Kogi State Government has announced plans to conduct a bi-annual audit of accounts of all the 21 Local Government Councils in the state.
The state Auditor-General For Local Government, Alhaji Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege disclosed this in Lokoja during an appraisal meeting with chairmen, treasurers, and directors of internal revenues of the local government councils.
The meeting was part of a routine performance review of financial activities of local government administration for the year 2024.
He said the decision to bark on bi-annual audit of the council financial accounts was to assess the performance of their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
He said this is aim at strengthening the councils’ fiscal discipline .
According to the Auditor-General, the forthcoming audit, scheduled for the next three months, will serve as a mid-year assessment to determine the level of progress made by the councils in improving revenue generation and blocking financial leakages.
“This audit is part of our statutory duty, but beyond that, it is a practical step to ensure that local governments begin to take responsibility for their financial health.
“We want to see measurable improvements and reforms on the ground,” he said.
Adabenege noted that many local government areas still struggle to meet their basic financial obligations due to underperformance in revenue generation, stressing that the situation must change through proactive leadership and teamwork.
He urged council chairmen to take ownership of the process, noting that as chief executives of their respective local governments, they would be held accountable for lapses recorded under their leadership.
“We discovered, during our recent review, that some revenue items were neglected or poorly tracked.
“This audit will not only help us identify such lapses but also encourage best practices across board,” he added.
The Auditor-General also emphasized the need for synergy among key financial officers, treasurers, directors in charge of internal revenue, and revenue officers.
He urged them to adopt more transparent and efficient mechanisms for collecting and remitting local revenues in accordance with the law.
According to him, the audit team would not only assess revenue figures but also engage local government officials directly on the field.
He added that some directors from his office have already been introduced to the councils to ease future interactions during the exercise.
Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kogi State chapter and the executive Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Hon. Tosin Olokun commended the Auditor – General for Local Government for the performance appraisal session.
Olokun described it as a timely opportunity for local councils to assess their internally generated revenue and learn from one another.
He further noted that the forthcoming bi-annual audit would serve as a benchmark for measuring improvements in revenue generation, following revelations from the 2024 financial records that exposed several overlooked revenue sources in the 21 local government areas in the state.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
