The group said this became necessary following the high level of reported cases of diversion and corruption that marred the distribution of palliatives in the first round.

In a Statement signed by its Communications and Stakeholders Engagement Officer, Utibe Archibong, Policy Alert alleged that reports from its monitoring team across the 31 local government Areas in the State had it that little or inadequate portions actually reached a small percentage of the poor in some communities while the majority of the poorest and vulnerable citizens across the state never accessed the palliatives.

“However, we observe that over 50,000 bags of palliative items comprising garri, rice, flour and beans to about 3,000 villages across the state which the state government purportedly distributed during the first round of palliatives distribution were not verified by independent stakeholders.

“Also, the procurement of the said palliatives was not informed by any clear assessment of the real needs of target beneficiaries, neither was the public informed of the criteria for the selection of beneficiaries and the format of the distribution, which resulted in the process being administered in an ad hoc and highly partisan manner.” The group said.

Policy Alert noted that there were official reports that some miscreants diverted some of the palliatives meant for the vulnerable in the State regretting that, till date, there was no indication of government’s efforts to apprehend and prosecute the culprits.

The group added, “In the proposed second round of palliatives distribution, the State Government needs to ramp up the quantity of palliatives to be distributed and proactively publish the criteria for selecting beneficiaries

It however said if the criteria are being published, it would be easier for people, NGOs and other civil Societies to hold those in charge of the distribution accountable if they sense any act of deviation.

The group also called on government to include community leaders, civil society groups and the media in the Palliatives Committee as third-party monitors rather than depend on political middlemen as experienced during the first-round.

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The executive director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton-Akpan said this in Uyo during a capacity building workshop entitled, “Utilizing the FOI Act 2011 as a tool for Combating Public Sector Corruption at the Subnational Level.”

Bolton-Akpan who harped on the potency of information noted that access to information is a lubricant to success in business.

His words, “Access to publicly held information is an important plank of the ease of doing business. Current efforts by the state government to promote industrialization and foreign direct investment cannot succeed where private investors cannot routinely access government records provided either proactively or on request for the making of business decisions.

“While the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 remains an important piece of legislation aimed at empowering citizens and state actors to promote transparency and accountability in government, many public officials who do not understand their obligations under the Act, are confused as to whether the Act applies to state government institutions, or remain lost as to how its provisions could be reconciled with secrecy clauses as found in other extant laws and regulations such as the Official Secrets Act, Section 97 of the Criminal Code and the Civil Service Rules and Regulations amongst others.

“This training has helped to put to rest some of those confusions and apprehensions, first by reiterating that the law applies to state governments, and then by arming public officials with the knowledge they need to utilize the law as an anti-corruption tool at the subnational level.

Also speaking, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Officer of Policy Alert, Utibe Archibong, announced that the training was part of the Strengthening Citizens Resistance against the Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C) project, which Policy Alert is currently implementing in Akwa Ibom State, with support from Actionaid Nigeria.

Lovina Anthony, Uyo

The post CSO challenges Akwa Ibom govt on access to information first appeared on National Ambassador News.