By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
ABUJA: A Non-Governmental Organization, Connected Development (CODE), has disclosed that its ‘Follow The Money’ (FTM) initiative–which tracks government and international aid spending on health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and education, in 2019, tracked N1,277,500,000 ($3.5million) budgeted for projects in 69 grassroots Communities.
The CODE’s Chief Executive, Hamzat Lawal who made this disclosure on Monday in Abuja, during the launch of its 2019 Annual Report, said that FTM in tracking the funds, impacted over 2 million lives, while calling for improved first-mile health infrastructure and services, demanding that a state of emergency be declared on education, and campaigning for communities to access safe clean water.
He disclosed also that FTM further saved the Nigeria people and the government, the sum of N477 million by blocking financial leakages in funded rural community projects.
Lawal, noted that CODE further petitioned anti-graft agencies to investigate oil industries that abuse human rights, partake in illicit financial flows and exploit the fragility of oil producing communities in Nigeria, adding that more engagements and advocacies urged policy makers, stakeholders and beneficiaries, to review and effect policies that promote gender inclusion in community Development Councils.
According to him, “Understanding that citizens’ apathy was increasing and the government continued to fall short of expectations, CODE’s overall objective in 2019 was to make a significant difference in increasing citizens and government’s consciousness towards rebuilding trust.
“In 2019 specifically, our team deployed innovative strategies and global best practices in empowering citizens, especially the grassroots dwellers to demand for improved services in healthcare, water, education and development infrastructure. On the other hand, we petitioned the government to provide these services so that citizens’ faith in governance can be regained”.
While noting that the team continues to face threats for exposing misappropriation of funds, poor access to data to enable tracking of government funds, security issues in North-East of Nigeria, and limited funds in reaching more grassroots communities, he emphasized that CODE remain dogged in promoting a sustainable FTM to ensure that true democracy is achieved.
Commending the recently signed CAMA 2020 which took 30 years to be repealed and replaced, he emphasized that the disclosure of beneficial interest spells doom for perpetrators of corruption, fraud and criminality in business, adding also, that the principles of the Open Government Partnerships Nigeria signed is quite evident in the new CAMA 2020.
Lawal also gave CODE’s 2019 financial summary, where he disclosed that N265,981,746.85 million ($866,390.05) was the total income for the year while N294,361,233,29 million ($958,831.35) was the total expenses, clarifying that the difference is as a result of activities carried forward from previous year.
For her part, CODE’s Communications Lead, Kevwe Oghide, noted that since 2012, CODE has tracked an estimate of $113.6 million in budgeted sums for projects across 181 communities in over 25 Nigerian states, and improving over 4 million rural lives.
She added that CODE seeks to address lack of transparency, poor social accountability, information gap, weak social contracts, illiteracy, citizenry apathy and distrust in government by amplifying voices of marginalised grassroots Communities that are often denied access to basic human needs.
The 2019 Annual Report had the theme, “Rebuilding Trust in Institutions… Restoring public trust in government institutions”.
