₦118.1bn LG ALLOCATIONS: Orlu youths petition EFCC as Umuaka Times maintains calls for accountability.

The growing demand for accountability in the management of Local Government funds in Imo State has taken a new dimension following a petition by the Orluzurumee Youth Assembly (OYA) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking an investigation into the alleged diversion and misappropriation of approximately ₦118.1 billion allocated to the 12 Local Government Areas in Orlu Senatorial Zone between September 2024 and June 2026. The petition, directed against the immediate past chairmen of the 12 councils, has renewed public attention on the management of local government finances, particularly amid concerns that the substantial allocations received by councils have not translated into corresponding improvements in the living conditions of residents.

The development also brings into focus previous reports and editorial interventions by Umuaka Times, which has consistently questioned the management of public funds in Njaba LGA and called on successive council administrations to account for the resources entrusted to them. According to sources available to Umuaka Times, the group submitted its petition through its legal counsel, Emmanuel C. Osi, Esq., of Sandalwoods Solicitors. According to OYA, the petition was received and acknowledged by the Office of the EFCC Executive Chairman on 12 October 2026.

The move followed earlier attempts by the youth organization to obtain financial records from the 12 councils through requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. The requests sought information about allocations received by the councils and how the funds were utilised during the period under review.

From the figures reportedly obtained by the group from the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the 12 councils collectively received ₦118,100,198,857 between September 2024 and June 2026. The breakdown showed that Ideato North received ₦10.45 billion, Ideato South ₦10.52 billion, Isu ₦10.27 billion, Njaba ₦9.87 billion, Nwangele ₦9.49 billion, Nkwerre ₦8.51 billion, Oguta ₦10.26 billion, Ohaji/Egbema ₦11.11 billion, Orlu ₦9.87 billion, Orsu ₦9.50 billion, Oru East ₦8.76 billion and Oru West ₦9.48 billion. The figures have raised further questions about the relationship between the enormous financial resources available to the councils and the condition of infrastructure and public services across many communities in the zone.

Speaking on the petition, the National President of OYA, Prince IzunnaObiefule, said the assembly was determined to ensure that former council chairmen accounted for the public funds entrusted to their administrations. He explained that the decision to approach the EFCC was intended to secure an independent investigation into the management of the allocations and strengthen transparency, accountability and responsible leadership at the grassroots. Obiefule expressed concern that several communities across Orlu Senatorial Zone continued to experience poor road infrastructure, inadequate access to potable water and electricity, poorly equipped healthcare facilities, deteriorating schools and insufficient opportunities for youth empowerment despite the substantial public allocations received by their councils. He said the situation raised legitimate questions about how much of the money had actually been translated into development projects and improved social services.

“The concern of the Orluzurumee Youth Assembly is that these funds may have been subjected to diversion, fictitious or improperly awarded contracts, or payments for projects that were never executed,” Obiefule stated.

He called for a comprehensive examination of the councils’ financial records, contracts, procurement processes, project execution reports and payment documents to establish how the money was spent.

The concerns raised by OYA are not entirely new to readers of Umuaka Times. The newspaper has, on several occasions, questioned the management of Local Government allocations in Njaba and challenged public officeholders to demonstrate how the increasing resources available to councils have improved the lives of residents. In an open letter to the then Njaba LGA Chairman, Chief Vitalis Obi, Umuaka Times drew attention to the allocations received by the council in 2024. The newspaper’s findings showed that Njaba received a total of ₦3,675,708,455.48 in federal allocations during that year alone, according to the figures cited in the publication.

The breakdown showed that the council received ₦281.56 million in February 2024, ₦265.88 million in March, ₦289.13 million in April, ₦297.31 million in May, ₦283.70 million in June, ₦339.37 million in July, ₦344.71 million in August, ₦306.78 million in September, ₦311.30 million in October, ₦357.09 million in November and ₦407.93 million in December.The newspaper questioned why a council receiving such substantial monthly resources should continue to struggle to provide visible infrastructure and basic services to its communities. It also pointed out that the figures did not include internally generated revenue.

In another report titled Despite Billions in Allocations, Njaba LG Chairman Yet to Deliver on Key Promises to Widows, Youths, the newspaper highlighted complaints concerning unfulfilled promises made to families of four security personnel reportedly killed by gunmen while on duty in UbaUmuaka. According to the report, Chief Vitalis Obi had promised ₦1 million to each of the widows during a condolence visit. However, family members subsequently told the newspaper that the promised assistance had not been received.

The publication also reported complaints from youth leaders who said they had submitted their account details following a promise by the chairman to provide funds for grading rural roads before the rainy season. They alleged that the promised funds had not arrived and that several roads remained in poor condition. These reports formed part of the newspaper’s broader demand for transparency in the management of Njaba’s public resources.Umuaka Times further questioned the administration in an editorial titled Grand Reception for Etiokwe; In Whose Interest?, challenging the justification for celebrating an administration when residents were still asking for tangible evidence of development commensurate with the funds available to the council.

The newspaper maintained that public celebrations and political activities should not take precedence over the delivery of essential services and measurable community development. More recently, Umuaka Times reported that Njaba LGA received ₦515,822,252.19 as its allocation for June 2026 alone. The figure again brought the question of accountability to the forefront: what projects, programs and services can residents identify as evidence of the effective utilization of such resources? The newspaper’s position has consistently been that the people of Njaba deserve explanations about the funds received by their council, the projects approved, the amounts expended and the actual results achieved.

The concerns surrounding Njaba are part of a broader conversation about Local Government administration and public financial accountability across Imo State. With 27 Local Government Areas, the state receives substantial financial resources through Federation Account allocations, while individual councils also have responsibilities to account for their revenues, expenditures, contracts and development programs.

The Supreme Court’s judgment affirming Local Government financial autonomy has further strengthened the public expectation that councils should exercise their financial responsibilities transparently and demonstrate measurable results at the grassroots.For residents, the central issue is not simply the amount of money received by government institutions but whether such funds are being converted into better roads, functional primary healthcare centres, equipped schools, potable water, electricity, agricultural support and employment opportunities. The situation calls for greater public access to council budgets, monthly allocation records, procurement information, contract awards, payment vouchers and project completion reports.

The Orluzurumee Youth Assembly has urged the EFCC to investigate the allegations and establish whether the funds were properly utilized or whether financial irregularities occurred under the former council administrations. The assembly also appealed to serving political leaders and other public officeholders across Orlu Senatorial Zone to ensure that public resources under their control are properly accounted for and deployed towards projects that address the needs of the people.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that the petition contains allegations requiring independent investigation. The filing of the petition does not establish that the former chairmen diverted or embezzled public funds, and each of the affected individuals is entitled to respond to the allegations.Nevertheless, the petition raises an important governance question that deserves the attention of the relevant authorities and the people of Imo State.

For Umuaka Times, the issue goes beyond the former chairmen of the 12 Local Government Areas in Orlu Senatorial Zone. It concerns the fundamental responsibility of every public officeholder to account for public resources.

The people of Njaba, Orlu and the entire Imo State deserve to know how much money their councils receive, how the money is spent, which projects are executed, who executes them and whether the quality of work corresponds with the amounts paid.