have built operational bases for vigilante units.
Both Fanwo and Olokun commended President Bola Tinubu for reforms that have increased resources available to LGs, enabling them to sustain salaries, deliver projects and expand development efforts.
Fanwo urged residents to disregard what he called the antics of “cash-and-carry civil groups.”
He insisted that no amount of “sponsored falsehoods” would derail the government’s commitment to grassroots development.
“The people of Kogi have chosen development over deception,” he said.
“Your government is working, your Local Governments are functioning independently, and your resources are being deployed for progress, not for politicians or their hired agents,” he added.
