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November 8, 2023

November 8, 2023 IFMNEWS

Only Three States Receive An ‘Excellent’ Rating In ICAN’s Audit Assessment

Only three of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) received a ‘good’ rating in ICAN’s ranking of state audit compliance as of October 2023.

According to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria’s accountability index, seven states received a ‘good’ rating, while the remaining 26 received a ‘fair’ rating.

In 2014, ICAN began audit rating states in order to analyze state governments’ financial management and accountability.

Ekiti, Lagos, and Osun received ‘excellent’ ratings.
Ogun, Kaduna, Edo, Delta, Kwara, Rivers, and Anambra are the seven states that received a ‘good’ rating.

Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara are among the states with a ‘fair’ grade.

The evaluation focuses on compliance with audit rules and regulations, as well as the quality and timeliness of audit reports, and each state receives a rating of Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.

“The rankings suggest an overall trend of improving compliance with the constitutional requirement to audit state and local council accounts since the introduction of the ICAN accountability index,” said Innocent Okwuosa, the 59th president of ICAN. However, significant heterogeneity persists between states, emphasizing the need for sustained efforts to establish consistent compliance and develop accountability practices across all Nigerian states.”

According to him, the rating provides useful insights into development and areas that require additional focus.

Ismaila M. Zakari, a former ICAN president and managing partner of Ahmed Zakari & Co, brought attention to the index during the FrontFoot Media Initiative Audit Reporting Workshop in Lagos on October 25 and 26, 2023.

Emeka Izeze, Managing Director of FrontFoot Media Initiative, stated that his organization offers audit reporting training to help strengthen media capacity and increase responsibility among state and local government officials.

Workshops have been held in Benin, Awka, Abuja, and Lagos by FrontFoot.

Students “learn how and where to locate the relevant reports, interpret the material, and write engaging news stories and features that will enlighten, stimulate, and empower the electorate, and discourage impunity” , according to his statement.

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023 IFMNEWS

Fuel Scarcity Hits Cross River, Leaving Passengers Stranded

Gasoline shortage has returned to Cross River State 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu declared the termination of gasoline subsidies.

In his inaugural speech, Tinubu claimed that the gasoline subsidy, which had been a persistent issue in the country, particularly between Organized Labour and the Federal Government, was no longer in effect.

On Tuesday morning, it was discovered that most of the fuel stations that supplied the product 24 hours a day were all locked up, leaving residents stranded.

According to reports, the Atimbo region of Calabar has six operating fuel stations, all of which were locked and not dispensing petroleum products.

Even though two of these fuel stations had fuel trucks arrive to discharge petroleum products, they were still not selling.

A male official at one of the petrol stations, who declined to speak on the situation, stated that they were merely carrying out directions.

Mr. Effiong Nsa, a minibus driver, stated that the majority of the fuel stations that were closed had the products and sold fuel the day before.

June 22, 2021

June 22, 2021 IFMNEWS

Broom Scarcity Hits Cross River As APC Orders For 3 Million Bunches

The broom is the symbol of the APC, so the political party is buying up all the bunches in the market to make a statement.

To welcome new members into its fold, the Cross River State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has placed an order for three million bunches of brooms from local broom makers.

Recall that on May 20, 2021, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River announced that he was dumping the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC in order to accelerate development in his state.

Ayade and the APC now want to take as many members from the PDP into the APC as possible, and this broom purchase is considered a necessary step.

APC Publicity Secretary in Cross River, Bassey Ita, told journalists in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, that the broom, which is the symbol of the APC, has suddenly become scarce in the state, following the influx of new members, in the wake of Governor Ayade’s defection.

“To address the challenge, the party ordered for three million bunches of brooms from local suppliers to meet the growing demand,” Ita said.

“It is no longer news that the broom revolution has since hit our dear state, following the defection of our amiable governor to our party.

“But what is now news is that broom scarcity has hit Cross River as millions of our people continue to identify with the party.

“Last weekend, local government chairmen, councillors, federal and state lawmakers, alongside 100,000 of their supporters in Bekwarra, Ikom and Etung council areas joined the party,” Ita added.

The APC has paid tribute to “the tenacity of purpose and single-mindedness of the people of the state for aligning with the governor in his drive to socket Cross River to the centre."