COVID-19: Kwara CSOs Demand how N500mn was Spent on Pallative

COVID-19: Kwara CSOs Demand how N500mn was Spent on Pallative

The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and individuals that monitored the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives by Kwara State Government (KWSG) have written a letter to Mr. Kayode Alabi (Deputy Governor and Chairman, Kwara State Technical Committee of COVID-19) to clarify how ₦525,277,030 has been spent by his committee on palliatives in the state. They said that their monitoring activities availed them the opportunity of keeping records of food items and money distributed to various Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

The groups said they noted the official press statement from Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye (the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and Spokesman of the State COVID-19 Technical Committee) where it was disclosed that the KWSG spent ₦525,277,030 for the purchase of palliatives she distributed to the citizens, which is in addition to various kinds of food items donated to and distributed by the KWSG.

In the letter signed by Dr. Abdullateef Alagbonsi (Coordinator of Elites Network for Sustainable Development, ENetSuD) on behalf of the 14 CSOs and 8 individuals and submitted to the Deputy Governor’s office on 7th July, 2020, the groups said that “As CSOs and individuals that actively participated in the monitoring of the palliative distribution exercise, we wish to request for the following information on the COVID-19 palliatives, so that we can reconcile our records with the KWSG’s”.

Requesting the Deputy Governor and Chairman of COVID-19 Technical Committee to respond within 7 days, the groups listed their requests as follow:

1. The breakdown of all the food items donated to the KWSG to date during the COVID-19 pandemic

2. The breakdown of all the food items that were distributed to Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Offa, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Oyun LGAs

3. The details of all the food items distributed to all categories of Kwarans aside the general distribution to LGAs (in item 2 above) that we monitored (e.g. National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (Kwara State Chapter), Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Kwara Entrepreneurs, just to mention a few)

4. The Bill of Quantity of all the food items bought from the ₦525,277,030 and the waybills of delivery

5. The contact details (name, address and phone number) of the companies/firms that supplied the food items

6. The amount distributed in Isin, Oke-Ero, Ekiti, Edu, Moro, Patigi, Kaiama and Baruten LGAs as monetized palliatives

The 14 organizations and 8 individuals that made the request are the Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), Grassroots Development Monitoring and Advocacy Centre (GDMAC), Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), Meadows Community and Development Outreach (MCDO), Theios Caregivers Initiative, Org. for the Sustainance of the Nig. Environment (OSNE), Impact Driven Initiative for Sustainable Development (IDISD), Media Advocacy and Technologies Center (MATEC), Hashim Initiative for Community Advancement (HICA), Hannis Institute for Developmental Studies (HIDS), Voice of Ilorin Community and Environs (VOICE), League of Women Voters of Nigeria, Connected Development (CODE), Comrade Ahmed Luqman Adana, Mr. Aliu Ridwan, Mr. Imam Kamaldeen, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulBaqi, Mr. Ahmed Abdulbasit, Mr. Aliyu Abdulrahman, Mr. Muhammad Sanni Ismaila, and Mr. Abdulrasaq Dayo Ahmed.

Signed,
Usman Radhiyyat Taiye (Mrs),
Deputy Coordinator (Administration)
Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD)