morganable politics/Governance
The ICPC chairman stressed that local government authorities must ensure that allocations received were used for projects and services that directly benefited residents
KaNo—
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has recovered over N5.3bn from local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory following a review of their financial records.
The commission also disclosed plans to work with the National Information Technology Development Agency to ensure that all 774 local government areas in the country publish their financial records and other relevant information online as part of efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability at the grassroots.
The ICPC said the initiative would enable residents, journalists and oversight institutions to monitor the management of public funds and identify possible financial irregularities in their respective councils.
The commission’s Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, disclosed this in Nasarawa State during the kick-off of the ICPC-NITDA Local Government Websites Pilot.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, Aliyu said the recovery of more than N5.3bn demonstrated the extent of financial risks associated with the management of local government funds and the importance of effective scrutiny in preventing corruption.
According to him, the commission recovered the funds through a review of local government accounts in seven states and the FCT, adding that the introduction of digital platforms would strengthen efforts to prevent the diversion and mismanagement of public resources.
“The ICPC has recovered over N5.3 billion from a review of local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, and is now moving to make councils across the country publish their finances online.
“The recoveries show both the scale of the risk at the grassroots and what scrutiny can achieve, and the websites are the preventive side of the same effort,” he said.
Aliyu explained that the initiative had become particularly important following the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local government councils and the direct payment of their statutory allocations.
He noted that the increased financial independence of councils must be accompanied by greater responsibility and transparency in the utilisation of public funds.
The ICPC chairman stressed that local government authorities must ensure that allocations received were used for projects and services that directly benefited residents.
“Autonomy brings responsibility. Funds that now flow directly to the councils must be spent openly and for the benefit of the people,” he said.
Under the initiative, local government councils will be required to publish comprehensive financial and administrative information on their respective websites.
The information will include annual budgets, statutory allocations, internally generated revenue, expenditure records, audit reports, debts, procurement processes and human resource details.
The platforms will also provide channels through which citizens can engage council authorities, submit complaints and report suspected cases of corruption.
Aliyu said making such records publicly accessible would empower citizens to demand explanations from elected officials and enable journalists to conduct more informed investigations into local government administration.
He added that regular publication of financial records would also assist oversight institutions in identifying suspicious transactions and addressing potential corruption risks before public funds were lost.
“When these records are published regularly, citizens can follow the money, the media can ask informed questions and oversight institutions can detect risks early, before they become losses,” he added.
On the division of responsibilities, Aliyu said NITDA would provide the technological infrastructure required to establish and maintain the websites.
The agency would handle domain registration, website development and hosting for at least one year, while the ICPC would provide the content standards and accountability framework to guide the information councils would be expected to disclose.
He urged local government chairmen to appoint dedicated officers to manage their respective platforms, stressing that the information uploaded must be accurate, complete and regularly updated.
The chairman further explained that the commission intended to implement the initiative as a partnership aimed at preventing corruption rather than an instrument for witch-hunting local government officials.
In his remarks, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the digital initiative would improve governance, strengthen citizen participation and create economic opportunities through increased access to public information.
He observed that many residents encountered difficulties obtaining information about government activities, particularly the execution of projects and the utilisation of public funds at the local government level.
According to him, the digital platforms would address some of these challenges by providing residents with accessible channels to obtain information and communicate their concerns to council authorities.
“Our people are online; therefore, government needs to be online to serve them better,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that NITDA would establish the necessary standards, develop standardised website templates and provide training to citizens to enable them to use the platforms effectively.
The NITDA director-general said the project would eventually be extended to all 774 local government areas, noting that its objective went beyond simply creating websites for councils.
“Our ambition is not 774 websites. It is 774 digitally empowered local governments delivering better experience to millions of Nigerians,” he said.
The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who performed the official kick-off of the initiative, designated the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency as the state’s technical partner.
Sule directed local government councils in the state to ensure that all information published on their websites was accurate and properly verified before being made available to the public.
He also urged the councils to appoint responsible officers to oversee the platforms and ensure that relevant financial and administrative records were regularly uploaded.
The governor said the effectiveness of the initiative should not be judged by the formal launch of the websites but by the accessibility, accuracy and usefulness of the information provided to citizens.
He emphasised that the platforms must serve as practical tools for accountability, enabling residents to understand how public resources were being managed and what projects were being implemented in their communities.
Sule also called on the ICPC and NITDA to extend the transparency initiative beyond local governments to state governments, offering Nasarawa State as the first state willing to participate in the proposed expansion.
He argued that greater financial disclosure across the different levels of government would help citizens understand the movement of public funds and identify where allocations intended for local governments might be delayed or withheld.
The governor’s appeal comes amid growing attention to the financial independence of local government councils following the Supreme Court judgment, which reinforced the need for direct access to statutory allocations and accountability in their utilisation.
Also speaking at the event, the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage (retd.), and the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danladi Jatau, commended the initiative, describing transparency and accountability as important elements of effective grassroots administration.
Jatau pledged the support of the state legislature, noting that the Constitution empowered the House of Assembly to exercise oversight over local government finances.
He said the legislature would support efforts to strengthen accountability in the management of resources allocated to councils.
The kick-off ceremony was followed by a technical session during which participants examined the standardised website template and discussed its implementation.
The initiative is expected to provide a digital framework for public access to local government financial information, although its success will depend largely on the willingness of councils to disclose complete records and update them consistently.
