How Sacked Osun LG Chairmen Attempted to Use Junior Staff to Loot Grassroots Funds

 How Sacked Osun LG Chairmen Attempted to Use Junior Staff to Loot Grassroots Funds

By Great Oluwaseun

The people of Osun State have been left in shock following fresh revelations about how the court-sacked “yes or no” local government chairmen attempted to rob local councils of funds meant for ordinary citizens. What has come to light is not just political desperation but outright criminality, designed to open secret accounts and funnel money away from schools, hospitals, and rural projects.

Investigations show that the sacked chairmen went as far as using unauthorised persons as signatories, this includes the names of two junior council staff members  as signatories to one of the fraudulent accounts at the United Bank for Africa (UBA). This is a brazen violation of the law. By regulation, only the Head of Local Administration (HLA), or the Director of Administration and Personnel, and the Director of Finance are permitted to sign off on local government accounts. 

“This was not a mistake; it was deliberate impersonation,” one investigator explained. “They knew these staff could never be lawful signatories, but they used them anyway to create a smokescreen and loot public money.”

The implications are alarming. Funds earmarked for grassroots development were the targets of this criminal plot. Instead of serving the people, the sacked chairmen were plotting to divert resources into private pockets. This act can be described as “a new low in political fraud.” 

Equally worrying is the role of the bank. How did UBA, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, allow such accounts to be opened with names that clearly did not meet the legal requirements? 

Experts say this points to serious lapses in oversight and due diligence. “If banks can look away while fraudulent signatories are being used, then the entire financial system is at risk,” one analyst remarked.

Government officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have vowed that this will not be swept under the carpet. “This is not only financial recklessness, it is criminal impersonation. Everyone involved will face justice,” a senior official said firmly.

Prosecutions are expected, and disciplinary actions will be taken against those who allowed their names to be used in the fraud. 

The court had already stripped the chairmen of legitimacy, yet instead of respecting the law, they chose to defy it, dragging unsuspecting junior staff into a plot to loot the people’s money. 

As the scandal deepens, the people of Osun await firm and transparent action to ensure that justice is served and grassroots resources are protected from political predators.