This policy brief by the Clement Isong Foundation focuses on the critical, yet often overlooked, role of Local Government Areas (LGAs) in managing Ecological Funds in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State. It reveals that from 2023 to May 2025, the 31 LGAs collectively received approximately ₦1.919 billion in ecological allocations. Despite this substantial funding and the state’s severe vulnerability to flooding, coastal erosion, and oil spills, ecological crises in local communities persist and worsen.

The core problem identified is a systemic failure in transparency and accountability at the LGA level. The brief highlights a near-total lack of public disclosure, with no LGA maintaining a functional website to publish budgets and project details as required by law. This opacity enables fund diversion to non-ecological projects, poor procurement practices, and a critical lack of community participation in project planning. Furthermore, a significant challenge is that 50% of the funds due to each LGA are automatically deducted and sent to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with little visible project delivery in return.

To bridge the gap between fund allocation and ecological justice, the report offers key recommendations. These include mandating public dashboards for real-time tracking of ecological funds, creating ring-fenced accounts to prevent misuse, and institutionalizing participatory budgeting to ensure projects reflect community needs. It also calls for stronger oversight from state bodies and for LGAs to actively demand commensurate ecological interventions from the NDDC. The overall goal is to transform LGAs into proactive, accountable managers of ecological resources to effectively safeguard local communities and their livelihoods.