Collective effort to share knowledge on best practices, harmonise audit standards and invest in capacity building will boost Nigeria’s ability to detect inefficiencies and foster a culture of transparency in governance.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu made made the assertion Wednesday at the 54th Bi-Annual Conference of the Body of Federal and State Auditors-General in Lagos.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, at the conference with the theme: ‘Nigerian Accountability Ecosystem: Leveraging on Performance Audit for Effective Governance and Transparency,’ Sanwo-Olu expressed the need for collaboration and innovation in promoting transparency and accountability in governance.
The governor said the theme of the conference resonated with the core objectives of good governance, which he listed as accountability, transparency and efficient use of public resources for the benefit of citizens.
“Accountability is the cornerstone of democracy, and auditors-general play a pivotal role in safeguarding the integrity of public institutions.
“Without accountability, governance becomes opaque and corruption thrives,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu charged the federal and state auditors-general to harness the power of technology, including data analytics, real-time monitoring and blockchain to revolutionise the audit process.
According to him, these will make auditing more efficient and less susceptible to manipulation.
The governor said Lagos State is committed to transparency and accountability with initiatives such as Lagos State Public Procurement Law, its Open Budget Portal, and digitisation of government services.
He noted that performance audit had been a key mechanism in evaluating policies and projects, enabling targeted reforms to yield tangible results.
“Performance audit is a powerful tool that goes beyond traditional financial auditing.
“It assesses whether government programmes and projects are achieving their intended objectives efficiently and effectively.
“By focusing on outcomes rather than just inputs, performance audits provide actionable insights that can drive improvement in governance,” he said.
The governor urged the auditors-general to embrace innovation in audit methodologies.
He also advised them to foster inter-agency and inter-governmental cooperation and advocate stronger legal frameworks which would empower auditors, urging them to remain committed to integrity and impartiality.
Sanwo-Olu commended the Body of Federal and States Auditors-General for the conference, expressing confidence that insights and resolutions from the gathering would significantly contribute to strengthening governance across Nigeria.
