Ahead of the implementation of local government’s financial autonomy, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has expressed concern over embezzlement in the local government system in the country.
This is as the anti-graft agency announced plans to launch a new initiative aimed at promoting transparency and accountability at the grassroots level.
The programme, titled the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Governments in Nigeria, is expected to address systemic corruption and financial mismanagement in the local government sector.
A statement on Thursday by the commission’s spokesman, Demola Bakare, said the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed this at a summit organised by the Gombe State.
In his presentation titled “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Local Governance: Strategies for Combating Corruption in Nigeria,” Aliyu lamented the deep-rooted issues of embezzlement, nepotism, contract inflation, and resource misallocation plaguing local government administration.
