The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos for the 2023 general election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has called for immediate publishing of Lagos audited account.
This was contained in a statement forwarded to TRIBUNE ONLINE on Thursday.
According to him, the APC-led administration in the State has overspent on major public projects compared to other African countries, without delivering proportionate quality.
He, however, urged Lagosians to continue demanding transparency and accountability from the state government adding that the latter must be held accountable for their programmes and policies.
Full statement below;
The Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting public accountability in Nigeria, has released the 2023 edition of its annual flagship research report – the Subnational Audit Efficacy (SAE) Index. This index assesses the level of transparency and accountability in the management and utilization of public funds, as well as the implementation of public policies across all 36 states of the federation, through public audit and the involvement of key actors in the public audit action cycle.
Regrettably, the Lagos State Government received the lowest ranking due to opacity and a lack of financial accountability. The report highlights the absence of any evidence indicating that the Office of the Auditor General for Lagos State conducted performance audits on government projects, programs, or policies in 2022, a significant deviation from global best practices. Additionally, there is no indication that the Public Accounts Committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly initiated or completed a review of the 2022 Auditor-General’s report on the accounts of the Lagos State Government.
Furthermore, the audited financial statements for the 2022 financial year published by the Lagos State Government are inaccessible. According to a civil society organization, the media and civil society groups are intentionally excluded from the activities of the Office of the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee, thereby undermining transparency and accountability in the audit process of Lagos State.
The APC cannot continue to run the affairs of Lagos state and its commonwealth like a cartel that lacks transparency and accountability. Lagosians deserve to know how their monies are spent and if they are getting commensurate value for the said sum. Recall that last year a leaked document from the Public Procurement Agency revealed gross financial misappropriation for which the government has yet to account for till date.
Historically, the APC-led government in Lagos State has overspent on major public projects compared to other African countries, without delivering proportionate quality, a practice that cannot continue unchallenged.
I hereby demand the immediate publication of the audited financial statements of Lagos State for the past five years. I also urge every tax-paying resident to continue demanding transparency and accountability, as those in Alausa are not rulers but stewards who must be answerable for their stewardship.
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