By Hassan Turaki, Dutse
The Jigawa State and Local Governments Contributory Pension Scheme Board has concluded a two-day in-house training for internal audit staff to strengthen audit effectiveness and service delivery.
The workshop, themed “Narrowing the Expectation Gap Arising from Internal Audit Role: A Practical Approach,” was facilitated by the executive secretary of the scheme, Dr. Bilyaminu Aminu Shittu, at the board’s headquarters in Dutse.
Dr. Shittu said the training was designed to address challenges affecting internal audit operations. These include unclear schedules of duty, delayed audit reports, lack of documented guidelines and poor working relations with stakeholders.
Participants focused on practical solutions such as drafting a comprehensive schedule of duties, developing an audit manual for the scheme and building a more collaborative work environment between auditors and other departments.
The executive secretary emphasized that internal audit plays a central role in ensuring continuity, safety and stability of the pension scheme. He said the workshop would help auditors better understand their responsibilities and reduce misconceptions that often lead to friction.
He added that equipping auditors with practical skills would improve compliance with standards in accounting, internal control, investment and IT systems within the scheme.
Auditor General for Local Government Audit, Shehu A. Kaila, described the initiative as timely. He said it would sharpen staff capacity and raise the quality of service across the contributory pension system.
The training reflects the board’s broader commitment to institutional reform and accountability as it manages pension funds for state and local government retirees.
Officials said recommendations from the workshop would be incorporated into the board’s internal audit framework to guide future operations.
The exercise ended with participants pledging to apply the new knowledge to improve audit processes and stakeholder relations.
