Skip to main content

COVID-19, Public Spending and Accountability in Kaduna State.


Hand washing in compliance with Covid-19 protocols
 


By YUSUF GOJE

The way Kaduna State government is handling the Covid-19 pandemic can be faulted on other grounds but not on the pro-activeness and decisiveness with which it is confronting the resultant public health crisis and its socio-economic consequences. Objectively speaking, the decisions, many of which  are controversial, remain the most viable alternative for any serious government to take in emergencies like this. After all, unusual times require unusual measures. 

The Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-rufai, on various public platforms has disclosed his readiness to face any resultant consequences of such decisions. Now that the government is getting a hold on how to contain the spread of the pandemic, even though the numbers keep rising, it is time for citizens to begin to also ask the right questions. This is necessary because the global economy is contracting at an accelerated pace. Sub-nationals, like Kaduna state (in a mono-economy like Nigeria) who are not immune to the shocks, are bound to feel the pressure due to plummeting revenue base.

More attention now needs to be paid as to how the available lean resources are being expended by the State government especially on covd-19 interventions. Particular focus should be on whether: resources are being allocated to strategic priorities, is there value for money in the emergency service delivery, and adherence to the principles of transparency and accountability in the process. In this regard, public tracking and demand for accountability in the procurement/contracting and service delivery process remains paramount. 

The State government has proactively disclosed information on the total amount of donations and  allocations to palliatives since the outbreak; however, procurement information on covid-19 interventions is yet to be made public in line with the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). This may not be unconnected with the provision of section 6, Emergency Procurement, of the Infectious Disease (Protection) Regulations 2020. It states that, “ *the Governor shall have power to dispense with the strict compliance of all or any part of the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law of 2016 or any other Law for the procurement of any materials, items or services relating to Covid-19 pandemic during the period of lockdown”* .

In simple terms, the Governor has been empowered to carry-out procurement without sufficient adherence to the due process and procedures. Even though it is good intentioned, it is more prone to abuse. Granted that emergency procurement is among the rapid decisions needed to effectively respond to the pandemic; however, it is still important that the abridged procedure adopted is made public, open and transparent. 

The lockdown has now been substantially lifted; it is critical and expedient that residents of the state initiate an intensive advocacy campaign to demand for proper accountability of public spending. This will not only unravel wastages and corruption where they exist, but also build citizen's trust, which is necessary if we are to win the fight against the ravaging pandemic. From our search and engagement with the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority (KADPPA), it appears that information on the emergency procurements being carried-out is not readily available.

 This is worrisome in the light of the administration’s global recognition and commendations for being reform-driven. Indeed, it is a true test of the administration’s commitment to ongoing reform initiatives like the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability & Sustainability (SFTAS) program.

In view of the above, it is best practce that the government make public the details of the contingency budget being used to fund the emergency procurements, amendments made to the annual plan of public procurement due to Covid-19, information on pre-tender communication with suppliers (especially urgent procurement), details of the contractors/suppliers, items purchased (for instance, the prices and quantities of face masks, ventilators, respirators, medicines etc), information on the process of contract implementation, quarterly report on the procurement done and information on steps taken in order to prevent or respond to the cases of price-gouging.

 As regards the palliative distribution, information on the items procured (outside those donated), cost of logistics, allowances paid and total list of beneficiaries should equally be subjected to public scrutiny. This will increase citizen’s approval rating of the administration if carried-out in line with the principles of transparency and accountability.

Goje is Head of Leadership, Governance & Advocacy of the Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quality Seeds: Farmers call for full Implementation of NASC Act

S equel to the recent signing of the National gricultural Seeds Council (NASC) Amendment Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari into law,  the National Agricultural Seeds Advocacy Group (NASAG) during the week, in Abuja, played host to farmers’ associations, cooperatives, the civil society and other critical stakeholders to map out the way forward for the nation’s agricultural sector. The participants who were drawn from the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the FCT, among other things, reviewed engagements in the last quarter, results and challenges therefrom and developed a framework for tracking outcomes of advocacy, visa-vis improvement level so far of farmers’ access to  quality seeds,  with special emphasis on timely implementations of recommendations from NASAG’s dialogue with farmers. Representatives of the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) took turns to outline the inroads they have made in the period...
Post a Comment
Read more

Advocacy News

Transparency and Accountability: Kaduna LG Councils lock horns over N20 million prize money Pic: From Left: Director Budget Kaduna North, Mr Andrew Swat, Deputy Director Planning, Budget and Planning Commission, Alhaji Badamasi Musa and CALPED's Head of Governance, Mr Yusuf Goje, exchanging views during the visit In a renewed move to take governance closer to the grassroots, all the 23 Local Government Councils of Kaduna state are being assessed on the basis of adherence to policy documents, budget planning and preparation process predicated on increasing internally generated revenue (IGR), improved public procurement system and reduced payroll fraud, tracking of absenteeism of primary school teachers and health personnel and the essence of abiding by guidelines of the state to engender transparency and accountability. Deputy Director Planning in the state's Budget and Planning Commission, Badamasi Musa who led the Budget Assessment team to the Kaduna North Loca...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Exported Nigeria yams weren't rejected' - Ministerial Aide

Yams harvested for market By YUSUF GOJE T he Technical Assistant to the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on Quality Control and Standardization, Mrs Heather R. Akanni, has adjudged Nigerian yams to be of high quality, debunking claims by some section of the media that the first exported products of yam were rejected due to poor quality. She stated that: “Nigerian yams were not rejected because of quality, but due to the long period it took to arrive its destination, some of the products got spoiled along the way. Unfortunately, some of the media outfits only chose to harp on a baseless standpoint that they were rejected". She disclosed that, "the law banning yam export is being reviewed and presently at the second reading stage in the National Assembly”. In ensuring that our yams continue to meet the international standards, she said, clustering of farmers to ensure that only approved certified yam seeds were made available to them is...
Post a Comment
Read more

PERL trains Planning Officers, Citizens on Accountability, Service Delivery

  As Stakeholders review 2022 Local Government Draft Budget Cross-section of participants at the engagement during a session   By EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna  I n its sustained drive to enhance accountability and seamless service delivery at the local government level in Kaduna state, Partnership to Engage and Learn in collaboration with Local Government Accountability Mechanism (LGAM), on Monday October 25, 2021, organized a two-day technical session to increase the capacity and technical expertise of citizen groups and planning officers in the state.  To this end, the Local Government Accountability Mechanism (LGAM), a collaborative initiative of the Ministry for Local Government Affairs, Civil Society partners and Partnership to Engage, Reform & Learn (PERL/FCDO), working as technical working groups to strengthen governance at the grassroots, have reviewed the Kaduna state 2022 budget with trend analysis, observations and recommendations. The review of the ₦1,134,051...
Post a Comment
Read more

Malaria: In solidarity with Under-5s

A cross section of children Ward DANGWA DANJUMA R enewed campaign to eradicate malaria as part of activities to commemorate the World Malaria Day 2022, led by Centre for Media Advocacy for Mother and Child (CAMAC)  has kicked off in Kaduna. The campaign which is part of the NGOs "Malaria Eradication Campaign 2022" with the theme: "Eliminating Malaria through Community Engagement", this year, is themed: “Harness Innovation to Reduce the Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives” The World Malaria Day is celebrated every 25th of April to bring greater awareness to the global fight and recognise the existence of malaria across the globe. This year's project is being supported by Newsweb Express an online news platform in collaboration with Civil Society for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME) a global network uniting civil society organizations and communities to achieve malaria elimination. People are more prone to malaria in the rainy weather and it is timely when communitie...
Post a Comment
Read more