The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered more than ₦5.3 billion following a review of local government accounts across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The commission also announced plans to collaborate with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to ensure that all 774 local government areas in Nigeria publish their financial records and other relevant activities online.

The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, during the inauguration of the ICPC-NITDA Local Government Websites Pilot.

He explained that the initiative, which commenced in Nasarawa State, was designed to strengthen transparency and accountability in local government administration through digital disclosure.

According to Aliyu, the recovery of over ₦5.3 billion exposed the scale of financial irregularities at the grassroots level and demonstrated the importance of monitoring public funds.

He noted that the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local governments and directing the direct payment of their statutory allocations had made accountability in the management of council resources more important.

He stressed that financial autonomy must be accompanied by responsible management of public funds, insisting that allocations received by local governments should be used transparently for the benefit of residents.

The ICPC chairman explained that the proposed websites would operate through a standardised template developed under the commission’s Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Governments.

He said councils would be required to publish information covering five major areas, including financial records, public procurement, human resources, citizen engagement and corruption prevention.

The financial disclosures would include budgets, statutory allocations, internally generated revenue, expenditure, audit reports and outstanding debts.

Other sections would provide information on procurement activities, staff records, public feedback mechanisms and channels through which residents could report suspected wrongdoing.

Aliyu said the platforms would enable citizens to monitor government spending, while journalists and oversight agencies would have access to relevant records to identify possible financial irregularities before they result in losses.

He urged local government chairmen to appoint dedicated personnel to manage the websites and ensure that information uploaded was accurate and regularly updated.

The ICPC chairman clarified that the initiative was intended to promote corruption prevention and accountability rather than target local government officials.

He added that lessons from the Nasarawa pilot would guide the programme’s expansion to other states.

In his remarks, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the project was expected to improve governance, strengthen citizen participation and create economic opportunities.

He highlighted the difficulties residents in remote communities face when seeking information about government projects or attempting to submit complaints, noting that some travel long distances to access such services.

Abdullahi disclosed that NITDA would provide technical standards, develop website templates, train citizens and support the maintenance of the platforms.

He further revealed that the agency had committed to registering domain names, developing and hosting websites for all 774 local government areas for at least one year.

According to him, while NITDA would provide the technological infrastructure, the ICPC would establish the accountability framework and standards guiding the information to be published.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who officially launched the pilot programme, designated the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency (NASITDEA) as the state’s technical partner.

Sule directed local government councils to take responsibility for ensuring that information published on their platforms was accurate, verified and regularly updated.

He maintained that the effectiveness of the initiative would depend on how accessible, relevant and current the information remained, rather than the ceremony marking its launch.

The governor also challenged the ICPC and NITDA to extend the transparency initiative to state governments, offering Nasarawa as the first state willing to make similar financial disclosures.

He said publishing information on local government allocations would help residents identify where funds intended for councils were being delayed or withheld.

Sule further argued that making allocations publicly accessible would address excuses by some councils over unpaid workers’ salaries on the grounds that their statutory funds had not been received.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I (retd.), commended the ICPC, NITDA and the Nasarawa State Government for introducing the initiative.

The Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Dr Danladi Jatau, also pledged the legislature’s support, noting that the Constitution empowered state assemblies to oversee local government finances.

The inauguration ceremony, held at the Government House Banquet Hall in Lafia, was themed “Deepening Transparency and Accountability at the Grassroots through Digital Disclosure.”

The event concluded with a technical session on the standardised website template to be adopted by local government councils nationwide.

The initiative builds on the ICPC’s accountability programme introduced following the Supreme Court’s landmark July 11, 2024 judgment on local government financial autonomy.