…Want Transparent, Judicious Use of Donated Funds

…Concern by Move to Channel it Towards Funding FG’s Supplementary Budget

The alliance of labour and over 70 civil society groups led by Lagos Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana has called for a people-driven management process for the billions of funds and materials received by the Federal and State Governments in the fight against COVID-19.

In a statement on Sunday, the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, (ASCAB), the biggest coalition of civil right groups on COVID-19 in Nigeria, said the Federal and State Governments have the obligation to ensure the judicious use of donations received from local and international organisations aimed at fighting COVID-19. 

ASCAB said it was deeply concerned about the position of the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed that the donation by the private sector would be channeled towards funding the Supplementary Budget of the Federal Government. The alliance said since the fund was donated to the people of Nigeria to combat COVID 19, it should not be used to fund the supplementary budget of the Federal Government alone.

“The funds should not be diverted into other areas. It has to be used to fund its specific and well defined objective,” the statement signed by the group’s Secretary for Publicity, Mr Adewale Adeoye said.

ASCAB said the entire fund should be shared by the three tiers of the Government of the Federation in accordance with the provisions of section 162 of the Constitution of Nigeria and the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account etc) Act.

The alliance regretted that the isolation centers have become hosts of poor and vulnerable people while the privileged class is treated in porch homes or exclusive private hospitals. It said some of the isolation centers have become dumping grounds for poor patients and noted that stories of poor people escaping from isolation centers are not unconnected with the fear of death occasioned by poor equipment in the isolations centers.

“The facilities at some of the isolation centers call for deep concern. We have received complaints from many interest groups and members of the alliance spread across the country. Isolation centers are synonymous with poor people. This raises the prospect of two dimensional approaches of access to health facilities, one for the poor and the other reserved for the rich”, the group said

ASCAB also called on the Federal and State Governments to fix public hospitals across the country regretting that at the moment the National Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) is largely funded by the Bill Gates Foundation instead of the Federal Government.

“Nigerians are watching with keen interests the funds donated by various groups and organisations to the Federal and State Governments. We are anxious to see a responsible and transparent expenditure that reflect global best practices,” ASCAB said, adding that the geo-metric increase in the number of COVID-19 patients following the ease of the lockdown is a clear indication that the fight against the pandemic will be long drawn.

ASCAB said the governments at all levels must realize that the campaign is not the prerogative of the government alone, not a property of the government but that the people who are the primary beneficiaries of the funds should be involved in the conception and implementation processes of any project related to COVID-19 funds.

The funds collected as at last week included  $2 million grant from the United Nations, (UN), €50 million donation from the  European Union, (EU), $90 million drawn from the World Bank Health Fund, $3.4 billion loan approved by the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) and the N25.8b donation by corporate bodies and individuals.

The Alliance condemned the horrendous violations of human rights by armed security personnel under the pretext of enforcing COVID-19 regulations.

It said “Our Legal Human Rights Committee has been directed to assist victims of human rights abuse to seek redress.”

Other officials of the Alliance include Deputy Chairman, Ms Hauwa Mustapha, Secretary, Mr Ade Atambi. Prominent amongst its members are Ms Chinonye Obiagwu, (SAN), Prof Toye Olorode, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, Mr Uche Duroke, Mr Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Prof Jubrin Ibrahim and Mr Jaye Gaskiya.

In a related development, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the Federal Government, asking “the authorities to urgently publish details of the suppliers and contractors, the procurement rules, including bidding processes, the total budget, and all designated voucher distribution and collection sites for the implementation of the school feeding programme at home.”

SERAP is also seeking “information on the number of states to be covered during the COVID-19 crisis, the projected spending per state, details of the mechanisms and logistics that have been put in place to carry out the programme, as well as the role expected to be played by the World Food Programme.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk had on Wednesday announced that the government would start feeding school children in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, starting from Ogun and Lagos states, and Abuja.

In the FoI request dated 9 May, 2020 and sent to Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, SERAP is asking the government to: “urgently invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor the implementation of the programme.”

The FoI request signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, read in part: “Publishing the details requested is in the public interest. This would help to address public scepticism regarding the ability of the government to satisfactorily implement the programme, promote openness, and allow Nigerians to track its implementation and to hold suppliers and contractors to account.”

“SERAP notes that the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party requires the government to set the highest standards of transparency, accountability and probity in programmes that it oversees.”

“The government has a responsibility to ensure that these requirements and other anti-corruption controls are fully implemented and monitored, and to ensure that the programme benefits the children and families who need it the most.”

“Publishing the details of suppliers and contractors and the procurement rules being implemented for executing the school feeding programme at home would also remove the risks of conflicts of interest and politicisation of the programme, as well as promote transparency and accountability.”

“We urge you to also establish online national database for all suppliers and contractors responsible for carrying out the programme to feed school children in their homes, which is expected to cover over three million households in Lagos and Ogun states, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

“We would be grateful if the requested information is provided to us within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.”

“According to our information, the Federal Government through your Ministry is set to partners with states, Federal Capital Territory, and World Food Programme to implement the school feeding programme at home during the lockdown. This home feeding programme reportedly followed the directive in March, 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari to your Ministry to identify modalities and continuation of the school feeding programme during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Procurement and contracting are high-risk areas for mismanagement and corruption. By Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on details of suppliers and contractors that have been hired to implement the school feeding programme at home.”

“By Section 4 (a) of the FoI Act, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or urgency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”

“By Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the FoI Act, there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing information relating to including information on details of suppliers and contractors that have been hired to implement the school feeding programme at home are widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means.”

“The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FoI Act. The information requested for as indicated above, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FoI Act, bothers on an issue of national interest, public concern, interest of human rights, social justice, good governance, transparency and accountability,” it noted.