A civic group, Lygel Youths and  Leadership Initiative, has accused the Ogun State Government of undermining local government administration, operating opaque procurement processes and failing to deliver critical healthcare and infrastructure projects, while calling on anti-graft agencies to make public the outcome of investigations into alleged diversion of council funds.

The group, in a press briefing on Monday,  titled “The Gateway State: A Call for Accountability and Governance Reform,” said Ogun State was at a “critical junction” with less than one year left in the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The Executive Director of the civil society organisation, Lekan Oladapo, alleged that the administration had weakened the third tier of government by withholding federal allocations and ecological funds meant for the state’s 20 local government councils.

According to the group, the development had crippled grassroots governance and frustrated implementation of federal programmes across the state.

The group claimed that many councils in the state had been operating under a “zero allocation reality,” making them unable to carry out basic responsibilities such as grading rural roads and maintaining primary healthcare centres without seeking intervention funds from the state government.

The group described the situation as a violation of the Supreme Court judgment affirming financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local governments and a setback to the grassroots development agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On procurement practices, the organisation accused the state government of running a “closed-door” system lacking transparency and accountability.

It cited the N1.39 billion Ogun State House of Assembly Complex project, alleging that civil society organisations had to invoke the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details of the contract, including its scope, contractor and funding structure.

“The lack of an open and functional procurement portal remains a significant red flag for accountability,” the group said.

The organisation also criticised what it described as Ogun State’s failure to maximise its economic advantage as a border state to Lagos, lamenting the poor state of infrastructure in industrial corridors such as Agbara-Atan-Lusada.

It argued that inadequate planning and infrastructure had discouraged investments and left communities such as Akute, Denro and Ishasi without basic amenities.

In the health sector, the group challenged the government to identify any major state hospital newly built and fully operational within the last seven years.

It noted that only about 42 out of more than 530 primary healthcare centres in the state were reportedly renovated as of late 2023, adding that general hospitals across the state were suffering from chronic understaffing and inadequate diagnostic equipment.

They  further raised concerns over allegations surrounding Governor Abiodun’s reported 1986 arrest record in the United States and claims of discrepancies in documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2019 and 2023 elections.

The group called for what it described as an independent verification of the records “to ensure the integrity of the mandate he holds.”

It urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to publicly disclose the outcome of investigations into alleged diversion of local government allocations and procurement irregularities in the state.

“The ‘Building Our Future’ mantra cannot be built on a foundation of opacity and neglected grassroots,” the group added.