50% of states in Nigeria ‘don’t have modern audit laws’

The Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), a civic organisation fostering public accountability, says 18 states in the country do not have “modern” audit laws.

The organisation listed Delta, Jigawa, Kaduna, Lagos, Niger, and Rivers as states with the most “potent” audit process in the country, while Oyo, Sokoto, Imo, and Benue were said to have “the least potent audit mechanisms”.

Olusegun Elemo, PLSI executive director, on Monday, said: “The lack of independence of the legislative arm of government at sub-national level is a cause for concern and this is evident by the recent call for legislative and judicial autonomy across the 36 states of the federation.

“Similarly, the failure on the part of sub-national audit institutions to allow for citizens’ participation in the audit process renders audit functions inadequate and unable to facilitate sustainable development.

“It is disappointing to know that 50 percent of the states including Sokoto, Imo, Osun, Benue, and Anambra do not have modern audit laws that should guarantee independence of the auditor-general in their states and enhance effective stakeholder involvement in their states’ audit process.”

The director said public audit is a very important process that would curb corruption and guarantee transparency.

“Public audit no doubt plays a significant role in improving government’s spending and revenue capacity by limiting fiscal behaviors that result in waste, misallocation or misappropriation and corruption,” he said.

“It is important to recognise the impact of sub-national audit which is aimed at strengthening public finance management and accountability structures at state and local levels as is the practice at the national level.”