Kogi Local Government Auditors Urged to Embrace AI »

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has urged Auditors-General for Local Governments across Nigeria to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to strengthen accountability, detect financial leakages and ensure public funds translate into meaningful development.

Ododo made the call on Monday at the Government House in Lokoja while declaring open the 30th Annual Conference of Auditors-General for Local Governments in Nigeria, holding from August 10 to 14, 2026.

The conference has the theme, “Repositioning Auditors-General for Governance Excellence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Towards Global Best Practices in Local Government Audit.”

Speaking from his experience as a former Auditor-General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Ododo said the responsibility of auditors extends beyond checking financial figures and preparing reports, stressing that public funds carry a moral obligation to citizens.

He said every budgetary provision represents a specific human need, whether a road requiring construction, a school needing attention, a hospital expected to provide healthcare or an opportunity capable of lifting young people out of poverty.

“Compliance is fundamental, but value for money must remain at the heart of public financial management,” the governor said.

Ododo noted that the financial autonomy of Local Governments, affirmed by the Supreme Court, had heightened the need for transparency, prudence and accountability at the grassroots.

According to him, greater financial autonomy must be matched by greater responsibility in the management of public resources.

He therefore challenged auditors to deploy data analytics, machine learning, predictive modelling, geospatial intelligence and other digital tools to identify unusual transactions, assess risks and facilitate early intervention.

The governor, however, cautioned that technology could not replace professional ethics, integrity and human judgment.

“Artificial Intelligence can identify a pattern; the auditor must understand what that pattern means. A machine can flag a transaction; professional judgment must determine whether it is an error, misconduct or a legitimate transaction,” he said.

Ododo also disclosed that his administration had continued to strengthen Kogi’s audit institutions following the commissioning of the Kogi State Audit House earlier in the year.

He said the state was equipping the facility with modern audit technologies, while contract audit staff engaged during his tenure as Auditor-General for Local Governments were being converted to permanent appointments.

The governor added that the state was preparing for a statewide recruitment exercise to strengthen manpower in its audit institutions.

He further disclosed that Kogi State had entered into a four-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation and the state’s audit offices for capacity development.

Ododo urged participants to return from the conference with more than resolutions, calling for renewed commitment to professional courage, independence, technological innovation and public service.

Earlier, the Auditor-General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Hon. Yakubu Siaka Adabenege, thanked the governor for approving the financing and hosting of the conference in the state.

Adabenege said the governor’s support reflected the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance.

He described the conference as an opportunity for auditors from across the country to develop new approaches to effective public-sector auditing.

The Kogi Auditor-General also pledged to discharge his responsibilities with diligence and integrity, stressing that auditing should go beyond detecting errors to strengthening systems, protecting public funds and building citizens’ confidence in government.

Also speaking, the Auditor-General for the Federation, Dr Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, commended the organisers for sustaining the annual conference and described this year’s theme as timely.

Chira said the increasing digitalisation of public financial management required auditors to develop new skills and methodologies to address emerging risks associated with digital transactions, electronic procurement, cybersecurity, automated systems and data integrity.

He warned that the use of AI must not be allowed to diminish auditors’ responsibility for professional and ethical conduct.

The Auditor-General for the Federation also stressed that greater financial autonomy for Local Governments should translate into improved roads, primary healthcare, basic education, water, sanitation, agricultural support and other services that directly affect citizens.

He called for sustained investment in human capital and urged auditors to acquire competencies in data analytics, digital auditing, cybersecurity, forensic techniques and other emerging technologies.