Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The 23 local government chairmen of Kaduna State, speaking through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), have collectively declared a news report that Governor Uba Sani hijacks council allocations to be "false, mischievous and politically motivated". In a unified statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday, May 21, 2026, ALGON Chairman Hon. Jamilu Abubakar (also named as Albany Jameel Abubakar) dismissed the SaharaReporters publication as a "deliberate distortion of facts" and gave the online medium 48 hours to issue a public retraction and apology.
The explosion erupted on the same day SaharaReporters published an exclusive story quoting an anonymous council chairman who claimed that each of Kaduna's 23 local governments receives between ₦500 million and ₦600 million from the Federation Account, yet the state government releases only about ₦25 million to ₦30 million monthly for operational expenses. The anonymous source further alleged that "most governors are sabotaging President Bola Tinubu's ambition of implementing full local government autonomy", adding that many chairmen had become "ceremonial administrators" too afraid to visit their constituencies for fear of being confronted by angry voters. "The electorate keeps accusing them of non‑performance when the problem is actually from the governor," the unnamed chairman was quoted as saying.
But ALGON’s swift and categorical rebuttal has shattered the narrative. "The allegation that local government allocations are being diverted or hijacked is entirely unfounded and devoid of credible evidence," Abubakar said in the statement, which was also carried by Blueprint Newspapers, Independent, The Whistler, Daily Trust and The Nation. He insisted that Kaduna State "remains one of the few states in the federation that has consistently demonstrated measurable commitment to local government autonomy, fiscal transparency and accountable public finance management".
According to Abubakar, each council directly manages salaries, pensions and statutory obligations through structured electronic payment platforms, in full compliance with the Supreme Court's landmark July 2024 judgment that granted financial autonomy to the country's 774 local government areas – a ruling that, in principle, prohibits state governments from controlling or withholding federal allocations meant for councils.
ALGON further pointed to Kaduna's strong performance on national transparency and integrity rankings in 2024 and 2025 as independent validation that contradicts the report's narrative. It said chairmen receive detailed monthly allocation statements and deploy resources transparently to critical sectors, including healthcare, basic education, rural infrastructure, water supply and community security interventions.
The association scoffed at the claim that councils receive only ₦25 million monthly, calling it "both misleading and irresponsible". To substantiate its defence, ALGON disclosed that more than 400 projects have been executed across the 23 local government areas within the past year, many through strategic collaboration between the councils and the state government. The projects reportedly include rural electrification, borehole drilling, renovation of primary healthcare centres and road grading – a direct rebuttal to the anonymous chairman's assertion that "in almost two years, it is difficult to point to a single landmark project commissioned directly by any chairman".
ALGON also rejected the claim that council chairmen had abandoned their constituencies, insisting that local officials remain actively engaged through regular consultations and grassroots interventions. The association challenged SaharaReporters and the anonymous source to provide verifiable evidence, while demanding an immediate public retraction and apology within 48 hours on the platform's website and social media channels.
Beyond the figures and projects, the episode illuminates the tense gap between federal policy and ground‑level reality. The July 2024 Supreme Court ruling that local governments must receive allocations directly from the Federation Account was hailed as a turning point for grassroots governance. Yet, as of early 2026, the Federal Government had not fully operationalised the decision, leaving state governments in a position of de facto control over council finances. A May 2026 report noted that "there has been no concrete step by the Federal Government to operationalise the decision", and the National Assembly has since pledged to enact laws compelling strict compliance.
In Kaduna specifically, the state government has taken steps that complicate a simplistic hijack narrative. In March 2026, a BudgIT report rated Kaduna high in local government budget transparency, noting that the state had made measurable progress in making council finances more visible and accessible. The Kaduna State Government has also trained council officials on electronic payment systems and provided infrastructure for the direct payment of salaries and pensions, aligning with the Supreme Court's directive.
Yet the anonymous chairman's voice – though unnamed and unverified – strikes a chord felt in many local councils across Nigeria: the persistent perception that state executives treat local government funds as an extension of their own budgets, leaving chairmen with little more than ceremonial roles. The SaharaReporters story, for all its lack of named sources, captured a frustration that refuses to disappear even after a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
For now, the 23 chairmen of Kaduna have closed ranks behind Governor Uba Sani. The 48‑hour ultimatum to SaharaReporters is clear: retract, apologise, or face the combined weight of the state's entire local government establishment. Whether the online medium complies or fights back remains uncertain. What is certain is that the conversation about local government autonomy in Kaduna – and across Nigeria – is far from over.
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