COVID-19: Kwara CSOs Demand how N500mn was Spent on Pallative

Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and individuals that monitored the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives by the Kwara State Government have written to Deputy Governor and Chairman, Kwara State Technical Committee of COVID-19, Mr. Kayode Alabi, to clarify how N525,277,030 was spent by his committee on palliatives in the state.

They said that their monitoring activities availed them the opportunity of keeping records of food items and money distributed to various Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

The groups said they noted the official press statement from Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and Spokesman of the State COVID-19 Technical Committee, where it was disclosed that the state government spent N525,277,030 for the purchase of palliatives distributed to the citizens, which is in addition to various kinds of food items donated to and distributed by the government.

In the letter signed by Dr. Abdullateef Alagbonsi (Coordinator of Elites Network for Sustainable Development, ENetSuD) on behalf of 14 CSOs and eight individuals and submitted to the Deputy Governor’s office on July 7, 2020, the groups said that “as CSOs and individuals that actively participated in the monitoring of the palliative distribution exercise, we wish to request for the following information on the COVID-19 palliatives, so that we can reconcile our records with the KWSG’s.”

Requesting the Deputy Governor and Chairman of COVID-19 Technical Committee to respond within seven days, the groups listed their requests as follow:

The breakdown of all the food items donated to the KWSG to date during the COVID-19

Pandemic; the breakdown of all the food items that were distributed to Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Offa, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Oyun LGAs.

The details of all the food items distributed to all categories of Kwarans aside the general distribution to LGAs that we monitored (e.g. National Association of

Proprietors of Private Schools (Kwara State Chapter), Joint National Association of

Persons With Disabilities, Kwara Entrepreneurs, just to mention a few); the Bill of Quantity of all the food items bought from the N525,277,030 and the waybills

of delivery; the contact details (name, address and phone number) of the companies/firms that supplied; the food items; and the amount distributed in Isin, Oke-Ero, Ekiti, Edu, Moro, Patigi, Kaiama and Baruten LGAs as monetised palliatives.