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From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Members of the organised labour congress, trade unions, the bar and academics in Borno have launched a movement for the monitoring of execution of government projects to ensure transparency in public spending.
The launch which came at the end of a one day Town Hall meeting and engagement on pioneering accountability movement in Maiduguri, Borno capital organised by an international NGO, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), was designed to have a network to demand for transparency in public spending and ensure stakeholders are involves in projects execution by governments in all communities.
Attended by state leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliate unions, Trade Unions Congress, Nigeria Bar Association, religious leaders, traditional rulers, students and youth
associations, participants observed that political interference and considerations when sighting projects in specific communities were inhibiting progress and fueling corrupt acts.
A communique issued at the end of the town hall meeting and launch of the accountability network, signed by 12 unions in the state, said execution of projects and usage of allocations of public funds were usually done without the involvement of the people that own the resource.
“Details of contracts are not made public, which means contractors for certain projects are not known and cannot be identified to be held accountable for their inability to
deliver on project implementation,” the network.
It observed that such anomaly gives room for “misappropriation and misapplication of approved funds” by governments at all levels.
“The network of labour unions, trade unions, traditional and religious leaders, students are to collaborate with policy stakeholders to ensure that projects are properly sighted, well executed, given to verifiable and competent contractors and not politically influenced,” it said.
It said the network was to regularly organize oversight assessment by visiting project sites to ensure all specifications are met and adhered to. The network equally considered organised protests “where all avenues of communication and negotiations have been exhausted.”
PAACA Executive Director, Mr Samson Nwagwu, said the network agreed to pay advocacy visits to communities to rally support and sensitize members of the
community to ensure budgeted projects are implemented.
According to him, the programme was supported by an anti-corruption group, Action Aid Nigeria.
