Balqees Adeniji
- No fewer than 18 Local Government Chairmen in Ondo State collectively received over N16.3 billion in federal allocations within just two months—January and February 2025—PLATFORM TIMES investigation has revealed.
According to the official breakdown of the disbursements, the sum of N16,340,531,757.75 was shared among the chairmen, with Akure South leading the chart after receiving a total of N1,173,032,113.60 during the two-month period.
The investigation, however, noted a missing data entry for Ose Local Government for February. Only its January allocation was publicly available, which stood at N162,886,273.95.
Following Akure South, Ilaje and Ondo West local governments ranked second and third with allocations of N1,081,625,730.11 and N1,078,878,456.20 respectively.
Other local governments and their total allocations for the two months are as follows: Owo – N986,718,443.36, Odigbo – N984,425,428.22, Okitipupa – N951,160,418.90, Akoko North-West – N960,810,522.67 and Akoko North-East – N889,278,057.26.
Others include ; Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo – N852,153,299.72, Akoko South-East – N850,252,177.78, Irele – N849,113,922.09, Ese-Odo – N842,074,853.64, Akoko South-West – N840,308,761.98, Ifedore – N835,152,982.53, Idanre – N816,968,579.79, Akure North – N781,294,614.04 and Ondo East – N680,429,064.50
While the total allocation for Ose remains incomplete, the available figure for January alone adds to the significant sum distributed among the councils.
The revelation has sparked concerns among residents and civil society observers who are now calling for greater transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the funds by the respective council chairmen.
Efforts to obtain a detailed report on how the funds have been deployed across the 18 LGAs were ongoing as of press time.
Analysts say the breakdown of the allocations shows the need for regular public scrutiny of local government finances, especially in a period where grassroots development is increasingly demanded.
Calls for the Ondo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to publish monthly spending reports have also intensified in the wake of the publication.
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