Oladipupo Adebutu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, has alleged that all state governors in Nigeria are benefiting from and misappropriating local government allocations.

Oladipupo Adebutu

Adebutu made the remarks at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta during a meeting with the Egba Traditional Council, where he sought the support and blessings of traditional rulers for his governorship ambition.

He was accompanied by his running mate, Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo; the PDP senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Iyabo Obasanjo; the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella; and other party leaders and candidates.

Addressing the traditional rulers, Adebutu declared that granting full financial autonomy to local governments would be one of the defining policies of his administration.

“I will do something that will stun this nation and put us in the right direction. Local governments shall get their own money,” he said.

He added: “We must make sure we get local government autonomy. I have been reiterating to you that I, Oladipupo Olatunde, son of Adebutu, was at the National Assembly twice, and I can boast that I didn’t embezzle public funds. How many politicians can say this?”

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Adebutu accused governors across party lines of diverting local government funds.

“It’s not a party thing. Both APC and PDP, all the governors are embezzling local government allocations. It’s not a secret,” he said.

He argued that local councils were able to deliver more development when they had greater control over their finances.

On infrastructure financing, Adebutu said governments must adopt new approaches rather than relying on borrowing.

“You don’t borrow money for infrastructure anymore,” he said, while promising to construct roads that would improve connectivity between Ogun State and Lagos.

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In his remarks, Abayomi Tella, State Chairman of the PDP,  lamented that the local government system in the state is in a state of collapse, recalling that as a former council chairman, he received N200 million as an allocation and used it to construct four roads within his local government.

He expressed concern that the current local government chairmen cannot point to any project of similar impact, attributing the situation to a lack of financial autonomy.

The PDP chairman said he strongly believes in Adebutu’s advocacy for local government autonomy, stressing that Adebutu is prepared and ready to lead the development of Ogun State.

Sowunmi-Kolapo, deputy governorship candidate, called on her kinsmen to support her political aspiration, noting that she has continued to support the development of Egbaland.

Also speaking, Iyabo Obasanjo, PDP candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District, said that after leaving the APC following her unsuccessful governorship bid, she came to believe that Adebutu has the vision and political will to actualise her aspirations and manifesto for the people.

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Obasanjo further noted that no political party has a more formidable team in Egbaland than the PDP, urging Egba monarchs to throw their weight behind the party in the interest of the people.

In his welcome address, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, described Adebutu as “trustworthy and reliable,” declaring his support for the party’s flag bearer ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The Alake recalled his long-standing relationship with Adebutu’s father and expressed confidence in Adebutu’s character and leadership qualities.

“The son of a lion must resemble the lion. In fact, he is an even better version of his father,” Oba Gbadebo said.

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Federal high court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of N941,994,079.86 linked to suspected ghost workers uncovered in the integrated payroll and personnel information system (IPPIS) to the federal government.

IPPIS is a centralised payroll system the federal government introduced to manage the salaries of federal public sector employees.

Binta Nyako, presiding judge, gave the order following an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

“That an Order is hereby made for the Final Forfeiture to the Federal Republic of Nigeria the Sum of N941,994,079.86 seized during investigation into the IPPIS Payroll scam in the year 2024,” Nyako ruled.

Okor Odey, ICPC spokesperson, announced the forfeiture in a statement issued at the weekend.

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The ICPC spokesperson said investigations by the commission uncovered “large-scale payroll fraud involving hundreds of non-existent public servants, with a total sum of N941,994,079.86 traced to accounts linked to the scheme”.

Odey said a review of the IPPIS conducted in 2023 revealed the “existence of numerous “ghost workers” embedded within the payrolls of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)”.

According to him, following the findings, President Bola Tinubu approved a “comprehensive audit” of the IPPIS.

He added that a joint investigation between the ICPC and the office of the accountant-general of the federation in April 2025 led to the discovery of 587 suspected ghost workers on the IPPIS platform.

“Investigations revealed that fictitious IPPIS identities had been created for non-existent personnel across multiple MDAs, with salaries paid over extended periods into accounts belonging to individuals and companies,” Odey said.

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“In many cases, the account names did not correspond with those of the purported employees, while some accounts received multiple salary payments simultaneously.”

The ICPC spokesperson said the agency placed post no debit (PND) restrictions on all identified accounts to freeze the funds suspected to be proceeds of fraud.

He said the affected MDAs include the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), federal ministries of defence, education, agriculture and rural development, works, water resources, and interior.

Others are National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Benin, University of Calabar, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the office of the accountant-general of the federation.

The ICPC spokesperson said 120 civil servants were cleared after their identities and employment status were confirmed following a verification exercise in 2025.

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He added that 467 bank accounts remain linked to unverified individuals with holders yet to be identified.

He noted that the N941.9 million currently frozen in the 467 bank accounts has been forfeited to the federal government.

He disclosed that the agency published the names of the 910 individuals suspected to have benefited from the purported fraud in two national dailies on March 18, 2026.

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Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has urged youths to shun investment scams and  embrace the habit of saving.

NDIC said that for a nation to be prosperous, its citizens must learn to build legitimate wealth through savings and then advance to investment.

Mr Adegbenga Fagbuyi, assistant director, Communication and Corporate Affairs, NDIC, made the remarks while addressing students of Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, during the 2026 Financial Literacy Day.

Delivering his speech on “Smart Money,” Fagbuyi highlighted the importance of having basic knowledge of the financial system, making sound financial decisions, understanding the benefits of saving in banks, setting financial goals, maintaining financial discipline, and avoiding Ponzi schemes that promise high returns.

Fagbuyi said youths are among the major targets of the government’s financial inclusion drive, adding that the Financial Literacy Day formed part of activities marking Global Money Week, adopted by the Bankers’ Committee in Nigeria as a platform for mentoring youths on savings and investment.

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He said, “The government wants everybody to be participants in the financial sector. But how can you be a participant if you don’t know how to save? How can you be a participant if you cannot convert your savings into an investment? So, most importantly, youths are one of the major targets of the financial inclusion drive of the government.”

Fagbuyi described financial inclusion as bringing everybody into the financial safety net by encouraging participation in banking, insurance, pensions, and the capital market.

He stressed that the government does not want youths to become adults who lack knowledge of safe banking practices, insurance, and the capital market.

“Government does not want them to grow old, to become adults who do not know about savings, safe banking habits, insurance, and the capital market. That is why we go to schools to sensitise students to all these basic financial matters, particularly savings, so that our students can begin to learn to save, learn credible investment habits through which they can be making legitimate income.

“We also educate them about the deposit insurance system administered by NDIC. When you save in banks, the banks are supervised and regulated. And if eventually they fail, you will not lose your money. That is what NDIC does,” Fagbuyi said.

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He revealed that the sensitisation programme, which started about 10 years ago and is organised by the Bankers’ Committee, comprising the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all the deposit money banks in Nigeria, has been held across states nationwide.

He said, “Minimum, every year, we go to 10 states. And we normally sensitise 200 students in each school. So this year, that means we are targeting 2,000 students.”

Fagbuyi, however, said the objective of the programme is not to cover all schools across the country but to set a standard for state governments and schools to replicate.

“But I must emphasise that the objective is not to cover all schools. It is to set a standard for state governments and for schools to replicate. You agree with me that we cannot be everywhere.

“But as a partner, as a key stakeholder in the financial inclusion drive of the federal government, we go to states to showcase what the government’s intention, so that states and schools can replicate. So it is on this note that we always urge states’ Ministries of Education, Science and Technology to replicate and expand these programmes across their respective states.”

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In his address, Olusegun Olayiwola, Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, represented by Alhaji Lukuman Kareem, permanent secretary, Education Inspectorate, Ibadan North, commended the NDIC for selecting a school in Ibadan for the financial literacy sensitisation programme.

He noted that such initiatives must go beyond the classroom to shape young minds, adding that children cannot achieve expected outcomes unless they are properly guided.

“That’s why we significantly appreciate the efforts of the Bankers’ Committee, NDIC, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and all other members for this,” he said.

The commissioner charged the students to take the lessons seriously, noting that opportunities lost may not be easily regained. He also advised the NDIC to expand the programme to include students from neighbouring schools in future editions to maximise its impact without additional transportation costs.

Additionally, Olayiwola urged teachers to cascade the training to other students, who should in turn enlighten their siblings at home.

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