Devolution Must Begin at Home, PVM Challenges Makinde on Oyo LG Autonomy
By Akin Alade
The Progressives Vision Movement (PVM) has challenged Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to demonstrate his commitment to devolution of power by publishing comprehensive records of allocations received by the state’s 33 local governments and detailing how the funds have been spent on grassroots development during his administration.
President of the movement, Prince Gbadegeshin Ademola, said Makinde’s recent promise to devolve greater powers and resources if elected president in 2027 should first be measured against his stewardship and relationship with local governments in Oyo State.
Makinde, who is contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement, has argued for restructuring Nigeria’s federal system so that more decisions and resources are brought closer to the people.
He has also specifically called for responsibilities in areas such as mining to be devolved to states, with the Federal Government retaining oversight.
But PVM said the governor’s position raises an important question: How much power has his own administration allowed to flow from the Oyo State Government to the local governments closest to the people?
“Charity begins at home,” Ademola said.
“If Governor Makinde believes that excessive concentration of power at the federal level is bad for Nigeria, then Oyo people deserve to know whether excessive concentration of power at the state level is equally unacceptable to him.”
According to the PVM president, the governor should make public comprehensive records showing the statutory allocations accruing to each of Oyo State’s 33 local governments, other revenues available to the councils, expenditures and verifiable projects executed with those resources.
Ademola said such disclosure would allow residents to independently compare the resources available to individual councils with infrastructure and public services delivered at the grassroots.
“Let the governor publish the figures. Let every local government tell the people what it received and what it spent,” he said.
“If a council received a particular amount, Oyo people should be able to identify the roads, primary healthcare centres, markets, schools, drainage systems, water projects and other grassroots interventions corresponding with those resources.”
PVM argued that the issue has become particularly relevant because Makinde is now presenting devolution and restructuring as important components of his national political agenda.
The movement therefore challenged the governor to present what it described as an auditable local-government stewardship record covering his years in office.
Ademola also questioned the extent of political and administrative independence enjoyed by council chairmen under the Makinde administration.
He alleged that the political process through which some council leaders emerged had encouraged dependence on the state political establishment rather than genuine grassroots independence.
The PVM leader described the situation as “elimination by substitution,” arguing that political selection and replacement processes could weaken the independence expected of local government leadership.
That characterisation represents PVM’s political assessment rather than an established judicial finding.
Ademola consequently challenged the 33 council chairmen to individually publish their stewardship accounts, including revenues, expenditures, completed projects, ongoing projects and outstanding financial commitments.
The debate over Oyo’s local governments has a wider constitutional background.
In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of greater financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local governments, ordering that allocations standing to their credit be paid directly to them and rejecting the retention or expenditure of those funds by state governments.
Makinde subsequently said the judgment created what he described as a constitutional “lacuna” and indicated that conflicting interpretations could be returned to the courts for clarification.
On another occasion, the governor described the controversy surrounding local government autonomy as a “distraction,” arguing that Nigeria’s more fundamental challenge was inadequate productivity and questioning whether councils could survive without federal allocations.
For PVM, those earlier positions deserve renewed examination now that Makinde is campaigning for greater devolution at the national level.
“If Abuja must release more power to the states, should Ibadan not also allow the local governments to exercise the powers and responsibilities constitutionally assigned to them?” Ademola asked.
“This is not about political slogans. It is about demonstrating through your own record that you believe in the principle you are asking Nigerians to embrace.”
The PVM president said greater transparency would also enable citizens to determine whether local government allocations have produced development proportionate to the resources available.
He maintained that publication should cover each council separately rather than providing only aggregated state-level figures.
According to him, residents of Ibadan North, Ogbomoso North, Iseyin, Oorelope, Ibarapa, Oyo and other councils should be able to establish what their respective local governments received and identify projects financed from those resources.
The demand comes amid a continuing nationwide debate over whether local government autonomy has translated into meaningful financial and administrative independence.
Two years after the Supreme Court judgment, questions remain nationally about implementation. An analysis of Federation Account Allocation Committee figures reported in July 2026 found that approximately ₦10.48 trillion had been allocated to Nigeria’s local governments between the July 2024 and June 2026 FAAC meetings, even as uncertainty persisted over practical implementation of direct financial autonomy.
Ademola said accountability should therefore accompany every discussion about restructuring and devolution.
He stressed that PVM was challenging Makinde to respond with documents and verifiable records rather than political rhetoric.
“As Governor Makinde asks Nigerians to trust him with a programme of devolution, his stewardship in Oyo State becomes relevant,” Ademola said.
“Let him show how local governments have operated under him. Let him publish what they received, what they spent and what they achieved.”
For PVM, the question it wants Makinde to answer is straightforward:
If greater power and resources should move from Abuja to the states, how much genuine financial and administrative power has moved from the Oyo State Government to its 33 local governments?
The answer, the group said, should be found not merely in campaign promises but in publicly verifiable records of allocations, expenditure, projects and grassroots development.
