THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced that it will begin monitoring funds across the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
This was disclosed during the launch of its Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme (ACPP-LG) in Abuja on Thursday, April 3.
In his welcome speech at the event, the chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, explained that the initiative aims to detect and prevent the misuse of public funds, ensuring that resources allocated for national development are judiciously applied.
According to him, local governments play a vital role in delivering public services. However, many have struggled due to weak transparency mechanisms and the misappropriation of funds.
He said the ICPC initiative is urgent because over 60 per cent of corruption cases investigated by the commission at this level involve the diversion of public resources meant for critical projects such as healthcare and infrastructure.
“This decision ensures the direct disbursement of funds to local councils, removing undue state interference and creating a crucial opportunity for governance reform.
“As an anti-corruption agency, ICPC is committed to ensuring the success of this reform by enforcing compliance with anti-corruption laws and fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and efficiency.”
He added that the objectives of the programme are designed to strengthen financial management, governance standards, and proactive disclosure in local councils.
He stressed that key objectives include ensuring transparency in local government operations and decision-making, facilitating proactive disclosure of financial and administrative activities, enhancing public communication and citizen engagement in governance.
He stated that the fight against corruption at the grassroots level is for Nigeria’s future and urged all stakeholders to ensure that money meant for development is used for the people.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution, M.B. Abubakar, said the recent landmark judgement of the Supreme Court affirming the financial autonomy of local governments is a historic stride towards liberating the third tier of government from excessive state interference, thereby enhancing their effective capacity to deliver essential services to the grassroots.
He added that the significance of the judgement cannot be overstated, as it serves not only as a legal affirmation of constitutional principles but also as a moral directive towards fostering inclusive and sustainable development across the nation.
He stressed that the federal government remains resolute in its commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance at all levels, as encapsulated in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.
He commended the ICPC for its unwavering dedication to the cause of integrity, transparency, and good governance.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, Emmanuel Udende, who was represented at the occasion, said that as lawmakers, they are fully committed to enacting and strengthening legislations that promote accountability, transparency, and good governance at all levels.
He added that the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes will work tirelessly to support policies that guarantee the responsible management of public funds, ensuring that allocations meant for local governments translate into real development for the people.
He said that through oversight functions, the National Assembly will remain vigilant in ensuring that local government administrations are held accountable.
In his remarks, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, Kayode Akiolu, said the unveiling of the accountability and corruption prevention programme of the ICPC was timely and relevant and draws on the truism that prevention is better than cure.
Akiolu said the local government is the third tier of government and is clearly the closest to the people and requires all hands on deck to make the system work because they possess the capacity to impact the highest number of people in the country.
“Regrettably, in spite of years of reforms, the local government system continues to struggle to deliver on its mandate of taking good governance to the people in mostly rural areas and relieving other tiers of government of avoidable pressure.
According to Akiolu, the biggest impediment to the effectiveness of the local government system was its capture by state governments.
He added that good governance is achievable in Nigeria and called for the urgent need for unity of purpose in the nation with the anti-corruption fight.
Highlighting how the assessment of the 774 local government areas will be conducted, the spokesperson of the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said the methodology will be based on five focal points, which include fiscal transparency, open procurement, human resources, corruption control, and citizen engagement.
Bakare said that by focusing on these areas, the ICPC aims to strengthen governance structures, enhance service delivery, and restore public trust in local governments.
The ACCPP-LG is organised by the ICPC in partnership with the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
There were goodwill messages from a former Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio, the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Others include, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).
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This is a good development, please strengthen the Internal Auditors of the various Local council too, because they are involved in internal control of the council.