The Kogi State Government has unveiled plans to carry out a bi-annual audit of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) across its 21 local government areas as part of efforts to enhance fiscal discipline and transparency.
This was made known by the Auditor-General for Local Government, Alhaji Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, during a performance review meeting with local government chairmen, treasurers, and directors of internal revenue in Lokoja. The gathering focused on evaluating the financial operations of local councils for the 2024 fiscal year.
Adabenege explained that the audit—set to commence within the next three months—would act as a mid-year checkpoint to evaluate progress in boosting revenue generation and curbing financial irregularities.
“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.
He expressed concern over the continued financial underperformance of several councils, noting that many are still unable to meet their core obligations due to insufficient revenue collection. He called for more proactive leadership and collaborative efforts at the local level to reverse the trend.
The Auditor-General reminded council chairmen of their accountability in financial matters, emphasizing that as the heads of their respective councils, they would be held responsible for any lapses.
“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 the board,” he added.
Adabenege also stressed the importance of coordination among treasurers, internal revenue directors, and other key financial officers, urging them to implement more transparent and effective revenue collection systems in line with legal requirements.
He revealed that the audit process would go beyond examining figures on paper, as officials would be deployed to the field to interact directly with local government personnel. Some directors from his office have already been introduced to various councils to facilitate the upcoming exercise.
Speaking at the session, the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Kogi State and Executive Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Hon. Tosin Olokun, praised the Auditor-General for initiating the appraisal meeting. He described it as a timely platform for councils to evaluate their IGR performance and share insights.
He added that the scheduled bi-annual audit would provide a standard for tracking improvements in revenue efforts, especially in light of findings from the 2024 financial reports that highlighted multiple untapped revenue sources across the 21 local government areas.
