The Fiscal Discipline and Development Advocacy Centre (FIDAC) has commended the Office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments, Kano State, for pioneering the first-ever Citizens’ Accountability Report (CAR), a landmark stride in promoting transparency, fiscal discipline, and participatory governance across the state’s 44 Local Government Councils.
In a statement issued on Sunday, FIDAC’s Executive Director, Abdussalam Muhammad Kani, described the CAR presentation, held between October 30 and 2 November 2025, in Kaduna, as a milestone event that brought together a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
Participants included representatives from the Ministries for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Finance, Planning and Budget, the Office of the State Auditor-General, academia, civil society, and community-based organizations.
According to Kani, the forum provided a reflective platform for knowledge sharing and reaffirmed a shared commitment to strengthening accountability and fiscal responsibility at the grassroots level.
He explained that the Citizens’ Accountability Report is a reform-oriented governance tool designed to bridge the information gap between citizens and their government. By simplifying complex fiscal data into clear, accessible information, the CAR empowers citizens to understand how public funds are spent, evaluate performance, and hold duty bearers accountable.
It typically highlights financial performance, project outcomes, challenges, and remedial actions to make local governance measurable and transparent.
FIDAC noted that the unveiling of Kano State’s inaugural CAR marks a turning point in subnational accountability, demonstrating the readiness of all 44 Local Government Areas to institutionalize transparency, entrench fiscal prudence, and rebuild public trust.
The initiative aligns with global open governance principles, including the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and mirrors international standards in participatory budgeting and performance-based reporting.
The Centre also commended the state’s ongoing reform efforts, such as the adoption of the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA) and the integration of local development planning frameworks across all councils, describing them as strategic steps toward evidence-based decision-making and improved public financial management.
While celebrating this milestone, FIDAC urged 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.
Such measures, it said, would promote fiscal predictability, coherence, and transparency across all local governments.
The Centre further called on the Kano State House of Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee to ensure that all audit queries raised in the CAR are diligently addressed in accordance with the law.
It also urged the Committee to remind the Ministry of Finance and the Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) of the statutory requirement that 10 percent of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) be allocated monthly to the 44 LGAs, as stipulated in the 2021 Revenue Administration Law.
FIDAC emphasized the importance of inclusive engagement in future CAR editions, calling for greater participation of women, youth, traditional rulers, the private sector, grassroots organizations, and the media.
Such inclusivity, the group said, would deepen public participation and reinforce the accountability ecosystem in the state.
The Centre expressed optimism that, going forward, each Local Government Council in Kano would independently prepare and publish its own Citizens’ Accountability Report annually.
It also urged the Office of the Auditor-General for Local Governments to translate the CAR into Hausa to ensure accessibility and understanding among citizens at all literacy levels.
FIDAC commended the Kano State Government, under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, for fostering an environment that promotes innovation, probity, and citizen-centered governance.
It lauded the Auditor-General for Local Governments for his visionary leadership and commitment to deepening transparency and fiscal responsibility, urging him to sustain the momentum.
In conclusion, FIDAC described the Citizens’ Accountability Report as more than a policy document, “a social contract between government and citizens,” and a replicable model of open governance and fiscal citizenship worthy of adoption across Nigeria.
The Centre reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with both state and non-state actors to strengthen integrity, fiscal discipline, and inclusive governance for sustainable development and equitable growth at all levels.
