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A coalition of Civil Society Organisations has faulted the management of COVID-19 funds which, according to it, opened opportunities for large scale corruption due to lack of transparency and accountability.
The coalition also demanded that it should be involved in the monitoring of the implementation of the funds under the COVID-19 emergency support packages for improved transparency and accountability.
The CSOs, in a report and policy brief released to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday and signed on their behalf by the Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, said the COVID-19 funds and resources, especially donations and grants from multilateral and bilateral agencies bypassed parliamentary budget oversight and government financial management controls and processes.
The report, which is product of a citizens-led survey conducted in Lagos and Ogun states by WARDC, The Innovation for change, BudgIT and TIDES, focused on COVID-19 funds and spending as well as data on the NCDC Covid-19 efforts.
The report said, “In tracking COVID-19 funds and donations in Nigeria, available evidence suggests that apart from donations and grants from multilateral and bilateral agencies, the Federal Government of Nigeria created special funds and mobilise donations for emergency response to Coronavirus pandemic in the country, to which corporate entities and private individuals contributed.
“It also shows that the funds and other resources were kept as a trust or managed through other similar arrangements, which largely remain unrecorded as they were not regarded as government revenues.”
“As such, the funds and resources bypass parliamentary budget oversight and government financial management controls and processes.
“This opens opportunities for corruption and lack of transparency and accountability.”
