By  Abdulwahab  Abdulah

LAGOS — Four states of the federation, namely Enugu, Kaduna, Oyo and Rivers states have been given 14 days ultimatum to release information and documents on spending on primary education in their respective states over the years.

The ultimatum was contained in letters addressed to the states in line with the requirements of the newly signed Freedom of Information Act, FOI Act, 2011by a non governmental organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP.  They asked the affected states as a matter of accountability to make public how they disbursed monies given to them for primary education.

In separate letters dated 8 June 2011 to governors Sullivan Chime, Patrick Yakowa, Abiola Ajimobi, and Rotimi Amaechi, and signed by Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP’s executive director, SERAP requested the governors to “urgently provide detailed and up-to-date information and documents on the spending relating to primary education in your state.

The information should cover the period from 2005 when the first budget was released for the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, programme in your state.”

The letter signed by Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, SERAP’s executive director, stated: “The FOI Act was enacted pursuant to exercise of Constitutional powers. Similarly, national interest, and the interest of human rights, democracy, rule of law, transparency and accountability is sufficiently dominant in the Act. Therefore, your government is precluded from exercising any discretion that would undermine, restrict or obstruct the direct application of the Act in your state.”

Requesting among other things, SERAP, pleaded that the states should supply to it, the total amount of the Universal Basic Education Commission, (UBEC) education intervention funds allocated to states that have been accessed by the states through the State Universal Basic Education Commission, SUBEC, and the total amount of the counterpart fund your state has provided since 2005 when the first budget was released for the UBEC program in your state, and detailed and up-to-date information on the spending of such fund.

Apart from this, it requested for details of projects on which the intervention and the counterpart funds were spent, especially, on the breakdown of the amount spent on: infrastructural development, including classrooms’ construction and renovation; purchase; renovation or rehabilitation of furniture; acquisition of laboratory/workshop equipment; borehole construction as well as construction of toilets; school feeding programme, caring for the physically/mentally challenged children; and training and re-training of teachers.

It added,  “We note that since 2005 over N119 billion have so far been granted to the 36 states of the federation, including your state. However, despite huge sums of money that have been budgeted and allegedly spent to improve the school infrastructure and environment, primary schools across the country still lack basic facilities”. It argued that, “education at the basic level is one of the most important targets of the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs). We believe that without transparency and accountability on the spending of education funds, the goal will remain unrealized for millions of Nigerian children.”

The group said that if the governors “fail or refuse to provide the requested information within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel your government to comply with our request.”