The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is secretly investigating the 774 local government chairmen across the country over their management and spending of public funds since the councils gained financial autonomy.

The investigation, which is being handled by the commission’s zonal directorates, is aimed at determining whether the councils have been accountable in the management of their allocations.

It was further gathered that the anti-graft agency is particularly interested in assessing how the chairmen have managed the funds allocated to their respective councils, their capacity to administer public resources and the extent to which the autonomy has improved service delivery.

An official of a state Ministry of Local Government had earlier confirmed the development to our correspondent, saying all the local government chairmen in the state were being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

However, sources within the EFCC confirmed that the investigation was ongoing across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, stressing that the exercise was being conducted discreetly.

One of the sources said the commission wanted to establish whether the councils had demonstrated accountability and managerial competence since the Supreme Court judgment granting them financial autonomy.

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