A new report by BudgIT has revealed that only 10 states in Nigeria currently publish the annual budgets of their Local Government Areas (LGAs) online, highlighting gaps in transparency at the grassroots level.
The report, titled “The Missing Tier: Mapping Local Government Budget Transparency in Nigeria,” examined the availability of LGA budget data across the country.
It found that while budget documents exist at council secretariats, most are not accessible to the public through online platforms.
BudgIT noted that local governments play a key role in service delivery, yet access to their financial information remains limited for citizens and stakeholders.
According to the report:
- Only 10 states publish LGA budgets online
- Six states provide partial or incomplete data
- 18 states do not publish any LGA budget information
BudgIT stated:
“For most of Nigeria’s 774 local governments, those budgets are not publicly accessible online.”
The report identified Ekiti State as the leading state in LGA budget transparency. Other states listed include:
- Ebonyi
- Osun
- Kebbi
- Kogi
- Enugu
- Kaduna
- Yobe
However, the organisation noted that even among these states, many of the published budgets are either outdated, incomplete or not presented in user-friendly formats.
BudgIT highlighted that the absence of publicly accessible LGA budgets limits accountability and citizen participation in governance.
The report stated that although budget documents exist physically at local government offices, the lack of digital access restricts public scrutiny and oversight.
The findings underscore ongoing challenges in fiscal transparency at the local government level. Access to budget information is considered essential for monitoring public spending and ensuring accountability in governance.
The report also draws attention to disparities among states in adopting transparency practices for local government finances.
