A civil rights group, SERAP, has reacted to Lagos State government audit report which indicted eight local councils of stealing and mismanagement of public funds meant to provide basic social services, amenities and infrastructure to the citizenry. Senior Correspondent, JUDE KENNETH, writes on the development and government’s inability to adequately address the issues raised by the report.
The recently released audit report for 2012 fiscal year, which indicted eight out of 57 local councils in Lagos State, has drawn the ire of a Lagos-based civil rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The rights group has, therefore, petitioned chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta, demanding an investigation into allegations of corruption in the councils and make the perpetrators to face the wrath of the law.
The group’s demand for a thorough investigation by ICPC was sequel to government’s audit of 57 local councils in the state, which, according to the report, indicted eight councils of stealing and mismanagement of about N224 million of public funds. The said amount was reportedly sunk in wide range of questionable expenditures and unimplemented contracts.
In a statement signed by the group’s senior staff counsel, Olukayode Majekodunmi, SERAP expressed its concern over alleged stealing and mismanagement of public funds by the council officials, whereas the masses lack basic social services and amenities.
the group said: “We express serious concern about the content of 2012 government audit report and the inability of the government to fully and effectively address the issues raised by the report.
“This situation can only continue to exacerbate the increasing level of violation of the citizens’ internationally recognised economic and social rights, including the right to adequate food, to quality education, to water, and to accessible and adequate health services.”
According to SERAP, large-scale corruption such as the one mentioned above exposes majority of the citizens to a “double jeopardy”.
“On the one hand, these people are subjected to hardship of immense proportion, while they are also denied the freedom to explore, on the basis of free enterprise, novel and legitimate ways towards individual development and prosperity, the most convenient path out of absolute poverty.
“The allegations also constitute grave breaches of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Act 2000 and the UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified,” SERAP noted.
Besides, “specifically, sections 16 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices Act would appear to have been violated, going by the clear contents of the audit report. The UN Convention against Corruption contains similar prohibitions, and imposes clear obligations on Nigeria to investigate allegations of corruption such as the present case, prosecute suspected perpetrators and ensure return of the proceeds of corruption.”
While urging Nta to ensure that the allegations as contained in the audit report are fully and transparently investigated, the group wants the findings of the investigation made public.
According to SERAP, “The audit assessment reportedly accused the following local councils of wasting public funds: Agbado Oke-Odo, Surulere, Coker-Aguda, Egbe-Idimu, Eredo, Iba, Ikosi-Isheri and Lagos Island East.
“The report also established cases of corrupt practices and other cases of financial recklessness in Eti Osa, Mainland, Somolu and some other local councils that failed to remit statutory deductions from contracts awarded to the tune of N40.9 million.
“In Surulere, auditors reportedly found that N17.5 million as against the agreed N12.8 million, which was the 30 per cent of the mobilisation sum, was paid to a contractor for the installation of a colour LED display solution screen at Masha Road, Lagos State Water Corporation Junction in the local government.
“Even so, the project has not taken off since February 2011 when the agreement was signed. The report also mentioned spurious expenditure totalling N1.3 million which was made by staff on behalf of the council.
“At Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), a total of N29.1 million was unaccounted for, according to the audit report. The officials at Eredo LCDA also made unauthorised excess expenditure totalling N15 million in 2012, just as 52 payment vouchers amounting to N30.2 million duly paid and posted in treasury cashbook were not produced for audit verification.
“The report also indicted officials of Iba LCDA for over-payment of security allowance to the chairman to the tune of N2 million in 2012.”
SERAP had in a petition to the chairman of ICPC dated November 24, 2014, requested the commission to investigate allegations of corruption in Lagos government audit report which exposed massive corruption in the councils. It also called for a thorough, efficient and transparent investigation into the allegations.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) stated that it has a duty and mandate to promote and ensure respect for socio-economic rights of Nigerians and to promote transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors through human rights.
According to information, the 2012 audit report covered the state’s Local Government Areas (LGAs), created and recognised by the Nigerian government, as well as LCDAs created by Lagos government but not recognised by the federal government.
The human rights group said that it has trust that the Commission will move swiftly to assert its authority to hold government officials involved accountable. “The failure to implement national and international obligations is responsible for the growing climate of impunity which is contributing to further corruption.”
In another development, a coalition of civil society groups in collaboration with Ministry of Justice, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Office of the Public Defender, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development and WG8 on Violence Against Women, recently converged at Ikeja motor park and marched to Government House, Alausa, as part of activities and awareness creation on the annual United Nations 16 days (November 25 to December 10) campaign on Violence Against Women and in celebration of the first anniversary of the Mirabel Centre. The walk was to create awareness on rape in Lagos.
In her address, founder of the Mirabel Centre, Itoro Eze-Anaba, maintained that the aim of the rape walk with the theme ‘Not in our Communities’ is to provide a platform where all stakeholders in the fight against rape and sexual assault can mobilise the community to take action against perpetrators of rape and report such cases to appropriate authority.