The Delta State Government has been ordered to account for N200 billion education funds spent by immediate past governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
Daily Report Nigeria reports that the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos also directed for the Sheriff Oborevwori-led government to account for allocations received by his predecessor.
The court particularly “ordered the disclosure of the spending details of over N200bn public funds collected by the government of former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts.”
Governor Oborevwori was ordered to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects.
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Justice Daniel Osiagor delivered the judgment following a Freedom of Information suit marked: FHC/L/CS/803/2019 brought before it by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
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Announcing details of the court proceedings via statement on Sunday, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, said that Justice Osiagor held “SERAP has cognizable legal right to inquire and know the way and manner public institutions manage public funds.
“I must say that every citizen has a duty to demand transparency and accountability in governance of public institutions,” the judge added.
Justice Osiagor also stated, “Why should a request for details of disbursement and spending of public funds between 2015 and 2019 by Delta State be a cause of litigation for four years?
“Public officials are fast developing a state of anomie and cold feet when confronted with request for audit report of public duties and budgets.”
Justice Osiagor ordered the Delta State government 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 (FAAC) in 2018, at an average of N17.8 billion monthly.”
SERAP’s suit followed the case of seven-year-old Success Adegor, who was sent home because her parents could not pay the illegal school fee/levy of N900, and the poor quality of her Okotie-Eboh Primary School 1.
Miss Success had, in a viral video in March 2019 said, “No be say I no go pay, dem go flog, flog, flog, dem go tire.”
Justice Osiagor ordered the government to “disclose details of the primary schools that have benefited from the projects carried out on access to free and quality primary education in Delta State, and information on indirect costs, including uniforms, exercise books, and transport costs to students and their parents.”
Justice Osiagor also ordered the government to “disclose specific details of the steps Delta State Government is taking to improve the overall welfare of children in primary schools across Delta State, including details of government’s fee-free programme, if any, across primary schools in Delta State.”
Justice Osiagor dismissed all the objections raised by the Delta State government, Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] and the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board and upheld SERAP’s arguments.
Subsequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the three respondents.
Justice Osiagor’s judgment, dated 17 July, 2023, read in part: “SERAP’s application cures so much disinformation in the public space. The request by SERAP falls within the categories of records accessible by the public.
“However, public institutions are becoming increasingly hysterical upon any request served on them for information bordering on accountability.
“The arguments of the Delta State government and the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) that the Freedom of Information Act applies to only Federal Government officials cannot be sustained as public institutions are defined in Section 31 of the Interpretation section to include State institutions.
“Besides, any State Freedom of Information Law that runs contrary to the Federal legislation to the extent of the inconsistency shall be void. See Section 4(5) of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 [as amended]. National Assembly’s legislative powers is for the peace, order and good government of Nigeria.
“The Delta state government’s reliance on the Delta State Freedom of Information Law, 2019 is inappropriate in this case. The retrospective application of the Delta State piece of legislation is hollow as it cannot divest the vested rights of SERAP.
“The Freedom of Information Act was the only piece of legislation applying to Delta prior to the filing of this suit by SERAP by the doctrine of covering the field. I am not unmindful of the concurrent powers of legislation between the Federal and State legislatures. There is therefore no feature depriving this court of jurisdiction.
“Besides, the Delta State procedural step is inapplicable as it
