The Auditor-General of Osun State, Kolapo Idris, has recommended stricter controls over overhead funding to ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, that fail to render proper financial accountability.
Idris made the recommendation in his report on the accounts of the Osun State Government for the financial year ended December 31, 2025.
The report was presented during an audit forum held in Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday.
The forum was attended by heads of ministries, departments and agencies, representatives of civil society organisations, professional bodies and other stakeholders.
Speaking on the ministerial and non-ministerial accounts of the state, Idris said audit queries and observations were raised based on identified financial and administrative issues.
He identified negligence by some internal auditors, non-availability and improper preparation of accounting documents, fictitious expenditures and wrongly computed statutory deductions among the issues observed.
The Auditor-General also cited abuse of approval and payment processes as one of the concerns identified during the audit exercise.
To address the challenges, Idris recommended further training for accountants, account officers and internal auditors to improve their efficiency and service delivery.
He recommended, “Direct stoppage of the release of overhead to ministries that have not rendered proper accountability as noticed by the Auditor-General.”
Idris also called for strict compliance with standards guiding the preparation of accounting books and records, while urging the strengthening of the Inspectorate and Management Services Department in the Accountant-General’s Office.
He said, “And, sincerely speaking, over the years, Osun State has been doing well in following necessary financial regulations and appropriation laws.”
The Auditor-General noted an increase in revenue from the Federation Account but called for a more aggressive internally generated revenue drive, particularly through the informal sector.
He said, “Thousands of informal sectors need to be captured. What I expect of internal revenue is to make sure they are all well captured so that they can easily take whatever is due to the government from them.”
On revenue collection at motor parks, Idris said operators were expected to remit 70 per cent of accrued revenue to the state government while retaining 30 per cent.
He urged relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the government to improve revenue generation and strengthen the state’s financial position.
Idris said, “The total revenue inflow recorded by Osun State in 2025, comprising Federation Account Allocation Committee receipts, Value Added Tax, Internally Generated Revenue, capital receipts and development partners’ funds, stood at N363,628,291,927.66.”
He added that total expenditure for the year, comprising personnel, overhead, other recurrent and capital expenditures, stood at N385,682,554,674.77.
The report showed that the state’s opening balance for 2025 was N60,205,607,471.63, while the closing balance stood at N38,151,344,724.52.
The Auditor-General’s report also comes against the backdrop of an increase in Osun’s Internally Generated Revenue, which rose from N25.3 billion in 2023 to N54.7 billion in 2024, according to the state’s Financial Statements and Accounts for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Osun Auditor-General seeks stricter overhead controls for MDAs
Osun Auditor-General seeks stricter overhead controls for MDAs
