The former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, was in charge of collecting over N200 billion in public funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts. The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered full disclosure of spending details for these funds.
Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta State, was ordered to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019” by Honourable Justice Daniel Osiagor in his judgment from July 17th.
Following a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project with case number FHC/L/CS/803/2019, the judgment was handed down.
According to Justice Osiagor’s ruling, SERAP has a legal right to know how public institutions handle public funds and to ask questions about how they do so. I must say that it is the responsibility of every citizen to demand accountability and transparency in the management of public institutions.
The Delta State government was instead told to “disclose how the Okowa government spent over N7.28 billion received from UBEC between 2015 and 2017 and N213 billion received from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee in 2018, at an average of N17.8 billion monthly.”
Success Adegor, age 7, was sent home because her parents were unable to pay the N900 illegal school fee/levy, prompting SERAP to file a lawsuit.
