“Kwara Must Change” urges state audit office to expand methodology on citizens accountability report

• Seeks further explanation on audit terms

A leading pro-democracy group in Kwara State, “Kwara Must Change” has aknowledged the Kwara State Government’s effort in improving government accountability through transparency and open governance.

The group particularly commended the state audit office for its citizens accountability report, which gives details of income, expenditure, progress, infractions as well as areas without findings, such as assets, aids, grants, and investment, among others.

In a statement by Convener of “Kwara Must Change”, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group noted the impressive increase in capital expenditure in the year 2020 from 59% to 71% and reduction of recurrent expenditure from 41% to 29%, which indicated government’s priority in capital projects, particularly those nominated by citizens during the pre-budgetary citizens’ engagement.

“Kwara Must Change” also explained that, “it takes special notice of the observed infractions against financial regulations in the report,” adding that the group would take up the matter with appropriate government offices.

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According to Hamzat, “infractions against financial regulations by government institutions as noted in the citizens accountability report should not be allowed to become a norm in the state because our priority is to get Kwara to become the most transparent state in the country, away from its current 3rd position and the group would be engaging government on these issues in coming weeks.”

While it aknowledged the clarifications by the auditor general, Mr Adeyeye Omoniyi Samuel, that most of the observed infractions had been rectified, those information were not contained in the citizens’ accountability report it published, pointing out that the public could only react to the report as it was.

Hamzat maintained that, “Kwara Must Change’s” focus is to encourage and strengthen existing institutions to carry out their institutional mandate in line with their Establishment Acts and collaborate with them to build self correctional methods, “should we observe any deficiency in their operations.”

The group also sought clarifications from the state audit office over items such as assets, performance guarantee, investment, aids and grants, among others, which it described as: “no findings”.

“Kwara Must Change would like the state audit office to explain what it meant by “no findings” as contained in those items on the report, asking if the “no findings” coinage meant unavailable information or lack of any observation in the administration of its processes.”

“Kwara Must Change” requested that the state audit office should expand its methodology and accountability surveillance beyond the ministries by including agencies under them, through direct engagements.

It added that, state audit office should engage agencies under the ministries directly to ensure they were not only strengthened, but also functioning independently in line with their Establishment Acts, carrying out their implementation processes optimally and administering their budgets in line with the laid-down proceedures.