Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, is expected to deliver the keynote address at the public screening of “LG Billions in the Dark”, an investigative documentary by DevReporting examining the prolonged local government leadership crisis in Osun State and its implications for public finance, accountability and service delivery.

The screening, scheduled for Thursday, 29 October, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), will be chaired by Dapo Olorunyomi, publisher of Premium Times and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).

Nigeria’s local governments are constitutionally recognised as the tier of government closest to citizens, with responsibilities that directly affect everyday life, including primary healthcare, basic infrastructure, sanitation and other essential services. However, concerns over financial control, political interference and the capacity of councils to function independently have remained central to debates about local governance in the country.

The event will feature a panel discussion bringing together public officials, civil society leaders, governance experts, academics, and development practitioners to examine the challenges confronting local government administration in Nigeria.

The panellists include Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde; Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Zikirullahi Ibrahim; and Executive Director of Spaces for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri.

Others are Joshua Osiyemi, Head of Tracka at BudgIT; Vera Amaechi, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Lagos; and Bukola Adebayo, Senior Multimedia Strategist at DevReporting.

DRAF unveiling, fundraising

Speaking ahead of the event, DevReporting Team Lead, Mojeed Alabi, said the documentary reflects the organisation’s commitment to public-interest journalism and its responsibility to examine governance issues that have direct consequences for citizens.

He added that Mr Falana will speak on “Accountability, Resources and Citizen Voices: Building Local Governments that Work for the People”, addressing the relationship between local government autonomy, public resource management, citizens’ rights and accountability at the grassroots.

The event will also feature the official unveiling of the Development Reporting Africa Foundation (DRAF) and a fundraising initiative to support the Foundation’s public-interest development reporting work.

“DRAF is a nonprofit initiative established to strengthen development reporting, generate and communicate evidence, promote public engagement and advance accountability on issues affecting communities across Africa,” Mr Alabi said.

Driving civic education

As part of efforts to sustain public engagement beyond the screening, DevReporting is developing a civic education and youth engagement initiative that will take the documentary to tertiary institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The proposed initiative will combine campus screenings, training, mentorship and youth-led accountability projects to deepen undergraduates’ understanding of local government administration, public finance and citizen participation.

Through the initiative, DevReporting hopes to encourage more young Nigerians to take an interest in how local governments are funded, how public resources are spent and how citizens can demand improved services.

The documentary was produced with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).

DevReporting is a niche media and cinematic platform dedicated to producing journalism on development issues across Nigeria and Africa. Through investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, research and media capacity development, it promotes transparency, accountability and inclusive development.