Anti-Corruption Drive: ICPC, NITDA Unveil Digital Portal to Track Allocations and Spending Across 774 LGAs
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have launched a joint digital transparency initiative that will require local government councils to publish key financial and administrative records online, as part of a major drive to strengthen accountability at the grassroots.
The initiative was launched in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, and NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi joined Governor Engr. Abdullahi Sule to flag off the pilot programme.
Under the initiative, local government councils are expected to publish their budgets, statutory allocations, internally generated revenue, expenditure, procurement records, audit reports, debts and other critical financial information on dedicated websites.
Speaking at the event, Aliyu disclosed that the ICPC had recovered more than ₦5.3 billion following reviews of local government accounts in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, describing the recovery as evidence of the importance of closer scrutiny of grassroots finances.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming local government financial autonomy and direct statutory allocations to councils.
Aliyu warned that greater financial independence must be accompanied by equally strong accountability mechanisms, insisting that direct access to public funds should not become a licence for financial opacity.
“Autonomy brings responsibility. Funds that now flow directly to the councils must be spent openly and for the benefit of the people,” he said.
The ICPC Chairman explained that the digital accountability framework would cover five broad areas: financial management, procurement, human resources, citizen engagement and corruption prevention.
Besides financial disclosures, the platforms will provide information on contracting activities and public-sector personnel while offering channels for citizen engagement and whistleblowing.
According to Aliyu, regular publication of these records would allow citizens to follow public expenditure, enable journalists to ask more informed questions and help oversight institutions identify potential financial risks before they result in substantial losses.
“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.
NITDA to Develop Digital Platforms for 774 Councils
NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa described the project as an opportunity to use technology to remove barriers between government institutions and citizens, particularly those in rural communities.
He illustrated the challenge with the example of a resident who might have to travel more than 60 kilometres simply to establish whether a community project had been approved or to lodge a complaint with local authorities.
“We are in a digital age. Our people are online; therefore, government needs to be online to serve them better,” he said.
Inuwa identified improved governance, stronger citizen engagement and expanded economic opportunities as major objectives of the initiative.
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He disclosed that NITDA would register domain names, develop the websites and provide hosting services for at least one year for all 774 local government areas. The agency will also establish technical standards, provide templates and support capacity development, while encouraging councils to engage local technology professionals in operating the platforms.
“Our ambition is not 774 websites. It is 774 digitally empowered local governments delivering better experience to millions of Nigerians,” Inuwa said.
Nasarawa Offers to Extend Disclosure to State Government
Flagging off the pilot, Governor Abdullahi Sule declared Nasarawa State’s readiness to champion implementation of the initiative, identifying the Nasarawa State Information Technology and Digital Economy Agency (NASITDEA) as the technical lead.
The governor directed local government councils to take responsibility for the accuracy and regular updating of information published online, warning that websites without reliable and current information would defeat the programme’s purpose.
Sule also encouraged journalists, civil society organisations and community institutions to use the platforms to monitor government activities and demand accountability.
He argued that once statutory allocations were disclosed publicly as they were received, councils would have less room to attribute failures such as unpaid salaries to uncertainty over the receipt of funds.
The governor went further by challenging ICPC and NITDA to extend the disclosure framework to state governments, offering Nasarawa as an early adopter.
ICPC Warns Against Abandoned Websites
Aliyu cautioned council chairmen against treating the initiative as another ceremonial project that would lose momentum after its launch. He directed the councils to designate responsible officers to verify, upload and regularly update financial and administrative information.
“A website is only as good as the information on it; one that is launched and then abandoned will only disappoint the people,” he warned.
The ICPC Chairman stressed that the Commission’s involvement was intended to strengthen corruption prevention and institutional accountability rather than target public officials unfairly.
He said lessons from the Nasarawa pilot would be used to improve the standardised template before nationwide implementation.
“Transparency is not an event. It is a habit that will lead to accountability,” Aliyu said.
The Emir of Lafia, HRH Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I (rtd.), welcomed the initiative, while the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dr. Danladi Jatau, pledged legislative support.
The launch was followed by a technical session on the standard website template and disclosure requirements expected of participating councils.
With local governments gaining greater control of their statutory allocations, ICPC and NITDA said the initiative is intended to ensure that financial autonomy is matched by digital transparency, citizen scrutiny and institutional accountability.
For Nigeria’s 774 councils, the initiative represents a significant shift towards a system in which citizens can increasingly track allocations, examine expenditure and procurement decisions, monitor projects and report suspected irregularities without having to visit government offices.
By PRNigeria
