The immediate past Special Adviser on Labour Matters to Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, Comrade Sikiru Bayo Titilola-Sodo, has urged Nigerians to hold local government administrations accountable for the utilisation of their statutory allocations, disclosing that councils across the country have been receiving their allocations directly into their respective accounts since January 2026.
Titilola-Sodo, who recently resigned his appointment to pursue the Oyo State governorship under the platform of the Action Alliance (AA) ahead of the 2027 general election, made the remarks during a radio programme in Ibadan while commenting on the ongoing debate over local government autonomy.
The former President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Oyo State chapter, and former Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, however, maintained that Nigeria was yet to attain full local government autonomy.
According to him, although the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy was a landmark decision, it did not confer complete administrative independence on local councils.
“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.
Titilola-Sodo added, “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 explained that local governments now shoulder major statutory responsibilities, including the payment of salaries of 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 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.
He stressed that greater transparency and accountability at the grassroots would be critical to ensuring that the objectives of local government financial autonomy translate into improved service delivery for residents.
Speaking on his governorship ambition, Titilola-Sodo said his decision to resign as Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Labour Matters was driven by his determination to contest the 2027 governorship election on the platform of the Action Alliance.
He described Makinde’s administration as one that had recorded notable achievements across key sectors, adding that he possesses the experience to consolidate on those gains.
“I believe Governor Seyi Makinde has done well for Oyo State. My aspiration is to continue from where he stops and build on the foundation that has been laid. I have the experience from the labour movement and public service to move the state to the next level,” he said.
Titilola-Sodo previously served as President of NULGE in Oyo State before becoming Chairman of the NLC in the state. He later joined the Makinde administration as Special Adviser on Labour Matters, a position he recently resigned to pursue his governorship ambition ahead of the 2027 election.
