The Federal Government is planning a central transparency portal that will put the finances and development activities of Nigeria’s 774 local governments under the watch of the public.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this in Abuja while presenting “Nigeria’s Reforms Scorecard: Benefits, Costs and Harms Prevented.”
Under the proposed system, Nigerians would be able to select any local government and view its allocations, development plans, annual budgets and audited accounts—giving citizens a clearer picture of what their councils receive and what they are expected to deliver.
Oyedele said the initiative was driven by the need to ensure that the massive increase in public revenue reaching sub-national governments translates into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“This is where people feel the impact of government the most,” he said.
The figures underline the scale of the resources involved.
In March 2026, the three tiers of government shared N2.036 trillion from the Federation Account, with states receiving N657.596 billion and local governments N468.826 billion.
By June, the total distribution had climbed to N2.551 trillion, with N838.208 billion going to states and N591.390 billion to local councils.
The trend has triggered growing demands for greater transparency and visible evidence of improved infrastructure and public services at the grassroots.
Oyedele said the portal would not be designed to give the Federal Government control over state or local government spending. Rather, it would provide citizens with the information needed to scrutinise how public resources are deployed.
He noted that Nigeria’s federal structure gives states and local governments authority over their statutory revenues, limiting the Federal Government’s ability to dictate how they spend the funds.
The minister said the Federal Government was nevertheless engaging sub-national governments on stronger accountability measures, adding that some states had expressed interest in adopting similar transparency platforms.
The proposed portal would potentially bring together information on the finances of all 774 local government areas, including available resources, budgeted projects and the extent of implementation.
The government says the reforms introduced since June 2023 have significantly expanded the fiscal resources available to the three tiers of government. Between June 2023 and December 2025, it estimated that the reforms generated N15.8 trillion in additional resources, with N10.4 trillion accruing to states and local governments and N5.4 trillion to the Federal Government.
But the minister acknowledged a critical gap: increased revenue does not automatically guarantee better governance.
The proposed transparency portal is therefore aimed at answering the question increasingly being asked by Nigerians: After the billions are shared, where is the money going?
If implemented effectively, the platform could transform access to local government financial information and give citizens a powerful tool to track allocations, scrutinise budgets and demand accountability for projects promised at the grassroots.
