Human Development Initiatives Asks ICPC to Investigate the Use
of 2015/2016 Local Governments’ Allocations and Bailout Funds
Human Development Initiatives (HDI) has urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct investigation into the use of Local Government allocations released to them, following the concerns over the dearth of infrastructural decay and poor service delivery at Local Governments level in Nigeria despite the humongous allocations that have gone into it; particularly with regard to its inability to pay workers salary across the country and deliver the much needed development at the grassroots. This request was made in a petition signed by the Executive Director, Mrs. Olufunso Owasanoye on 27th July 2016 and duly acknowledged by the commission on 29th July 2016.
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> According to the reports released by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) the 774 Local Government in Nigeria shared over N1.18trillion in 2015 and up till March 2016 shared N146.068billion. For example, in Edo State, Egor received over N1.338 billion, Ovia North East received N1.102 billion, Ovia South East received N1.177 billion, while all the 18 LGAs in the state received N19.876 billion in 2015 excluding allocations for August, September, and November 2015. In Delta State, the reports further show that Oshimili South received N994.136 million, Ika South, N1.099 billion, Oshimili North received N917.714 million, while the 25 LGAs in the State shared a total of N26.219 billion for the same year. In Kwara, Ilorin East received N1.167 billion, Ilorin South received N1.179 billion, Ilorin West received N1.417 billion, while all the 16 LGAs shared N17.260 billion excluding August, September, and November 2015.
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> In the same vein, media reports reveals that operations in many of these Local Government Areas have been grounded due to their inability to pay workers salaries since 2015, as against the background of over N1.18trillion allocations shared by the Federation Account Allocation Committee to all 774 LGAs in Nigeria and another N146.068billion shared between January and March 2016, as well as the bailout funds by the Federal Government shared earlier this year.
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> The Punch through its online platform reported on May 1, 2016 that Egor LGA workers in Edo state were owed 13 months’ salary. Delta State LGA worker were being owed 8 months’ salary, according to Daily Trust (online) of May 1, 2016. Kwara state LGAs are also owing about 5 month’s workers salary, among others (Vanguard May 1, 2016). Investigation revealed that only about 60% of December 2015 salary were paid to most LG workers in Kwara State. Up till June 2016, no Local Government Legislative Council members were in office to process 2016 LG budget. The debt burden spans from 2015 to 2016 despite the huge allocations to these LGAs in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, Local Government workers affected are afraid to share credible information with Civil Society Organizations like ours, for fear of victimization despite the hardship they are going through.
>
> Traditionally, records of finances and workers at the LGA level are often treated as secrete document. It is also very obvious that majority of the offices in many of these LGAs are often deserted; high rate of truancy, ghost worker scam, etc are corrupt practices that have created leakages to LGAs resources, which more often than not largely escape the scrutiny and investigation of anti-corruption agencies, at least to the public knowledge.
>
> More than 69% of Nigerians live in highly deprived communities. The Human Development Report 2015 shows that over 50.9% of Nigeria's population (88.497 million Nigerians) suffer from multidimensional poverty and additional 18.4% (32.001 million) are near multidimensional poverty level. A significant contributor to this alarming poverty scale is deprivation (54.8%). Multidimensional poverty implies that Nigerian households are deprived of basic education, health, income, rural infrastructure such as roads, water, conducive and affordable shelter etc., which by implication escalates existing inequality and poverty level.
>
> Considering the debt owed and neglect of workers, in the face of huge resources allocated to these specified LGAs, Human Development therefore request that the Independence Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), conduct forensic investigations into the utilization of 2015/2016 federal allocations and other resources by the Egor LGA, Ovia South East and South West LGAs in Edo State; Oshimili South, Oshimili Norht and Ika South LGAs in Delta State; and Ilorin East, Ilorin West, and Ilorin South in Kwara State and prosecute all acts of corruption therein.
>
> Finally, the organization acknowledges the fact that the commission is statutorily empowered to request and obtain relevant documents such as budget, payroll, contracts documents and so on in custody of these LGAs, which ordinarily will not be released to interested citizens and therefore sort collaboration with the commission to establish open platforms that will share the information with the grassroots. HDI believes that doing these will ease intelligence gathering by anti-corruption agencies and serve as preventive mechanism in checking grassroots corruption.
Human Development Initiatives (HDI) has urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct investigation into the use of Local Government allocations released to them, following the concerns over the dearth of infrastructural decay and poor service delivery at Local Governments level in Nigeria despite the humongous allocations that have gone into it; particularly with regard to its inability to pay workers salary across the country and deliver the much needed development at the grassroots. This request was made in a petition signed by the Executive Director, Mrs. Olufunso Owasanoye on 27th July 2016 and duly acknowledged by the commission on 29th July 2016.
>
> According to the reports released by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) the 774 Local Government in Nigeria shared over N1.18trillion in 2015 and up till March 2016 shared N146.068billion. For example, in Edo State, Egor received over N1.338 billion, Ovia North East received N1.102 billion, Ovia South East received N1.177 billion, while all the 18 LGAs in the state received N19.876 billion in 2015 excluding allocations for August, September, and November 2015. In Delta State, the reports further show that Oshimili South received N994.136 million, Ika South, N1.099 billion, Oshimili North received N917.714 million, while the 25 LGAs in the State shared a total of N26.219 billion for the same year. In Kwara, Ilorin East received N1.167 billion, Ilorin South received N1.179 billion, Ilorin West received N1.417 billion, while all the 16 LGAs shared N17.260 billion excluding August, September, and November 2015.
>
> In the same vein, media reports reveals that operations in many of these Local Government Areas have been grounded due to their inability to pay workers salaries since 2015, as against the background of over N1.18trillion allocations shared by the Federation Account Allocation Committee to all 774 LGAs in Nigeria and another N146.068billion shared between January and March 2016, as well as the bailout funds by the Federal Government shared earlier this year.
>
> The Punch through its online platform reported on May 1, 2016 that Egor LGA workers in Edo state were owed 13 months’ salary. Delta State LGA worker were being owed 8 months’ salary, according to Daily Trust (online) of May 1, 2016. Kwara state LGAs are also owing about 5 month’s workers salary, among others (Vanguard May 1, 2016). Investigation revealed that only about 60% of December 2015 salary were paid to most LG workers in Kwara State. Up till June 2016, no Local Government Legislative Council members were in office to process 2016 LG budget. The debt burden spans from 2015 to 2016 despite the huge allocations to these LGAs in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, Local Government workers affected are afraid to share credible information with Civil Society Organizations like ours, for fear of victimization despite the hardship they are going through.
>
> Traditionally, records of finances and workers at the LGA level are often treated as secrete document. It is also very obvious that majority of the offices in many of these LGAs are often deserted; high rate of truancy, ghost worker scam, etc are corrupt practices that have created leakages to LGAs resources, which more often than not largely escape the scrutiny and investigation of anti-corruption agencies, at least to the public knowledge.
>
> More than 69% of Nigerians live in highly deprived communities. The Human Development Report 2015 shows that over 50.9% of Nigeria's population (88.497 million Nigerians) suffer from multidimensional poverty and additional 18.4% (32.001 million) are near multidimensional poverty level. A significant contributor to this alarming poverty scale is deprivation (54.8%). Multidimensional poverty implies that Nigerian households are deprived of basic education, health, income, rural infrastructure such as roads, water, conducive and affordable shelter etc., which by implication escalates existing inequality and poverty level.
>
> Considering the debt owed and neglect of workers, in the face of huge resources allocated to these specified LGAs, Human Development therefore request that the Independence Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), conduct forensic investigations into the utilization of 2015/2016 federal allocations and other resources by the Egor LGA, Ovia South East and South West LGAs in Edo State; Oshimili South, Oshimili Norht and Ika South LGAs in Delta State; and Ilorin East, Ilorin West, and Ilorin South in Kwara State and prosecute all acts of corruption therein.
>
> Finally, the organization acknowledges the fact that the commission is statutorily empowered to request and obtain relevant documents such as budget, payroll, contracts documents and so on in custody of these LGAs, which ordinarily will not be released to interested citizens and therefore sort collaboration with the commission to establish open platforms that will share the information with the grassroots. HDI believes that doing these will ease intelligence gathering by anti-corruption agencies and serve as preventive mechanism in checking grassroots corruption.
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