The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned that corruption remains one of Nigeria’s defining challenges, stressing that the biggest leakages in governance are happening at the state and local government levels.
Speaking at a roundtable on strategic communication with Commissioners of Information from the 36 states, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, described transparency and accountability at sub-national levels as “a mirage.” He said while efforts at the federal level are ongoing, the real battleground against corruption lies in state and local governments, where failures in governance directly affect farmers, schoolchildren, and patients in hospitals.
Aliyu called on state governments to proactively disclose their budgets, procurement processes, and details of projects, insisting that “transparency builds trust and accountability sustains it.” He noted that citizens’ access to this information would strengthen public confidence, reduce corruption, and ensure service delivery where it matters most.
The ICPC boss explained that this was the second direct engagement with state executive councils, following last year’s meeting with State Attorneys-General across five geopolitical zones. He added that the commission was shifting emphasis toward preventive measures through consistent and strategic communication—beyond just information dissemination—to drive behavioral change.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to fighting corruption as one of his administration’s eight-point priorities. He stressed that anti-graft institutions like the ICPC and EFCC now operate with full independence and are not being used as instruments of political witch-hunts.
Recent ICPC findings support Aliyu’s concerns. Only seven out of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas currently have functional websites, limiting transparency and public access to governance information. More than 60 percent of corruption cases handled by the commission at the local level involve the diversion of funds meant for healthcare, education, and infrastructure. In addition, the ICPC revealed that statutory allocations and internally generated revenue are often stolen with impunity, with the commission recovering over ₦13 billion in unspent funds from various agencies.
Civil society organizations, including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), have also lamented how corruption and political interference continue to stifle local government autonomy despite Supreme Court rulings granting financial independence.
Analysts say the ICPC’s revelations highlight a governance crisis at the grassroots. Transparency gaps, diversion of service delivery funds, and weak local institutions have left millions of Nigerians vulnerable. However, with federal backing and preventive strategies now being emphasized, anti-corruption agencies believe there is still hope for reform if states and local councils embrace accountability and open governance practices.