September 10, (THEWILL) — Since February 2025, local governments in Osun state have been thrown into crisis. The disturbing thing about the crisis is the fact that it was a needless one. Politicians who believed that they had the mechanisms of federal institutions attempted to impose themselves on the people and unlawfully hijacked public funds.
It was an awkward situation reminiscent of the horrible era of military dictatorship. What has happened in the past seven months is a big blight on our institutions and raises serious concerns about the direction of democracy in Nigeria. But in all the unfolding situations, one institution stood tall in the defence of our democracy, and it is no other but the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
NULGE is a body of local government workers, but it has shown to be a shield against illegality. This is what I believe is unsettling the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is doing everything to misinterpret the noble effort of the NULGE to ensure that our democracy is not sacrificed on the altar of politics and the uncontrolled greed of the few.
Contrary to the notion being advanced by elements in the Osun APC, the NULGE is not in any way frustrating the release of LG funds for the state withheld by the Federal Government. In fact, the NULGE is at the forefront of the advocacy for the release of the fund, but its position, which is quite obvious, that the APC doesn’t like, is that the right thing should be done.
NULGE is trying to avoid a precedent that will not only cause the diversion of public funds but also destroy the very foundation of our democracy. It is normal anywhere that civil servants are the accounting officers of the public treasury, and so, they are the signatories to every account maintained by public institutions. This is why President Bola Tinubu, despite being the top political officer in the country, is not a signatory to any of the accounts maintained by the federal government.
At the state level, no governor is a signatory to accounts maintained by the state government. So, what is the basis of the instruction from the Accountant-General of the Federation for the inclusion of Chairmen, which is a political office holders, as signatories of local government accounts, particularly in Osun state?
By the law, the AGF has no power whatsoever to determine the signatories of accounts for local governments. By the provisions of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the State Assembly is vested with the authority to establish the structure, composition, finance and functions of local governments within their jurisdictions.
In line with this constitutional mandate, the Osun State House of Assembly formulated the ‘GUIDELINES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, LOCAL COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT AREAS AND AREA COUNCILS IN OSUN STATE, 2025′, which provides for the structure, composition, finance and functions of local governments in the state. In Section 14 of the guidelines, the signatories to the accounts of local governments are explicitly stated as “(a) The Director of Finance and (b) The Director of Administration and General Services.”
It is these clear provisions of the law that the Osun APC and their collaborators in Abuja are trying to swap with an unknown and illegal process. This is what NULGE is against because accepting such an illegal act will not only put public funds in jeopardy but also set a dangerous precedent that will put workers’ rights and authority in a difficult situation.
And looking at the scenario, the NULGE acted rightly. It is inconceivable for any objective mind to accept that while civil servants are signatories to the public purse at the federal and state level, politicians will be saddled with such responsibilities at the local governments, just for some greedy politicians to hijack public funds. The concept of making civil servants accounting officers of public funds is universal and not limited to Nigeria, and so, it will be mischievous not to see anything wrong with the attempt in Osun State.
NULGE is not asking for too much. It simply wants the laws and widely established practices to be maintained and safeguard public funds. Should public funds end up in private hands, especially given the fact that those attempting to hijack local governments’ funds are already sacked by the courts, who will be held responsible? This is what NULGE is trying to guide against, and they deserve the commendation of every reasonable Osun citizen.
Going by the desperation that the Osun APC has shown so far, it won’t be hard to guess what will happen to public funds in the hands of its court-sacked officials. If the Osun APC genuinely meant well, it should have no problem upholding the law regarding signatories to accounts, which has been in practice for ages. NULGE has shown that its commitment is to the law and constitutionality, and that makes it the hero of our democracy, which right-thinking Osun people should applaud.
*** Written By Sarafa Ibrahim
