One Month After: Govt yet to reply request on projects, financial expenses – EnetSud

By Mumini Abdulkareem

One month after it requested the Kwara State Government to provide
details of its financial expenditures and cost of projects executed
since inauguration, a Kwara-based Civil Society Organisation, Elites
Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), last night, said it was
yet to receive any correspondence on the issue.
This, it was gathered, was contrary to assurances received from
officials of the government who reportedly promised to get the
attention of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to the request.
ENetSuD reportedly wrote the Governor through the office of Secretary
to the State Government on 4th November, 2019 demanding for updates on
state funds the group notified the Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu
Ajakaye thereafter about it.
But speaking with this medium last night, the Kwara State Coordinator
of ENetSuD, Dr Abdullateef Alagbonsi said with the attitude displayed
so far, the Kwara State Government appeared not to be ready for
transparency and accountability adding that organisation will continue
to exploit all lawful means to make the government accountable.
According to him, those we wrote and reminded, the SSG and CPS,
promised to do follow-up but as at today, we have not received any
reply one month after our letter.
Ordinarily, we don’t think we need to be unnecessarily writing series
of reminders to a government that promises transparency and
Accountability. But we will continue to explore all lawful means to
make the government transparent,” he added.
He said since 23rd July, 2019, FOI Law has not been acted upon by the
Kwara State House of Assembly and request for information on how
public funds are spent have not been answered after one month.
“These are two different Transparency and Accountability test for the
current administration and the current government has not passed any
of these tests. The government has not shown any sign of readiness for
Transparency and Accountability in Kwara State.
“How will a Governor send a bill to the KWHA for amendment since 23rd
of July, 2019 and not show any concern that the lawmakers have not
acted on it after five months?
“If truly the Governor is interested in the Bill as claimed on his
letter to the KWHA, he would have written reminders to request for
speedy action on it. But that has not happened”, he noted.
Efforts to get the CPS last night for comment was not successful as
his phone did not connect.
EnetSuD famous for its hash tag #FollowKwaraMoney activities had
written to the state government last month demanding for breakdown on
the government expenditure of some projects and money so far realised
from the counterpart funds it has paid to national intervention bodies
on health and nutrition among others.
In the letter jointly signed by its Coordinator, Dr. Alagbonsi
Abdullateef and General Secretary Mahmud Usman Baba, ENetSuD listed
nine (9) projects executed by previous and current administrations in
the state and requested for financial and technical details about
their executions.
The projects that ENetSuD demanded their expenditure included the
Geri-Alimi Split Diamond Underpass, Ilorin Water Reticulation Project,
Kishi-Kaiama road (a Federal Government project being executed by
Kwara State Government) and 1% Consolidated Revenue for Health
Insurance.
It further demanded the spending so far of the actual amount paid for
each of the counterpart funds for World Bank-funded Community and
Social Development Projects, Basic Healthcare Provision, Accelerating
Nutrition Results in Nigeria and Global Access for Malaria.
According to the civil group, the Governor should make available the
amount received so far as grants after the payment of the counterpart
funds for the projects, detailed account of how the grants have been
spent, beneficiaries of the projects (to be) executed with the grants,
actual amount released for each project execution, technical details
and scope of each stage of funds released to each contractor handling
these projects, the Bill of Quantity/Engineering Measurement and
Evaluation of each project among others and detailed information of
the contractor to whom each project was awarded (including phone
number), current status of each and the implementation status of the
statutory 1% Consolidated Revenue Fund for Kwara Health Insurance.
Part of the letter reads: “We are a Kwara-based registered Civil
Society Organisation. We promote good governance in Kwara State by
participating in policy formation, campaigning against corruption,
promoting government’s good policies, advocating for open leadership,
protecting citizens’ rights, and evaluating/monitoring the
implementation and performance of Kwara-related budgets.
“Sir, we initiated an initiative called #FollowKwaraMoney through
which we track projects in the budget of governments. We are aware of
the following projects funded by Kwara State Government in the
successive budgets implemented by various Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs): “It is worthy of note that the primary and second
phases of Ilorin Water Reticulation Project were said to have been
completed by the previous administration, while the tertiary phase
provided for in the 2019 budget was supposed to be implemented by the
current administration. A detailed analysis of how the amount budgeted
for that phase has been spent is also required in addition to the
primary and secondary phases as per the above requests, sir.
“While awaiting your prompt response in fulfillment of your
administration’s promise to promote Open Governance, Transparency and
Accountability, please be assured of our esteem regards always,” it
added.