The suspended Chairman of Ibaji Local Government Area (LGA) in Kogi State is being portrayed as a perpetrator of corruption, accused of mismanaging over ₦600 million. Yet, beneath the official narrative lies a more complex story—one that exposes the entrenched dysfunction within the system itself.
While the chairman is unable to fully account for the funds, insiders insist the truth is more nuanced: he reportedly signed for the money and returned it to the same system that now holds the evidence against him. Should the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest him today, he may have no documentary proof of innocence—because the “system” retains the very records that implicate him.
This situation, however, is far from unique. Every LGA chairman in Kogi State is entangled in the same routine, even as they publicly deny it. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling granting local government autonomy, a politically motivated federal directive continues to shape how funds are handled. LGA chairmen sign off on allocations meant for community development, return the bulk of the money, and keep only a token. They remain silent—because silence is part of the bargain that secured their positions.
The Ibaji chairman’s real “offense,” sources say, was challenging the perceived injustice in the composition of the oil development area board and insisting that his people’s interests be prioritized. His stance reportedly placed him at odds with the very forces that benefit from the status quo.
To those who perpetuate this cycle of underdevelopment for personal or political gain, a warning looms: accountability has a way of arriving unexpectedly. No one escapes history’s judgment.
Kogi State’s communities—Ibaji included—deserve leaders who serve the people, not the machinery of corruption. For progress to take root, the cycle must be broken.
The truth is not hidden. And the people are watching.
Credit: Umar Isah (Radical) | Facebook
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