By Aniefiok Udofia (Governance Reporter)
The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria has so far spent N30.5 billion on measures to manage and check the spread of Corona Virus in the country between April and July this year, 2020.
Idris made the disclosure at the weekend in a response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request jointly made by two Civil Society Organizations, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Connected Development (CODE).
The Accountant General of the Federation stated that the amount represented 84 per cent of the N36.3bn public funds and donations received by the Federal Government to tackle the pandemic. He said there was a balance of N5.9 billion.
Deputy Director of SERAP, Kolawole Oludare, in a statement on Sunday, said that the nation's Accountant General also indicated in his undated response, that “the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 spent N22 billion; while 36 states spent N7 billion on COVID-19.”
According to SERAP's statement, Idris added that the Nigerian Air Force alone spent N877 million on the deployment of assets in support of COVID-19 operations; the police spent N500 million on personal protective equipment; while N17,865.09 was paid as bank charges.
SERAP and CODE commended the Accountant General for responding to their Information request but however urged him to respond to other information requested in the FoI letter, including the specific projects on which the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 spent N22bn and the list of Nigerians who benefitted from the projects.
The civil rights groups said, “It is refreshing to note that 115 ordinary Nigerians donated between N1 and N100 to support the authorities’ efforts to fight COVID-19, despite the fact that it is the country’s poorest and most disadvantaged sectors of the population that continue to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Of the N36.3 billion public funds and donations received, N1.4 billion came from Nigerians and companies through accounts at the First Bank; Access Bank; GTB, Zenith, and UBA, while N536 million donations were made through the Central Bank of Nigeria. The N536 million donations comprise of N89 million and N279 million from the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.
“In addition, China General Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria donated N48 million; the Petroleum Equalisation Management Board gave N50 million while the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board donated N70 million.
“We would be grateful if the requested details and additional information are provided to us within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP and CODE shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to compel you to comply with our request.” NNL.
