CSO demands online publication of Akwa Ibom local government councils’ budgets

A civil society organisation, Policy Alert, has called on local government chairpersons in Akwa Ibom State to comply with the state’s Fiscal Responsibility Law by publishing their fiscal documents online to promote transparency and accountability in grassroots governance.

The organisation made the call on Monday during an advocacy visit to the Chairperson of Okobo Local Government Area, George Henshaw, as part of its project titled “Prioritising Communities, Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Local Government Administration.”

Akwa Ibom’s Fiscal Responsibility Law, codified as Volume III, Cap 56 of the Laws of Akwa Ibom State 2022, mandates the 31 local government councils in the state to publish their fiscal documents online.

Section 47(2) of the law requires all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including local governments, to maintain functional online portals for publishing critical fiscal documents such as proposed and approved budgets, budget implementation reports, individual MDA performance reports and audited financial statements.

However, findings show that many local government councils in the state do not operate functional websites. A search of the few councils with online portals, as well as the state budget website, did not yield any published budget documents for any of the councils.

Akwa Ibom is among the few states in Nigeria where local government budgets are not available online, a situation Policy Alert says undermines citizens’ right to information and weakens public oversight.

Speaking during the visit, the Monitoring and Evaluation Lead on the project, Faith Paulinus, asked the Okobo council to make its budget and other fiscal documents publicly accessible through an online platform.

“Citizens will better appreciate governance when they can see and engage with budget documents. Putting these documents online will deepen trust and participation,” Mr Paulinus said.

He explained that, with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, Policy Alert plans to partner with the council to organise town hall meetings or quarterly budget forums to provide residents with timely updates on budget performance, key projects, and service delivery outcomes in Okobo.

Mr Paulinus said the initiative targets young people aged 18 to 35, with the aim of strengthening their capacity to engage with local government processes through budget literacy, advocacy, and civic participation.

According to him, the organisation has already trained several youths across the state’s local government areas and is seeking to collaborate with councils to institutionalise structured dialogue between citizens and public officials.

He added that the advocacy visits would extend to all 31 local government councils in the state to push for compliance with fiscal transparency provisions.

READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom shifts school holiday for measles-rubella vaccination

So far, Policy Alert has visited the chairpersons of Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Ikono, Etinan and Ikot Ekpene local government areas of the state.

In his response, Mr Henshaw expressed willingness to partner with Policy Alert, saying his administration is open to hosting town hall meetings to better reflect citizens’ needs in service delivery.

He also said the council would consider the demand to publish its fiscal documents online, in line with the state’s fiscal responsibility requirements.