A civil society organization, Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA) has called on Kogi state government to make public the state’s audit reports for 1999-2021.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Hamza Aliyu, INGRA said it is sad that states that are less endowed than Kogi State make public their audited financial books for citizens to access.
INGRA stated that the issue of accountability is a basic and fundamental problem in Nigeria, and specifically in Kogi state.
The CSO said details of expenditures are never made available to the public and the process of government procurement is shrouded in secrecy without the necessary auditing mechanism in place.
“Accountability and transparency has over the years been recognized as instruments of reduction of corruption at all levels of public sector. A lack of transparency and accountability in a government presents a major risk to the efficiency of the capital markets, financial stability, long term economic sustainability, economic growth and development.
“Section125(2) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, mandates the Auditor General of a State to audit ‘ALL offices and courts of the State…’ and submit the findings to the State House of Assembly. Section 125(4) states that these include ‘… all persons and bodies established by a law of the House of Assembly of the State’. The committee saddled with receiving this report is the PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE.
“The above shows the importance the Constitution gives to public sector accountability. Thus, it is surprising that despite these Constitutional requirements and directives, there is no such report before the Public Accounts Committee of the Kogi State House of Assembly in the recent times,” the statement said.
INGRA stated that state budgets are appropriated and executed without been accountable to the people. Kogi state ministries, departments and agencies spend public funds without an existing mechanism for checks to ensure that due process is followed, and value for money assured.
The CSO called on the Public Accounts Committee of the Kogi State House of Assembly, to as a matter of necessity, mandate the auditor general of the state to immediately place before it the Audited Reports for the periods 1999-2021.
It also called on the Auditor General of Kogi State to immediately perform his Constitutional responsibility as stated in Section 125 of the Constitution.
