ICPC says it has recovered over N5.3bn from local government accounts in seven states and the FCT

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has recovered over N5.3 billion from local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory after a review of their finances. The commission also said it is working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to get all 774 local government areas to publish their financial records online, according to Chronicle NG and Punch.

In a statement on Thursday, the ICPC's spokesman, John Odey, said chairman Dr Musa Aliyu made the disclosure in Nasarawa State at the launch of the ICPC-NITDA Local Government Websites Pilot. The scheme started in Nasarawa and is meant to improve transparency and accountability at the grassroots through digital disclosure.

“The ICPC has recovered over N5.3 billion from a review of local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, and is now moving to make councils across the country publish their finances online,” Aliyu said. “The recoveries show both the scale of the risk at the grassroots and what scrutiny can achieve, and the websites are the preventive side of the same effort.” The statement did not name the seven states.

He linked the plan to the Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling that upheld the financial autonomy of local government councils and the direct payment of their statutory allocations. “Autonomy brings responsibility. Funds that now flow directly to the councils must be spent openly and for the benefit of the people,” he said.

Aliyu said the websites would require councils to publish details of their budgets, allocations, revenue, expenditure, audits, debts, procurement, human resources, and ways for citizens to engage and to blow the whistle. “When these records are published regularly, citizens can follow the money, the media can ask informed questions, and oversight institutions can detect risks early, before they become losses,” he said.

The division of work is simple. NITDA will provide the technology, including domain registration, website development and hosting for at least one year, while the ICPC will supply the content standards and the accountability framework. Aliyu called on council chairmen to appoint dedicated officers to run the platforms and to make sure the information is accurate and regularly updated.

The announcement shows the commission trying to move from recovering money after the fact to making spending visible beforehand. Whether councils comply, and how quickly, will decide whether residents can really track allocations. The reports do not say when the remaining councils must go live.