Civil Society to Gov Abdulrazaq: Provide Kwarans updates on expenditure on projects, counterpart funds

By Mumini AbdulKareem

A Kwara-based Civil Society Organisation, Elites Network for
Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), has requested Governor Abdulrahman
Abdulrazaq to provide information on how he expended funds on some
projects he embarked upon and counterpart funds since the present
administration was inaugurated about six months ago.
The civil group, famous for its hash tag #FollowKwaraMoney activities,
specifically demanded for breakdown of government’s expenditure on
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 a 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 letter was addressed to Governor Abdulrazaq and submitted through
the Office of the Secretary to the State Government at Government
House, Ilorin on 4th November, 2019.
The group displayed an online copy of the acknowledged page of its
letter to the Governor.
The projects that ENetSuD demanded it 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 per cent Consolidated Revenue for Health
Insurance.
It further demanded 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 Organization. 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.