Lawmakers in Osun State have approved the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Bill, 2025, in a move aimed at tightening financial management at the local government level.
According to the Assembly, the new legislation is expected to boost transparency and improve the handling of public funds across the thirty local government areas and the area councils in the state.
Information from a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Olamide Tiamiyu, explained that the bill was crafted in line with Section 7 (1) of the 1999 Constitution which gives state assemblies the authority to make laws on local government finances.
Further details from the statement showed that the legislation is targeted at improving accountability, preventing misuse of funds, and ensuring strict adherence to financial procedures within the council system.
Under the new structure, authority to sign all local government accounts will now be vested in the Directors of Finance and the Directors of Administration and General Services in every council.
Another major provision in the bill bars political office holders and their aides from becoming signatories to local government accounts, a decision viewed as a protective measure against political interference in grassroots financial administration.
Speaking shortly after the passage of the bill, the Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, announced that the clean copy would be forwarded to Governor Ademola Adeleke for approval.
