By Correspondent in Ilorin
Kwara state Deputy Governor and c
Chairman,state Technical Committee on COVID-19, Mr. Kayode Alabi, has assured Civil Society Organisations(,CSOs) and other Non-Governmental Organisations of the state’s willingness to partner with them in their quest to know the state government’s efforts toward mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic and the utilization of the COVID-19 fund.
Alabi also said that Kwara state was ready to make available all information required, as it ensured all monies spent are documented and made available for public consumption.
Speaking when he met with the delegation of CODE and Oxfam Nigeria at the Government House, Ilorin on Friday, the deputy governor lauded the NGOs for their efforts in building a better society, just as he highlighted some of the efforts by the state government towards mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
This, he said, includes construction and purchase of oxygen tanks, isolation centres where patients are accommodated and fed all through the treatment period.
Others, he added, were testing centres with personnel across local government areas as well as various programmes aimed at sensitizing the people.
He also said that the state government under would continue to be transparent and ensure that officers found wanting face the wrath of the law.
While expressing the state government’s open government partnership, Alabi said some of such efforts was the introduction of the social auditing process — the first in Nigeria — that allows civic groups and communities to monitor government projects in the state. He said the process led to the discovery of fraud in a road construction project.
“I am writing a report for my boss now about a road construction project. They quoted 3.2billion. We now told NGOs like Oxfam to also check it out. They did, came back and said the over-invoice is N750m.
“The road was supposed to be 670 metres, but they quoted 900 metres. The NGOs got that for us. Iam submitting the report to my boss and I can assure you that officers indicted are going.
“We will then review the contract back to the right figure and take it to the council to approve it,” he said.
He directed the team to notify him,if any request is not responded to.
“If you have been to the Ministry of Health or any other place, and there is one question you asked and got no response, tell me now,” he added.
The Deputy Governor solicited the support of the NGOs, in advocacy and enlightenment on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier during the visit, Dr. Onyekachi Onuoha, Programme and Research Associate, CODE, said the mission was to source information regarding COVID-19 activities from government, their achievement as well as details of financial expenditure.
He said the measures wrre to help keep the people adequately informed, rebuild the people’s trust in government and bridge the gap between them so that they could take government serious.
Onuoha commended state government for its openness and response during its request for COVID-19 fund donation and spendings during the first wave of the deadly virus.
This, he said was part of what earned the state the present recognition.
Contributing, the representative of Oxfam Nigeria, Henry Uche, presented to the Deputy Governor, a policy brief on COVID-19 fund.
Uche said the organizations weree interested in areas such as fiscal transparency, gender equation, budget transparency, participatory budget system, good governance, among others.
The State lead, CODE, Akinsola Kehinde, said follow the money was a pan African initiative that is fast gaining traction beyond Africa at the moment. He asked the state government to highlight some of the areas they would like to partner with the NGOs.
