With ongoing efforts to shore up the Nigerian health system to meet the challenge of the current pandemic, numerous donations have been made towards the fight against Covid-19. In light of this, Connected Development (CODE), a non-governmental organisation that improves access to public information and empowers local communities in Africa, is holding the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF), the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

With over N43.768 billion donated to the Covid-19 fight by well-meaning Nigerian organisations and individuals, the Chief Executive of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, has raised concerns over proper accounting for donations by the FMoF, the FMoH and the NCDC. Lawal called on the three MDAs to provide Nigerians with comprehensive data on the recipients of those donations and how the donations are being used.

Citing the ambiguity over the donation of N11 billion that was announced by the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, as well as the lack of clarity over donations by the 43 federal ministers, who pledged half of their salaries for the month of March, CODE has launched a campaign to bring financial probity to the Covid-19 fight.

The campaign, which has deployed the hashtags #FollowCOVID19Money and #FollowCOVID19MoneyNG on social media, will rely on CODE’s accountability platform, Follow the Money, which has over 5,300 members and a well-structured community mobilisation strategy. The campaign is advocating for improved healthcare facilities for all Nigerians while urging government stakeholders to make public all information about the funds allocated and donated to them to fight the pandemic.

Source: Connected Development

Photo source: Raymond Wijaya