States lack accountability, others says report
• Ekiti, Yobe rank first on transparency, funds management • Lagos occupies 36th position
SAudit Efficacy ( SAE) Index report for 2023 has ranked Ekiti and Yobe states first and second on transparency and accountability in the management of public funds and implementation of public policies.
The report further said none of the 36 states produced standard performance audit reports on government programmes, policies and projects, adding that only eight out of 36 states published Citizens Accountability Report for 2022, and that five states have effective public accounts committees, while only two states published their yearly activities.
The performance rankings showed that Ekiti and Yobe states came first with 73 per cent, followed by Akwa Ibom State with 60 per cent, while Kaduna, Gombe, Osun, Anambra and Bauchi followed, scoring 53 per cent, 45 per cent, 44 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.
Lagos State was ranked the least state in the accountability and transparency in the management of public funds as it ranked 36th position with five per cent, followed by Benue State, 10 per cent; Abia 12 per cent; Jigawa and Rivers, 15 per cent; Bayelsa, Ebonyi and Ogun state scored 17 per cent.
The report further revealed that four out of 36 states made progress towards implementing financial autonomy for the office of the Auditor General, adding that only 12 states had implemented legal provisions to activate administrative independence for the Office of the Auditor General.
It also revealed that 21 states did not publish audit reports for the 2022 financial year online, which is similar to the 2021 scenario, adding that two states did not publish audit reports or audited financial statements for 2022 online.