The immediate past special adviser on Labour Matters to Oyo State Governor, Comrade Sikiru Bayo Titilola-Sodo, has said local governments across Nigeria have been receiving their statutory allocations directly into their respective accounts since January 2026.
He urged Nigerians to demand accountability from council administrations over the utilisation of the funds.
Titilola-Sodo, who recently resigned his appointment to pursue his governorship ambition under the platform of the Action Alliance (AA) ahead of the 2027 general election, made the remarks on a radio programme in Ibadan, noting, however, that there was no complete local government autonomy in the country.
The former President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Oyo State and former Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state weighed in on the ongoing national conversation surrounding local government autonomy.
According to him, while the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy is a welcome development, it should not be interpreted as granting councils complete administrative independence.
“There is no complete or total local government autonomy yet. The administration of local governments is still subject to Section 7 of the Constitution,” he said.
“I can assure you that every local government in Nigeria, not just those in Oyo State, has been receiving its allocation directly into its account since January this year.
Perhaps the question Nigerians should be asking is what the local governments are doing with the money”, he said.
He explained that local governments now bear significant statutory responsibilities, including paying salaries for council workers and primary school teachers, funding primary healthcare centres, and settling pensions for eligible retirees in those sectors.
“The local governments are responsible not only for paying their staff but also for primary school teachers, maintaining primary healthcare centres and paying pensions for workers from those sectors. We must therefore develop a workable framework so that, in trying to solve one problem, we do not end up creating another,” he stated.
Titilola-Sodo stressed that greater transparency and accountability at the grassroots level would be critical to ensuring that the objectives of local government financial autonomy translate into improved service delivery for residents.
On his political ambition, the former labour leader said his decision to resign as Governor Makinde’s Special Adviser on Labour Matters was informed by his determination to seek the state’s highest office in 2027 under the Action Alliance.
He described Makinde’s administration as one that had recorded notable achievements across critical sectors, adding that he possesses the experience required to consolidate on those gains.
