Only Gov Mutfwang Of Plateau Accounted For N9bn Palliative Fund – FTM Says
BY CHAMBERLAIN ODEY, JOS – An anti-corruption crusade civil society group on the aegis of ‘Follow The Money’, has extolled Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State over the transparent and accountable manner he handled the palliative funds disbursed to his State.
Follow The Money said that in the course of tracking the money disbursed to the 36 States governors, it noted the exemplary leadership and accountability displayed by Governor Mutfwang, adding that while it wrote all the 36 State governors by exploring the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, only the Plateau State governor obliged it with a response.
It said that Governor Mutfwang followed his response with the details of how the funds for the palliative intervention were disbursed, and how the infrastructure intervention fund is being used.
According to the anti-corruption body, when it conducted independent research and verification checks in Plateau, it confirmed that Mutfwang acquitted himself in channeling and utilizing the funds responsibly and in the public interest.
This was as Follow The Money (FTM), accused the remaining 35 state governors in the country of continued withholding of the N9 billion palliative and infrastructure development funds provided by the federal government, thus, calling on them to follow the public service footsteps of their Plateau State counterpart.
FTM co-founder, Hamzat Lawal, said Nigeria’s governors have kept sealed lips despite receiving N7 billion for infrastructure development and N2 billion as palliatives to cushion against the fuel subsidy removal.
Lawal said after sending requests to all the 36 governors to confirm their receipt of the money and the utilization of the same, only Governor Mutfwang responded after two weeks with a detailed correspondence, giving details of the beneficiaries of the N2b and also details on how they were intending to spend the N7b on capital projects for infrastructural development.
In the words of Lawal; “We have also deployed people within Plateau State to go and verify one, those who were beneficiaries of the palliatives, and two, on the deployment for the infrastructural development projects.”
Regretting the failure of the remaining 35 governors to account for the money, Lawal said; “as I speak to you, 35 state governors have not acknowledged, let alone provided information. Mind you, under the law, they are mandated to respond within seven days. But as I speak to you, they have not acknowledged let alone responded.
“And they have collected N7b for infrastructural development and N2b for palliative support for the removal of fuel subsidy which is N9b. Why are they not saying anything? Why are they not accounting for this money?” he queried.
He further said; “We cannot have 35 state governors who think that they are above the law. The FOI Act is clear: they are mandated and compelled to respond to us. This is worrisome. When you have executive governors who think that they have undertaken or have collected a state that is mired with debts behaving like this, it is troubling.
“When the minister of Finance first made the announcement, some of them (governors) came forward to say they didn’t get the money. But now that they have all gotten the money, they have all kept mute, gone deaf – they don’t want to respond. Why
“There is something for them to hide because when public officials are not willing to give information, it is tantamount to corruption. That means they have something to hide. If they don’t have something to hide, like the Plateau State governor, they would have provided detailed information,” Lawal stressed.
