The Kaduna state Government say it is poised to improve the credibility and participation of citizens in its audit process. This was disclosed by the state Auditor General, Abubakar Abdullahi, when receiving members of the Kaduna State Open Government Partnership Citizens Engagement Technical Working Group in his office on Monday 12 February, 2024.
While interacting with the team, the Auditor General assured the OGP Team of his offices’ readiness to work with the Civil Society to ensure fiscal transparency in the state through an open audit process.
He said The Office of the Auditor General will collaborate with civil society and media to develop a framework for participatory auditing. Stating that he will immediately appoint a civil society desk officer and make available the contact information of the officer to the civil society.
The TWG together with the civil society partners agreed to immediately submit a list of social audit teams made up of CDC Champions and other actors to participate during performance audit visits in the 23 LGAs.
The civil society partners committed to collaborating with the Office of the Auditor General to organize social audit public hearings focusing on health, education, rural infrastructure and social protection projects and interventions.
The TWG and Civil Society partners say it shall embark on an advocacy visit to the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the State House of Assembly on the timely reviews of reports and implementation of audit recommendations.
Both parties further agreed that the Civil Society in collaboration with the Office of the Auditor-General to develop a bi-annual score-card of the audit process.
On the sidelines of the visit the Auditor General spoke with Procyon News on the support that the office of the Auditor General has enjoyed from the Executive Governor of Kaduna state.
Read Full Details of the Communique below.
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE PARTNERSHIP VISIT BY THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP) TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON STRENGTHENING PARTICIPATORY BUDGET PROCESS CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS TO THE OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF KADUNA STATE
Preamble
Today, 12th February, 2024, the Co-chair of OGP State Action Plan (SAP III) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Strengthening Participatory Budgeting process led other civil society organizations working on participatory audit to a partnership visit to the Office of the Auditor General of Kaduna State. The visit was to introduce the new Co-chair and dialogue on strategies to strengthen participatory audit by delivering the audit-related milestones in commitment area one of the SAP III.
The team was received by the Auditor General alongside his management team. The civil society partners in attendance were members of the TWG, the OGP Civil Society Advisor, Steering Committee CS Co-chair, Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KAD-LGAM), Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), #OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub and media.
Discussion Points
The Auditor-General of Kaduna State was commended for his innovativeness and ensuring that the annual reports are now more timely and comprehensive – with the inclusion of compliance and performance audits.
Similarly, the Office of the Auditor General was applauded for its high level of transparency and openness to citizens’ engagement.
The Office is central to the anti-corruption effort not just through horizontal but also social accountability as envisaged in the OGP.
The TWG Co-chair intimated the Auditor General and his management team on the inclusion of two audit-related milestones in commitment area one of SAP III.
The two audit-related SAP III milestones are the development of a framework to support participatory audit with an annual scorecard published as well as timely publication and implementation of audit recommendations.
The need for the inclusion of civil society organizations during the performance audit visits to project locations was discussed, with all partners in agreement to pilot it during the 2023 audit process.
A request was made for the appointment of a civil society desk office in the Office of the Auditor General to enable improved information-sharing and collective action for effective participatory audit.
The civil society sought the collaboration of the Office of the Auditor General in carrying out social audit public hearings on health, education, rural infrastructure and social protection projects and interventions in communities in the State.
Similarly, the civil society team also sought the partnership of the Auditor General to ensure full compliance with Section 23 of the Audit Law 2021, which mandates that “the Accounting Officers in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State shall establish an Audit Committee.
There was an earlier circular mandating all MDAs to establish an audit alarm committee in line with the law, which is yet to be complied with. The Auditor General promised to issue another circular and this time around work with the civil society to ensure compliance.
It is evident that the Office of the Auditor General is now becoming more administratively independent with the establishment of the audit service board and appointment of an executive secretary in accordance with the law.
The Auditor-General report will be published timely as an independent website is being developed for the Office – adopting the same features as that of the Federal government.
With the coming of the current Auditor General, parastatals are now being audited and reported.
The Office of the Auditor General is fully in support of social audits and is ready to partner with civil society and the media, as this will further improve community ownership of projects.
The Auditor-General advised the civil society and media to engage more with the Public Account Committee (PAC) on the implementation of audit recommendations.
The information available in the Office of the Auditor General is becoming more reliable with all Internal Auditors using a customized template to ensure the reconciliation and signing of all financial statements before submission to the Director of Operations and Quality Control.
The annual reports hopefully will have a disaggregated audit of State government revenue expenditure separate from that of loans and grants gotten from development partners.
The Office of the Auditor-General now enjoys better cooperation of the State Executive Council through the Governor who has consistently ensured the involvement of the Office on new developments. EdState .commended the current administration for ensuring that the Office is provided the need cooperation and involvement.
Resolutions
The Office of the Auditor General to collaborate with civil society and media to develop a framework for participatory auditing.
The Office of the Auditor General will immediately appoint a civil society desk officer and make available the contact information of the officer to the civil society.
The TWG together with the civil society partners will immediately submit a list of social audit teams made up of CDC Champions and other actors to participate during performance audit visits in the 23 LGAs.
The civil society partners will collaborate with the Office of the Auditor General to organize social audit public hearings focusing on health, education, rural infrastructure and social protection projects and interventions.
The TWG and CS partners shall embark on an advocacy visit to the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the State House of Assembly on the timely reviews of reports and implementation of audit recommendations.
The CS in collaboration with the Office of the Auditor-General to develop a bi-annual score-card of the audit process.
Signed
Seth Luke
Co-chair
OGP SAP III TWG on Strengthening Participatory Budgeting Process
Abdulazeez Isa
Kaduna Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KAD-LGAM)
Waniya Ilu
#OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub
Yusuf Ishaku Goje
Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED)
Ehis Agbon
Procyon Radio and Television
