Six Nigerian states are yet to publish their audited financial statements for the 2024 fiscal year. Five of them are already past their statutorily implied deadlines, FIJ has found.
The states are Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau and Rivers. In Akwa Ibom’s case, its amended 2021 audit law gives the auditor general up to nine months to publish the report online after submitting it to the House of Assembly. The accountant general has six months to present the books, followed by a 90-day audit and submission period.
In the other five states, audit laws differ in the year they were enacted or updated, but the process is similar.
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| S/N | State | Geopolitical Zone | 2024 Financials Published? | Legal Publication Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abia | South-East | Yes | — |
| 2 | Adamawa | North-East | Yes | — |
| 3 | Akwa Ibom | South-South | No (9 months) | 9 months |
| 4 | Anambra | South-East | Yes | — |
| 5 | Bauchi | North-East | Yes | — |
| 6 | Bayelsa | South-South | Yes | — |
| 7 | Benue | North-Central | Yes | — |
| 8 | Borno | North-East | Yes | — |
| 9 | Cross River | South-South | Yes | — |
| 10 | Delta | South-South | Yes | — |
| 11 | Ebonyi | South-East | Yes | — |
| 12 | Edo | South-South | Yes | — |
| 13 | Ekiti | South-West | Yes | — |
| 14 | Enugu | South-East | Yes | — |
| 15 | Gombe | North-East | Yes | — |
| 16 | Imo | South-East | Yes | — |
| 17 | Jigawa | North-West | Yes | — |
| 18 | Kaduna | North-West | No (6 Months) | 6 months |
| 19 | Kano | North-West | Yes | — |
| 20 | Katsina | North-West | Yes | — |
| 21 | Kebbi | North-West | Yes | — |
| 22 | Kogi | North-Central | Yes | — |
| 23 | Kwara | North-Central | Yes | — |
| 24 | Lagos | South-West | Yes | — |
| 25 | Nasarawa | North-Central | Yes | — |
| 26 | Niger | North-Central | Yes | — |
| 27 | Ogun | South-West | No (6 months) | 6 months |
| 28 | Ondo | South-West | Yes | — |
| 29 | Osun | South-West | Yes | — |
| 30 | Oyo | South-West | No (6 months) | 6 months |
| 31 | Plateau | North-Central | No (6 months) | 6 months |
| 32 | Rivers | South-South | No (no Legal basis) | No legal basis |
| 33 | Sokoto | North-West | Yes | — |
| 34 | Taraba | North-East | Yes | — |
| 35 | Yobe | North-East | Yes | — |
| 36 | Zamfara | North-West | Yes | — |
The accountant general must submit the financial documents to the audit office within three months after the financial year ends. The auditor general is then required to audit the report, send it to the House of Assembly and publish it immediately.
The Ogun State Audit Law (2021), Rivers State Audit Law (2021, as amended), Akwa Ibom State Audit Law (2021), Oyo State Audit Commission Law (2021) and Plateau State Audit Law (2021) all set out these requirements. In Rivers, however, publishing the audit is left to the discretion of the auditor general.
In past years, these states have published their audits between June and August. Some have also been ranked among the lowest in transparency. The CJID Openness Index, released in July 2024, placed all six in the bottom tier along with 10 others.
On Friday, FIJ reported Akwa Ibom’s repeated disregard for budgetary transparency despite binding provisions in its Fiscal Responsibility Law.
READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom Hides Spending Details in 3-Page Budget Report Again
Only two states — Yobe and Ekiti — scored above average for transparency and accountability in 2024, with 73 per cent and 54 per cent, according to the Subnational Audit Efficacy Index, published by the Paradigm Leadership Initiative.
The annual assessment, which measures financial transparency and policy adoption across Nigeria’s state governments, shows a familiar trend: stagnation or decline.
The post It’s Past Deadline, 5 States Fail to Publish 2024 Financial Statements appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.