The CSOs and some individuals who monitored the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives by Kwara State Government (KWSG) wrote a letter to Mr Kayode Alabi, Deputy Governor and Chairman, Kwara State Technical Committee of COVID-19, asking him to clarify how ₦525,277,030 was spent by his committee on palliatives in the state.
Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in Kwara State have asked Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak to give details of how over N500m was spent on palliatives in the state.
The CSOs and some individuals who monitored the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives by Kwara State Government (KWSG) wrote a letter to Mr Kayode Alabi, Deputy Governor and Chairman, Kwara State Technical Committee of COVID-19, asking him to clarify how ₦525,277,030 was spent by his committee on palliatives in the state.
The groups said the official statement from Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, spokesman for the State COVID-19 committee, noted that the state government spent the said amount on the distribution of palliatives to the citizens.
In the letter signed by Dr Abdullateef Alagbonsi, Coordinator of Elites Network for Sustainable Development (ENetSuD), the groups asked the state government to provide the breakdown of all the food items donated to the KWSG to date during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the breakdown of all the food items that were distributed to Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Offa, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Oyun LGAs.
It also asked the government to provide “the details of all the food items distributed to all categories of Kwarans aside from the general distribution to LGAs and the food items bought from the ₦525,277,030 and the waybills of delivery.”
The groups also asked the COVID-19 committee to provide the contact details (name, address and phone number) of the companies/firms that supplied the food items and the amount distributed in Isin, Oke-Ero, Ekiti, Edu, Moro, Patigi, Kaiama and Baruten LGAs as monetized palliatives.
It asked the government to provide the requested information within seven days in the spirit of accountability and transparency the government pledged to abide by.
The 14 organizations and eight individuals that made the request were 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, Organisation for the Sustenance of the Nigeria Environment (OSNE).
Others were 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 and Connected Development (CODE).