The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sent Freedom of Information, FOI, requests to the 36 state governors urging them to “urgently provide information on spending details on COVID-19 in their states, and to immediately redirect public funds budgeted for security votes and life pensions for former governors to invest in and improve public healthcare facilities and access to quality education.”
SERAP said that, “Given the rising number of deaths in Kano State reportedly linked to COVID-19, the state and other state governors now have to show leadership, transparency, and accountability, if they are to effectively and satisfactorily respond to the COVID-19 crisis, curb the spread of the disease and save lives of Nigerians within their state.”
In a letter dated April 25, 2020, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Redirecting security votes and life pension funds to invest in public healthcare facilities and access to quality education in states would improve their ability to respond to COVID-19, provide palliatives and socio-economic reliefs to residents, and meet the expectations of Nigerians.”
SERAP added that: “It would be a betrayal of governors’ constitutional oath of office to continue to receive security votes, pay life pensions and other needless allowances at a time of public health crisis in their state.
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“Taking these steps will not only help save lives but also help ensure that the necessary institutional reforms in the health and education sectors occur within all the states of Nigeria.”
SERAP concludes that “The Kano situation shows the urgent need for all state governors to demonstrate leadership at a time of public health crisis by immediately stopping payment of security votes and life pensions and redirecting the funds to respond to COVID-19, invest in healthcare facilities and access to quality education in states.”
