FRC FEATURED AT LAUNCH OF NIGERIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT INTEGRITY INDEX BY CeFTPI
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) was prominently featured at the presentation of the Nigerian Local Government Integrity Index (NLGI) organized by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) on Friday, October 3, 2025, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The event brought together key stakeholders from government agencies, civil society, academia, and the media to deliberate on strengthening accountability and transparency mechanisms at the grassroots level.
In his welcome address, Dr. Umar Yakubu, Executive Director of CeFTPI, noted that the NLGI was designed as a comprehensive, evidence-based tool to assess governance performance and corruption risks across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. He explained that the index evaluates accountability frameworks using eight critical pillars, including fiscal transparency and accountability, financial capacity, anti-corruption enforcement, post-election governance and sustainability, civic oversight and media freedom, public service delivery outcomes, digital infrastructure and e-governance, and security environment.
Dr. Yakubu emphasized that while the recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments is commendable, it also magnifies the urgency of instituting effective monitoring and accountability systems to ensure that autonomy translates into improved service delivery.
Representing the Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Victor Muruako, Esq., the Commission’s Special Adviser, Dr. Chris Uwadoka, commended CeFTPI for the initiative. He underscored that the index aligns with FRC’s mandate of promoting fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability across all tiers of government. According to him, the tool provides a vital framework for civil society advocacy, oversight institutions, and citizens to hold local government leaders accountable for public resources.
The launch attracted representatives from anti-corruption agencies, oversight bodies, the media, and development partners, all of whom acknowledged the index as a much-needed intervention in Nigeria’s governance landscape.
Stakeholders agreed that the true value of the NLGI lies in how it will be applied going forward—serving as an instrument for reform, civic engagement, and improved service delivery at the grassroots level.