The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered more than 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 (NITDA) to ensure that all 774 local government areas in the country publish their financial records and other relevant information online.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, disclosed this during the launch of the ICPC-NITDA Local Government Websites Pilot in Nasarawa State.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the commission’s spokesperson, John Odey, Aliyu said the initiative was designed to strengthen transparency, accountability and corruption prevention at the grassroots through digital disclosure.
He explained that the recovery of over N5.3bn demonstrated the financial risks associated with local government administration and the importance of monitoring public funds.
“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,” he said.
“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 added.
Aliyu noted that the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local government councils and direct payment of their statutory allocations had made accountability in the management of public funds more important.
“Autonomy brings responsibility. Funds that now flow directly to the councils must be spent openly and for the benefit of the people,” he said.
He explained that the proposed websites would require councils to publish their budgets, statutory allocations, internally generated revenue, expenditure, audit reports, debts, procurement activities, human resources information and channels for citizen engagement and whistleblowing.
According to him, the platforms would enable residents, journalists and oversight institutions to monitor public spending and identify potential financial irregularities.
“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,” Aliyu said.
He said NITDA would provide the technological infrastructure, including domain registration, website development and hosting for at least one year, while the ICPC would establish the content standards and accountability framework.
The ICPC chairman urged local government chairmen to appoint dedicated officers to manage the platforms and ensure that published information was accurate and regularly updated.
He added that the commission would approach the initiative as a corruption prevention partnership rather than an instrument of witch-hunting.
In his remarks, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the initiative would improve governance, citizen engagement and economic opportunities by making government information more accessible.
“Our people are online; therefore, government needs to be online to serve them better,” he said.
Abdullahi said the agency would establish standards, develop website templates and train citizens, adding that the programme would eventually cover all 774 local government areas.
“Our ambition is not 774 websites. It is 774 digitally empowered local governments delivering better experience to millions of Nigerians,” he added.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who performed the launch, designated the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency as the state’s technical partner.
Sule directed local government councils to verify information before uploading it and ensure that their websites remained accessible and regularly updated.
He also urged the ICPC and NITDA to extend the transparency initiative to state governments, offering Nasarawa as the first state to participate.
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