Nigeria

Lockdown: Say No Campaign commends distribution of palliatives in Abaji by FCTA

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 9:55 PM by Jerrywright Ukwu

- Anti-corruption group, Say No Campaign, has commended the distribution of palliatives in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

- The group specifically singled out the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for its handling of the process

- The FCTA had announced palliative items for 600,000 households across the six area councils of the FCT

Foremost anti-corruption group, Say No Campaign has commended the distribution of palliatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja specifically in Abaji area council by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The FCTA had announced palliative items for 600,000 households across the six area councils of the FCT for the most vulnerable in Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari and AMAC.

Due to the prevalence of corruption in the country, and especially among public officials, particularly in areas of diversion of funds and intervention packages, Say No Campaign revealed that it had monitored the distribution of palliative items earmarked for individual area councils.

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A statement by the co-convener of Say No Campaign, Ezenwa Nwagwu, on Wednesday, April 22, noted that the action was taken “for the purpose of monitoring the process for transparency and reflecting the observation and reaction of the beneficiaries and community members.”

The minister of state FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, had announced that 25,000 bags of rice and 25,000 bags of condiments would be distributed to 100,000 households in Abaji area council, a process that had lasted for four days.

Having closely observed the process of distribution, Say No Campaign commended the FCTA officials and the Abaji area council leadership “for its coordination in distributing the items received.”

Part of the statement read: “The process, according to the reports we have received from its monitoring group, who are also residents in Abaji, was inclusive as community members actively participated in identifying all households in need as well as ensuring equitable distribution of the items.

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“They reported that although there were some challenges with observing social distancing while sharing, the entire process was relatively orderly.

“It is equally commendable that residents in Abaji testified to a fair distribution devoid of political, religious or ethnic biases. A feat that has become increasingly difficult to achieve in the country.

“This also contributed to the support and cooperation enjoyed by the distribution committee, further echoing the popular advocacy for the need to discard all biases and interests, if Nigeria must move forward.

“While we commend the FCTA for beginning well, we, however, urge it to intensify it's transparency and accountability measures by allowing each community to confirm the numbers of items they have received before sharing.

“It is important that every avenue for diversion be blocked and government processes are made utterly transparent to build public trust and support across the board.

“Similarly, a comprehensive report will be required at the end of the exercise, hence we require the FCTA to keep an accurate account, including procurement details of all material and logistics, to ensure that accountability is not jettisoned as people get desperate for relief.