NGO demands more transparency, accountability in govt activities

A youth-based non-governmental organisation, Inspiration Care and Development Centre (ICDC), has called on the government of Ekiti State to be more transparent and accountable in providing good governance for the people.

The organisation explained that governments exist to improve the lives and livelihoods of citizens across all sectors, noting that all efforts must be geared toward achieving this in the interest of the citizens.

The Executive Director of ICDC, Lawrence Olowolayemo, spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during a town hall meeting tagged ‘Beta Government,’ organised by the organisation with support from the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund and Leap Africa.

At the event, Youth Financial Transparency Champions unveiled their reports, collated after monitoring government projects across the 16 local government areas of the state, to stakeholders.

Olowolayemo noted that the projects empowered youths to engage in governance programs by going out into the fields to observe projects, ensuring effective execution and accountability by the government.

While revealing that the reports suggested that about 60 per cent of the projects monitored were delivered, he expressed displeasure over the handling of some projects by government officials and contractors.

He said, “These youths have been to the field to observe government projects, and from our reports, we found that about 60 per cent of the projects monitored were completed, but our major concern was the remaining 40 per cent, in which, in some cases, money was given to contractors and they abandoned those projects. However, with the efforts of this project, we were able to bring them back on-site.

“We had an issue with the allocation and release of N1.8 million for the construction of public toilets across the 16 LGAs, but when we observed, nothing of such was done, and we raised that issue with the concerned authorities.”

“Our team observed that there is no way that amount can successfully procure a public toilet; it is just a way to divert money. When you put those figures together, it totals about N38 million, which is huge.

“So, this project has done a lot for our system, and at times, it is not about the government but some people failing to take responsibility. We have seen a laudable program done by the government, but we still have some bad eggs in the system who should be flushed out and handed over to the anti-corruption agencies for prosecution. That is what our organisation is doing.

“This report is meant to help us improve the process of governance and ensure more transparency and accountability in the system.”

Speaking, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Gold Adedayo, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Development, Maxwell Olu-Ajayi, commended ICDC and its partners for their reports, which ensure that people feel the impact of government in the state.

He stated that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, in the last two years in office, had remained committed to prioritising transparency and openness in its activities toward building public trust.

Delivering his keynote address, a political science lecturer at the Ekiti State University, Dr. Mike Omilusi, explained that the government at all levels must be deliberate in its efforts to ensure youth participation in governance.

Omilusi, who lamented that youths in Nigeria are not given the right place to participate in government activities, said that no country can witness development without the input of its youthful population.

He encouraged individuals and other organisations to emulate the laudable efforts of ICDC in putting the government on its toes and working toward delivering the needed good governance to the people.

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