03/11/2025
FIDAC HAILS AUDITOR-GENERAL FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS, KANO STATE, FOR PIONEERING THE MAIDEN CITIZENS’ ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT (CAR): A NEW ERA OF TRANSPARENCY AND FISCAL DISCIPLINE
The Fiscal Discipline and Development Advocacy Centre (FIDAC) commends the Office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments, Kano State, for pioneering the maiden Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR) — a landmark achievement in subnational transparency, fiscal discipline, and participatory governance across the State’s 44 Local Government Councils (LGCs).
The CAR presentation, held from 30th October to 2nd November 2025 in Kaduna, brought together a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministries for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Finance, Planning and Budget, the Office of the State Auditor-General, academia, civil society organizations, and community-based groups. The forum served as a reflective platform for knowledge sharing and reaffirmed collective commitment to strengthening accountability and fiscal responsibility at the grassroots level.
A Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR) is a reform-oriented governance instrument designed to bridge the information gap between citizens and their government. By translating complex fiscal data into simplified and accessible information, the CAR empowers citizens to understand government spending, assess performance, monitor progress, and hold duty bearers accountable for the use of public resources. Typically, the CAR provides concise insights on financial performance, capital projects, programme outcomes, challenges, and remedial actions — making local governance measurable, transparent, and reviewable in the public domain.
The presentation of Kano State’s first-ever CAR represents a watershed moment in grassroots accountability. It demonstrates the readiness of all 44 LGAs to institutionalize transparency, entrench fiscal prudence, and rebuild citizens’ trust in governance. This initiative aligns with the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and mirrors international standards in participatory budgeting, open contracting, and performance-based reporting.
FIDAC also commends the local governments for their ongoing reform efforts, including the adoption of the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA) and the integration of local development planning frameworks across the 44 councils. These reforms illustrate a deliberate, structured, and coordinated approach to public financial management and evidence-based decision-making at the subnational level.
While celebrating this milestone, FIDAC urges the Ministry for Local Government to ensure the annual conduct of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Medium-Term Revenue Target (MTRT) exercises in line with the Kano State Public Financial Management Law, 2020. This will promote fiscal predictability, coherence, and transparency across all LGAs while strengthening the State’s fiscal governance system.
Furthermore, FIDAC calls on the Kano State House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee to ensure that all audit queries raised in the report are diligently resolved in accordance with the provisions of the law. The Centre also appeals to the House of Assembly to draw the attention of both the Commissioner, Ministry of Finance, and the Chairman, Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) to the statutory requirement that 10% of the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) be earmarked and disbursed monthly to the 44 LGAs, as stipulated in the Kano State and Local Government Revenue Administration (Consolidation and Codification) Law, 2021.
FIDAC further emphasizes the need for broader stakeholder engagement — including women, youth, traditional institutions, private sector actors, grassroots networks, and the media — in the dissemination and validation of subsequent CAR editions. Such inclusivity will deepen public participation, foster collective ownership, and reinforce the accountability ecosystem in Kano State.
The Centre expresses hope that, in the near future, each Local Government Council (LGC) in Kano State will independently prepare and present its Citizens’ Accountability Report annually. Likewise, FIDAC urges the Office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments to expedite the translation of the CAR into Hausa for wider public access and understanding, ensuring that all citizens — regardless of literacy level — can engage meaningfully with the report.
FIDAC commends the Kano State Government, under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, for fostering an enabling environment that promotes innovation, probity, and citizen-centered governance. The Centre acknowledges the administration’s continued support for reforms that strengthen local accountability and bring the dividends of democracy closer to the people.
Once again, FIDAC extols the Auditor-General for Local Governments, Kano State, for his visionary leadership, technical diligence, and unwavering commitment to promoting transparency and fiscal responsibility. The Centre encourages him to sustain this momentum and continue deepening citizen participation and stakeholder engagement in subsequent accountability processes.
In conclusion, the Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR) symbolizes more than a document — it represents a social contract between government and citizens, a replicable model of open governance and fiscal citizenship worthy of emulation across Nigeria.
FIDAC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to partnering with both state and non-state actors to advance integrity, fiscal discipline, and inclusive governance for sustainable development and equitable growth across all levels of government.
Abdussalam Muhammad Kani, Ph.D, FCFA
Executive Director, FIDAC,
Driving Fiscal Discipline & Accountability for a Better Nigeria CAC/IT/NO.189712 About us FIDAC NIGERIA The Fiscal Discipline and Development Advocacy Centre
