A civic organization in Ondo State, the Ondo Redemption Front (ORF), has submitted petitions to both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding a probe into alleged diversion and mismanagement of state and local government funds.
In the two separate petitions signed by the group’s secretary, A.O. Ajulo, Esq., ORF accused the Ondo State Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of violating the Constitution and disregarding the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024, which ordered that local government allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to the councils.
The group alleged that, despite the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursing hundreds of millions of naira monthly to each local government, some councils received as little as ₦5 million.
Quoting figures from the August 2025 FAAC report, the petition noted that Akure South got ₦742.6 million, Ilaje ₦681.5 million, Akoko South East ₦607.6 million, Akoko North East ₦564.6 million, and Ifedore ₦515.6 million, among others — insisting there is a “significant discrepancy between official allocations and actual disbursements.”
“The Ondo State Government, through its Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General’s Office, continues to flout the Supreme Court’s directive by intercepting and diverting local government funds,” the petition alleged.
The ORF urged the anti-corruption agencies to audit the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLA), examine inflows and expenditures over the past two years, and verify the funds against tangible projects executed in each local government.
In a related petition to the EFCC, the group also demanded an investigation into how the state government has managed both federal allocations and internally generated revenue (IGR) in the past ten months.
Citing data from BudgIT and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, ORF said Ondo State received over ₦127 billion between January and August 2025 — ₦109.6 billion from January to July, and ₦17.79 billion in August alone.
Despite these huge inflows, the group claimed the government has not provided any public breakdown of expenditure or disclosed IGR performance.
“The people of Ondo State deserve to know how more than ₦127 billion in public funds — excluding IGR — was utilized within less than a year,” the petition stated, calling for a forensic audit of all state and local government financial accounts.
Describing its action as being in the public interest, ORF said transparency and accountability are crucial for good governance and responsible fiscal management.
Government, ALGON React
Responding to the allegations, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, and the Chairman of ALGON, Ondo State Chapter, Hon. Donald Fasua, dismissed the claims as false and politically driven.
Takuro maintained that the government has been transparent in disbursing council funds, adding that local governments have collectively saved ₦15 billion in a joint account dedicated to funding capital projects.
