BY EMMA PETER, ABUJA
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered over ₦5.3 billion from a review of local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as it moves to strengthen transparency and accountability across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, during the flag-off of the ICPC-National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Local Government Websites Pilot.
According to a press statement by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey, the initiative is designed to ensure that local government councils publish their financial records, budgets, allocations, revenue, expenditure, procurement processes and other governance information online.
Aliyu explained that the pilot, which commenced in Nasarawa State, would be extended to all 774 local government areas across the country as part of efforts to promote openness in the management of public resources at the grassroots.
He said the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local government councils and direct payment of their statutory allocations had increased the need for transparency in the management of public funds.
“Autonomy brings responsibility. Funds that now flow directly to the councils must be spent openly and for the benefit of the people,” he said.
The ICPC chairman noted that the recovery of over ₦5.3 billion demonstrated the extent of financial risks at the grassroots, stressing that the introduction of digital disclosure platforms would serve as a preventive measure against corruption and financial mismanagement.
He explained that the websites, built on a standardised template under the Commission’s Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Governments (ACPP-LG), would cover five major areas, including financial information, open procurement, human resources, citizen engagement and corruption control.
According to him, the platforms would enable citizens to monitor public expenditure, empower journalists to ask informed questions and assist oversight institutions in identifying financial irregularities before they result in losses.
“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 said.
The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, CON, performed the flag-off at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Lafia, during an event themed, “Deepening Transparency and Accountability at the Grassroots through Digital Disclosure.”
The ICPC chairman said Nasarawa was selected as the first state for the pilot because of Governor Sule’s commitment to good governance and the support the state government had consistently extended to the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, located in Keffi.
He also acknowledged the commitment of NITDA to register domain names, develop and host the websites for at least one year for all 774 local government areas.
Aliyu explained that while ICPC would provide the accountability framework and content standards, NITDA would provide the technological infrastructure required to drive the initiative.
He, however, cautioned that the effectiveness of the platforms would depend on the quality and regular updating of information published by the councils.
“A website is only as good as the information on it; one that is launched and then abandoned will only disappoint the people,” he said.
He urged local government chairmen to appoint committed personnel to manage the platforms and ensure that information uploaded was accurate and regularly updated.
The ICPC chairman assured the councils that the Commission’s engagement with the platforms was aimed at supporting corruption prevention rather than witch-hunting, adding that experiences from the pilot would guide improvements before the nationwide rollout.
“Transparency is not an event. It is a habit that will lead to accountability,” he stated.
In his goodwill message, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, said the initiative would eliminate unnecessary difficulties citizens face in accessing information about government activities and projects.
He illustrated the challenges with the experience of a woman in a remote community in Nasarawa State who might have to travel more than 60 kilometres at her own expense to find out whether her local government had approved a community project or to submit a complaint.
“We are in a digital age. Our people are online; therefore, government needs to be online to serve them better,” he said.
Abdullahi identified improved governance, stronger citizen engagement and expanded economic opportunities as the three major objectives of the initiative.
He said NITDA would establish standards, develop website templates and provide training, while encouraging local government councils to engage local talents in building and sustaining the platforms.
The NITDA boss stressed that the initiative was not merely about creating websites but empowering local governments digitally to improve service delivery.
“Our ambition is not 774 websites. It is 774 digitally empowered local governments delivering better experience to millions of Nigerians,” he said.
Flagging off the pilot, Governor Sule introduced the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency (NASITDEA) as the state’s technical partner for the implementation of the initiative.
He directed local government councils to take responsibility for the accuracy and regular updating of information published on their respective websites, urging them to appoint officers to verify information before making it available to the public.
The governor maintained that the credibility of the platforms would depend on how current, accessible and useful the information provided was, rather than the ceremony marking their launch.
He also called on civil society organisations, the media and community institutions to actively use the platforms to promote transparency and hold public officials accountable.
Sule further declared that with local government allocations made public as they were received, councils could no longer justify failure to pay workers’ salaries on the grounds that statutory funds had not been released.
He challenged the ICPC and NITDA to extend the transparency initiative to state governments, offering Nasarawa State as the first to embrace the proposed arrangement to enable citizens track the movement of funds meant for local government councils.
Also speaking, the Emir of Lafia, HRH Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I (rtd.), expressed satisfaction with the initiative and commended the ICPC chairman, NITDA Director-General and Governor Sule for their commitment to promoting accountability at the grassroots.
The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dr. Danladi Jatau, pledged the legislature’s support for the programme.
Jatau recalled that the Constitution empowers the House of Assembly to exercise oversight over local government finances, while commending Governor Sule for his transparency regarding federal allocations to the state.
The flag-off ceremony was followed by a technical session on the standardised website template, during which participants examined the framework for implementing the digital disclosure initiative.
Aliyu reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working with the Nasarawa State Government, NITDA, local government councils and citizens to ensure that transparency and accountability become sustainable practices at the grassroots.
