Kano, Borno, Benue ranked low in audit disclosure

A report by the Paradigm Leadership Initiative (PLSI) has ranked Kano, Borno and Benue States the lowest sub-nationals in public disclosure of their audit report to account for spending by government agencies.

The report titled Sub-national Audit Efficacy Index 2022, showcased levels of transparency and accountability operational in the management of public funds and implementation of public policies in all 36 states of the federation.

The report, which ranked Akwa Ibom, Yobe and Katsina states high in public disclosure of government spending revealed that 21 states did not publish a full audit report for 2021 online as against 19 states that did not publish for the 2020 financial year.

It said only 10 states have implemented legal provisions to activate administrative independence for the Office of the Auditor-General while 2 out of 36 states have made progress toward implementing financial autonomy for the Office of the Auditor-General.

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Speaking during the launch of the report yesterday in Abuja, the Executive Director of PLSI, Olusegun Elemo, said the report covered transparency in audit reports for 2021 financial year to see how state governments manage public funds and implementation of public policies.

He added that one of its findings is that none of the 36 states produced a standard performance audit report on government programs, projects, or policies in 2021 and only 12 out of 36 states published the Citizens’ Accountability Report for 2021 online.

Speaking, the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal said rising expenditure needs, public sector fraud, misappropriation and inefficient use of government resources have necessitated increased demand for enhanced and improved audit systems.