COVID-19 donations and the task before Buhari

By Sentry

Contrary to the assumption of the opposition, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is still enjoying local and international goodwill going by the increasing volume of donations, especially cash, to contain Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

But the real task before Buhari now is ensuring judicious use of the donations, accountability and transparency. If the government sustains its record of integrity in managing these emergency resources, it will enhance its international reputation.

No organization is more worried about the huge cash than the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) which has asked IMF and the World Bank to pay attention to how Nigeria manages the donations.

In an April 17, 2020 open letter to IMF Mission Chief/ Senior Resident Representative, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said: “In my capacity of the Executive Director of CISLAC/ Transparency International in Nigeria, I deeply appreciate the scale, speed and flexibility of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) response to this crisis.

“The IMF Executive Board is currently considering a request from the Nigerian government to receive financial assistance under the IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument facility.

“If approved, these funds will be essential in financing the COVID-19 response initiatives recently announced by the Government of Nigeria such as food distribution, cash transfers, loan repayment waivers and the expansion of the social register from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households.

“With an increased influx of money, however, come increased risks of corruption. As tens of millions of Nigerians under the poverty threshold are locked down and unable to feed themselves and their wards, we cannot afford waste due to fraud and corruption.

“Three global civil society organizations – Transparency International, Human Rights Watch and Global Witness – have recently proposed key transparency and anti-corruption measures in the IMF’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

“We join this call and appeal to the IMF, the World Bank and other development partners and the private sector to highlight the importance of transparency and integrity in their engagement with the Government of Nigeria. We underscore that the crisis cannot weaken its prior commitments to anti-corruption.”