Lagos Assembly Launches Fresh Audit of 57 Councils

• Lagos lawmakers have started a financial audit of all 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs across the state.
• The exercise is backed by the 2024 Local Government Administration Law and Assembly Standing Orders.
• Officials say findings will shape reforms and future legislative actions at the grassroots level.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has opened a sweeping financial audit of all 20 local government areas (LGAs) and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs), signalling a renewed push to strengthen accountability and financial discipline at the grassroots level.

The exercise, which officially began on Wednesday at the Lateef Jakande Hall in Ikeja, brings council leadership across the state under close legislative scrutiny, with lawmakers aiming to assess how public funds have been managed over the past financial year. It also marks one of the most extensive council-level financial reviews undertaken by the Assembly in recent years.

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Nureni Akinsanya, who declared the audit open, said the initiative was designed not as a witch-hunt, but as a corrective process that would help councils improve governance standards, transparency, and public trust.

According to him, the review is being carried out in line with Section 52 of the Local Government Administration Law 2024 and Rule 116 of the Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly, giving it full legal and procedural backing.

The Lagos Government says it is a move to strengthen financial discipline

Akinsanya explained that the audit would focus on identifying financial lapses, procedural breaches, and weak administrative practices within councils, while also offering guidance on how such shortcomings can be corrected going forward.

“This exercise is very important to check records and ascertain whether things are done rightly or wrongly,” he said. “Where there are errors, corrections will be made, and officials will be properly guided on the right course of action.”

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He added that beyond exposing irregularities, the broader goal was to build stronger systems of accountability that ensure public funds are used efficiently and in line with due process. In his words, the Assembly wants councils to emerge from the process better equipped to manage resources and deliver services to residents.

Who is appearing and what happens next

As part of the audit, Akinsanya disclosed that the committee would critically examine the 2023 report of the auditor-general for local governments, describing the review process as objective and free from political interference.

Officials expected to appear before the committee include council chairmen and vice-chairmen, leaders of legislative arms, executive committee members, council managers, treasurers, and other key financial officers. Each is expected to defend their records and clarify discrepancies where they exist.

The committee chairman also assured that once the exercise is concluded, its findings and recommendations would be formally presented to the House for legislative consideration and possible action.

Epe LGA, Ikoyi-Obalende LCDA, Ifelodun LCDA, Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, and Ojo LGA were the first councils to undergo the audit, setting the tone for what lawmakers say will be a comprehensive and rigorous process across all 57 councils in the state.