ICPC Reports N5.3bn Recovery as Nasarawa Pilots Online Disclosure of Council Finances

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it recovered more than N5.3 billion after examining local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory.

ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu disclosed the recovery in Lafia on Thursday, 12 November, at the launch of a pilot programme to publish council finances online.

The commission is working with the National Information Technology Development Agency to extend the programme to all 774 local government areas, News About Nigeria reports.

Under the pilot, councils are expected to publish their budgets, statutory allocations, revenues, expenditure, audit records and debts in a standard format.

The websites will also carry procurement information and provide channels for residents to raise concerns. That would give residents a way to check how much their councils received and compare spending with the budgets those councils approved.

NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said the agency would register domain names, develop the websites and host them for at least one year.

Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Sule directed councils to verify the information they publish and offered to make Nasarawa the first state to disclose its own records of funds meant for councils.

Aliyu linked the push for disclosure to the Supreme Court’s July 2024 ruling directing that statutory allocations be paid directly to democratically elected councils.

He said lessons from Nasarawa would inform the nationwide rollout.