Adhere to Fiscal Responsibility Law, Publish Your Financial Documents-ActionAid, CIF Tell LG Chairmen in Akwa Ibom
By Ekemini Simon
ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with the Clement Isong Foundation have called on the 31 Local Government Chairmen in Akwa Ibom State to adhere to the Fiscal Responsibility Law of Akwa Ibom State 2019 by publishing their fiscal documents.
These documents they said include the Budget of local government councils, Budget Performance Reports and Audited Financial Statements.
According to section 48 (2) of the Fiscal Responsibility Law of Akwa Ibom State, “MDAS and Local Governments shall maintain different internet web portals where all their information including fiscal and financial reports, the approved annual budget, budget implementation reports, individual MDA performance reports and, in the case of the Auditor General, the reports of audited accounts of the State, shall be published.”
Section 59 (1) of the law adds that ” Any person convicted of an offence under this Law shall, in addition to other sanctions provided, be disqualified from holding any public office for a period of five years from the date of conviction.”
Speaking in an interview after Day-2 of the Institutional Strengthening and Agenda Setting Policy Dialogue with Akwa Ibom Local Government Leaders held by Clement Isong Foundation in Uyo last week, Head of Programmes, ActionAid Nigeria, Celestine Odo, called on local government administrators in Akwa Ibom State to publish the Fiscal documents of their local government areas thus show accountability in public service.
Odo who decried how citizens are unable to access fiscal documents of their local government area especially the budget said without citizen’s participation in governance and proper accountability, the resources of the people will not be maximally utilized.
While asking citizens to ask questions on how their funds are utilized, he added “In today’s gathering, the participants made demands that local government administrators should publish financial documents of their domain. It is the duty of citizens to ask government questions. Government must understand that they exist to solve the problem. When they understand this fact, the Government won’t find such demands offensive.
“The allocation has increased. It also means an increase in responsibility. When we showed people the amount LGAs receive monthly, people marveled implying that people don’t even have this information”.
Odo recommended that for the resources of local government to be effectively utilized, there is the need for local government administrators to stop assuming the needs of the people rather should engage the people through proper need assessment and effective budgetary participation with townhalls as one of the tools.
He recommended LGAs to look beyond Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by building their financial strength through domestic resource mobilization.
“For the government to address the needs of the people, it means going beyond FAAC. The LGAs should look at the Internally Generated Revenue potentials. They can put in place a technical team for domestic resource mobilization. There are donor organizations that can be explored. LGAs can package their programmes and engage directly with them. It must not be through the State.”
On his part, the Executive Director of Clement Isong Foundation (CIF), Elkanah Oluyuri noted that CIF has launched a portal called My LGA Gov Track where financial documents of local government areas will be domiciled.
Oluyori, who said local government councils can learn from the initiative and enhance it by providing a feedback mechanism to the people, said such initiative will bring governance closer to the people.
Earlier, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Civil Society Organizations, Harry Udoh noted that the civil society will continue to advocate for the Local Government administration to be more open while playing the watchdog role.