EFCC to investigate local government operations to ensure accountability.

To guarantee responsible leadership, openness, and accountability in local government operations, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has promised to keep a careful eye on them.

This comes after the Supreme Court's recent decision to provide local governments financial autonomy.
It made this announcement on Monday in Abuja during a national discussion with the theme "Enthroning Accountability in Local Government in Nigeria" and hosted by Agora Policy.

"Good governance encompasses three essential elements: accountability, transparency, and citizen participation," stated Friday Ebelo, a spokesman of the EFCC Chairman. We require committed and development-minded people to oversee local government administrations if these components are to be successful.

The European Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) reaffirmed its dedication to closely examining the operations of local governments, saying, "We must make a deliberate effort to convey the presence of governance to our people, ensuring that citizens feel the impact of governance in their daily lives, particularly in areas such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.”
A greater emphasis on ensuring local governments are held responsible for their conduct is evident in the commission's warning that "business as usual" would not be permitted.

Waziri Adio, the creator of Agora Policy, underlined the need for reform in rural government regions, saying, "Local government areas are the least interesting to the public, least trusted, and least capacitated."

Adio pointed out that local government units are falling short of expectations even though they are supposed to carry out essential duties.

He quoted a 2008 Afrobarometer poll that stated, "Only 28% of citizens trusted local government administration, down from 58% in 2000."

With the words, "We need to fix the broken representative government by involving people directly in decision-making," he pushed for greater awareness, engagement, and accountability.

We need to increase awareness, engagement, and accountability," Adio continued. Mechanisms for responsibility that are horizontal, vertical, and diagonal are needed for this.
The MacArthur Foundation's Africa Director, Kole Shettima, underlined the necessity for reforming local administration by relating a story in which a villager was hoping President Buhari would resolve a local water problem.

This demonstrates our people's mentality, expecting the president to fix all problems," he said.

Shettima recognised local government initiatives to include citizens in decision-making and applauded the Agora Policy Centre for encouraging policy discussions.