Last week, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, again, warned that people should relocate from flood plains. This warning came on the heels of various reports that some of the victims of the 2012 floods, especially in Benue State, were returning to the flood-prone areas in spite of earlier warnings. Considering that these flood victims should have known better than go back to the endangered habitat, and in view of the widely publicised prediction of a repeat of flood incidents this year, one can only label them as a people with a ponderous dose of death wish. However, a wider consideration of the likely factors at play might make one see the situation in a whole new different light. However, we have to answer the pertinent questions: Has the government given these unfortunate fellows an alternative to ensure their survival outside their natural habitat? Do they have the capacity to adapt to a new environment? Is their movement back to danger informed by total helplessness and hopelessness? How far has the government utilised the funds allocated to them for rehabilitation? Are these citizens aware of such funds?
Our dear country is in a serious need of a sincere framework for monitoring and evaluation of projects, and a water-tight mechanism for fiscal accountability. We all know that many times the funds budgeted for people-oriented projects never get to the people; what we read in the newspapers about government spending might just turn out to be total subterfuge. I would not be surprised that all the billions of naira allocated last year for helping flood victims might end up, that is if they have not yet ended up, in the pockets of a few individuals, and the little coins trickling down to the people find their way to persons who were never near the flooded zones.
At the wake of last year's flooding disasters, the Federal Government announced disbursement of about N17.6bn in immediate aid to states affected by the flood as well as some federal agencies responsible for disaster management. The National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation co-chaired by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr Olisa Agbakoba was set up with a view to raising N100bn. The Economic Community of West African States, for instance, gave us $382,000. The Nigerian Diaspora donated hundreds of millions of naira, as well as many other development partners and individual philanthropists.
Of the Federal Government's N17.6bn, the affected states received N13.3bn while the agencies received N4.3bn.The states were categorised into four groups, A to D, with all Category A states (Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Delta, Bayelsa, and Anambra) receiving N500m each; Category B states (Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Taraba, Cross River, Edo, Lagos, and Imo) N400m each; Category C states (Kwara, Katsina, Gombe, Ogun, Ondo, Ebonyi, Abia and Rivers) N300m each and Category D states (Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Yobe, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Borno and the Federal Capital Territory) N250m each. I hope the so-called Good Governance Tour has included the evidence of expenditure of these funds in the various states in the agenda of its expensive excursion.
I am worried because we already have an omen in the management of the Ecological Fund. If these funds could be abysmally mismanaged, what prevents the flood relief funds to be misused? The Ecological Fund, which originally received one per cent of the Federation Account (commencing in 1981) was reviewed upwards to two per cent of the Federation Account in 1992 on the first line charge. Last year, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts uncovered an abuse of the fund to the tune of N154.9bn. It was discovered that of the total expenditure from the account, N154.9bn was spent on projects not related to the environment. According to media reports, from the records available to the committee, about N928bn was spent in 2002 on projects not related to ecology, with N200m advanced to the Edo State Government as a loan, just as N728m was given as a grant to the Presidential Research and Communication Unit.
Also, in 2003, N1.9bn was spent on non-ecological purposes out of which N800m was reportedly given to the Ministry of Aviation for the renovation of the Aminu Kano International Airport and N150m was advanced to the Kaduna State Government to mitigate the effect of a sectarian crisis in the state. Another N2.1bn was spent on non-ecological expenditure in 2004, while another N2.77bn was spent in 2005.The committee also found out that in 2006 a total of N16bn was spent as grants to Yobe and Ogun states for road construction. Also, in 2007, N24bn was spent from the ecological fund for the rehabilitation of the Sagamu-Benin Expressway by the Ministry of Works. It was also discovered that in 2008, a total of N5.7bn was advanced to the Ministry of Agriculture as expenditure for averting food shortages which was impending at the time. In 2009, a total of N44.9bn was spent by the Federal Government for the funding of the Third Quarter spending warrant; while in 2010, N34.6bn was withdrawn for treasury management of the Federal Government. The documents also showed that N22bn was withdrawn from the fund in 2011 and shared to some states and local governments, just as N2.078bn was also withdrawn in 2012 for the Onitsha Bridge project.
What is more, also in September, the Lower House resumed squabble with President Goodluck Jonathan on the state of Nigeria's multi-billion naira Ecological Fund as its Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, described the intervention facility which was meant to tackle ecological disasters in the country, as "a mystery fund". Rep. Uche Ekwunife, Chairman House committee on Environment, said her committee had made several efforts to get the statement of accounts of the ecological fund from Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to no avail. She added, "For over one year the AGF has refused to make available the statement of accounts of the ecological fund. It is being operated illegally as it is solely at the discretion of the President to release it." She said her committee was sponsoring a bill that will create the ecological fund agency in accordance with the financial Act.
Ekwunife blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the menace of flood in Nigeria because he had refused to give assent to the Climate Change Commission passed by the last National Assembly which would have minimised the impact of last year's floods in the country.
Perhaps, we can have an idea of how the flood funds were utilised via the expenditure of the Ministry of Environment. When asked by a joint committee session of the Environment at the National Assembly recently about how the N350m given to it by the Federal Government was used, the Minister of Environment said that the ministry used the millions for radio and TV jingles, and sundry awareness campaigns. What a joke! Nevertheless, there is a ray of hope in the horizon. Our youths are standing to take up the tasks the elders totally suppressed and neglected. A group called Follow The Money, founded by two young Nigerians, Hamzat Lawal and Oladotun Babayemi, and with a wider membership comprising researchers, data analysts, journalists, legal practitioners, information managers, students, members of the academia and development consultants, is blazing the trail in this direction. They have successfully advocated, tracked and visualised funds meant for remediation of the lead-poisoned Bagega community in Zamfara State. According to the co-founder, Lawal, "Follow the Money tries to answer questions about the way funds meant for development are being utilised within our local communities. How much is spent on community development? Where does it go? What is it spent on? Who spends what? With an aim to providing clear objective evidence on resources, easily accessible on paper and online, so people will be informed and decisions and policies can better be informed on how transparent and accountable these processes are."
