NGO, Journalists Seek Improved Transparency In Budget, Project Delivery In Osun Councils

A nongovernmental organization, Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development (IICSD) and journalists in Osun State have called for greater transparency, accountability and public access to information on budget implementation and project delivery across the state’s 30 local government areas.

The call was made during an interactive session themed “Reporting for Grassroots Accountability: Strengthening Osun Local Government Through Public Interest Journalism,” organised under the OsunOpenLG 2.0 Project at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Osogbo.

Participants at the event stressed that citizens deserve timely information on local government budgets, statutory allocations, procurement processes and the execution of projects funded with public resources.

Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of IICSD, Jare Tiamiyu, said transparency and accountability remain the bedrock of democratic governance, particularly at the local government level where public services have direct impact on citizens.

According to him, the OsunOpenLG Project was conceived to bridge the information gap surrounding local government administration by making governance information more accessible through research, media engagement, civic technology and citizen participation.

He noted that the second phase of the project had focused on strengthening media engagement and deploying innovative tools to improve public access to governance information.

Tiamiyu said, “The people deserve to know how much their local governments receive, how budgets are prepared, what projects are approved and how public funds are spent. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional responsibility.”

He urged journalists to intensify investigative and data-driven reporting on local government finances, procurement and service delivery, noting that consistent media scrutiny would encourage better governance at the grassroots.

The IICSD Executive Director also called on local government authorities to proactively disclose budget documents, procurement records and expenditure reports to enable citizens assess government performance and participate meaningfully in governance.

Participants were also introduced to Amoye, an artificial intelligence-powered WhatsApp civic assistant developed by IICSD to provide citizens with verified information on local government administration, statutory allocations, budgets, governance structures and civic rights.

Journalists at the session pledged to devote greater attention to grassroots governance by interrogating public spending, tracking budget implementation and highlighting issues affecting service delivery in local communities.

They observed that local governments remain the closest tier of government to the people and therefore require sustained public scrutiny to ensure efficient utilisation of public funds and improved delivery of essential services.