COVID-19 Lock Down: Government Silent As CSOs Demands For Accountability Grow

Nearly one week into the COVID-19 lock downs across Nigeria, the growing clamour for accountability and the cries of citizens about the inadequacy of palliatives, have largely met with silence from the government. At federal, state and local government levels, there have been no clear or coherent policy measures on the part of government to respond to the urgent concerns of civic groups that resources set aside to provide palliatives for citizens bearing the brunt of the lock downs, could be diverted by unscrupulous public officials. The distribution of relief materials in Lagos for instance has been fraught with complaints, such as scores of houses or whole streets being asked to share three loaves of bread or a few cups of rice.

Similarly, the Federal Government’s distribution of N20,000 cash to subset of Nigerians described as the poorest of the poor has the fraught with allegations of nepotism, prompting weak and poorly communicated denials from the Federal Government. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management for instance has been in the eye of the storm explaining why it choose to distribute palliative cash exclusively in the FCT, and some Northern states, while states in the South under lock down have not received their own share of the package. This tardy approach, and the perception of lack of distributive justice in the allocation of palliative benefits has given ammunition to fake news peddlers to push the narrative of ethnic bias in the implementation of the emergency measures.

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In the various briefings by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, there have been no conscious attempts by the ministers to discuss the framework to ensure every taxpayers Naira deployed to COVID-19 emergency response, is properly and transparently accounted for. Citizens have however been treated to gale of denials, with the Task Force insisting it has no donated cash in its possession. Even the government’s spending on COVID-19 has been shrouded in the secretive mills of the bureaucratic process. Fears are also rife that the anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) may be adopting the jaded approach of waiting for the damage to be done before starting long-winding investigations, which would in turn burden the judicial system with many court cases in the bid to prosecute corruption in the process.

Last December, President Buhari handed down a Presidential directive, which mandated the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), and all accounting officers to publish daily payments of N10 million while the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) must document any expenditure above N5 million. Although the extent of compliance with that directive remains low, many transparency advocates are hoping a similar strategy could be adopted specifically for management of COVID-19 funds to prevent looting of the resources. The need for preventive anti-corruption measures, given the quantum of funds for the COVID-19 interventions is being harped on by transparency groups. One of such very vocal groups is the Resource Centre for Human Rights&Civic Education (CHRICED) which in a recent statement called on the anti-graft agencies to move quickly to mitigate the effects of corruption on COVID-19 interventions. The group’s Executive Director, Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi stated that one area where citizens have been hardest hit in the course of the lock down is the gross inadequacy of palliative measures put in place by the government.

He said:”Despite the billions, which were voted to purchase food stuffs for distribution to citizens, the portions and quantities reaching citizens are to say the least nothing to write whom about. Especially in Lagos, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, CHRICED has observed situations in which 60 or more households are being asked to share two loaves of bread, as well as a few cups of rice and beans.

“For many citizens who have been ordered to stay at home, it is most disappointing that the food items they expected to reach them have not been properly distributed. There are similar complaints from people with disability that the process of distribution of palliatives items has neither been inclusive nor effective. For us, it is not acceptable to expend billions of taxpayers’ Naira to procure relief materials, which do not get to the people.” Zikirullahi was of the view that the tendency of corrupt public officials to divert what is meant for citizens is exactly the reason anti-corruption agencies should have since moved in monitor the distribution of palliatives. He said: “This is not the time to wait for corrupt officials to derail an important process such as this, before launching investigations, which tend to look for what is already known.”

Similar calls for transparency and inclusion were made by a Kaduna-based civic group, the Enhancing Communities Action for Peace and Better Health Initiative (e-CAPH). The group’s Executive Director, Yushau Abubakar called for the inclusion of people with disabilities and women groups in the distribution of Covid19 relief materials in Igabi LGA, with special focus on Rigasa Community. He said “based on the recent observation by our team involved in community social audit under the Bounce Corruption project in Igabi LGA, our findings show that there is no social inclusion of people with disabilities and women groups in the distribution of the relief materials in Igabi LGA. As a gender advocate group mentoring the social audit projects in Igabi, it is our collective responsibility to call the attention of policymakers and local decision-makers responsible for the distribution of the items to review the formula released earlier and ensure inclusion of these vulnerable groups,” he said.