By Elizabeth Oyeniwa
The Ondo State House of Assembly has started a three-day public hearing on the Auditor-General’s reports on the audited accounts of the 18 Local Government Areas for the 2023 and 2024 financial years.
The exercise is being conducted by the House Committee on Public Accounts. Its focus is to address outstanding audit queries, resolve financial irregularities, and clear backlogs in the councils’ financial records.
Declaring the hearing open, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Moyinolorun Ogunwumiju, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary, said the review was in line with Section 125(5) of the 1999 Constitution which mandates accountability in the management of public funds.
Hon. Ogunwumiju noted that ongoing reforms in the local government system have improved governance. He added that the public hearing was designed to sustain and consolidate those gains.
He commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his commitment to transparency and for granting the Committee the independence to carry out its duties without interference.
The Chairman also appreciated the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, for supporting the work of committees, and the Auditor-General for Local Governments, Mr. Charles Ojuolape, and his team for the timely submission of professional audit reports.
He urged officials of the invited councils to cooperate fully with the Committee and maintain decorum throughout the exercise.
“This is not a witch-hunt,” Ogunwumiju said. “It is aimed at strengthening accountability, correcting lapses, and improving financial management at the local government level.”
He encouraged all 18 LGAs to use the opportunity to address outstanding queries and align with best practices in financial record-keeping.
In his remarks, the Auditor-General, Mr. Ojuolape, thanked the Committee for its support, noting that it had enhanced the audit process.
He stressed that the review was constitutionally required to ensure independent scrutiny of council accounts. He urged the local governments to implement recommendations on revenue documentation and proper signing of financial documents.
During the first technical session, six councils appeared before the Committee to respond to queries.
They are: Ese-Odo, Akoko South-West, Okitipupa, Ondo East, Idanre, and Akoko North-East.
The councils took turns to explain issues raised in their audit reports.
Other Committee members, while reviewing the responses, advised the councils to uphold accountability and transparency, and to comply with recommendations from both the Auditor-General and the Committee.
The Committee is expected to continue the review with the remaining local governments over the three-day period.
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