The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed that just seven of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have functional websites where citizens can access vital information on governance, budgeting, and service delivery.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, made this known on Friday, August 22, during an interview on Channels Television, hosted by former presidential spokesman Laolu Akande. He noted that the lack of digital transparency is a nationwide issue, affecting all six geo-political zones.
“Recently, we launched a corruption prevention programme at the local government level, focusing on five key areas: open fiscal transparency, open procurement, corruption control, human resources, and citizen engagement,” Aliyu stated.
He said the commission expected local governments to establish and maintain websites to promote transparency and public accountability, but a recent assessment showed that only seven LGAs currently operate functional websites.
“What we discovered was that only seven local governments in the entire country have operational websites. That’s a major problem. We can’t physically monitor all LGAs, which is why we urge them to publish information online—to ensure transparency and public oversight,” he added.
Aliyu also highlighted ongoing concerns about the misuse of public resources by some officials. “You’ll find cases where a public officer, instead of installing streetlights for community use, installs them at his private residence,” he said.
To tackle such issues, the ICPC is actively monitoring the implementation of constituency projects to ensure they reach their intended beneficiaries. “We’re tracking projects in key sectors like education, health, agriculture, and empowerment through our Constituency Project Tracking Initiative. The goal is to ensure these resources serve the public, especially the most vulnerable,” he explained.
According to him, the initiative has already led to recoveries and forced underperforming contractors to return to project sites. “We monitor the national budget to assess how funds are spent. Where there’s underperformance or diversion, we intervene—and in many cases, contractors have been compelled to return to site,” he said.
Aliyu concluded by reaffirming the commission’s commitment to pushing for greater accountability, including supporting the passage of a bill on unexplained wealth in collaboration with the EFCC. He emphasized that transparency at the local government level is essential to strengthening governance and curbing corruption.
