Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

‘N500 million Chibok safe school fund missing’

By Bertram Nwannekanma
29 December 2016   |   2:08 am
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has raised the alarm that two years after the foundation-laying ceremony by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to rebuild Government Secondary School in Chibok....
Governor Kashim Shettima

Governor Kashim Shettima

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has raised the alarm that two years after the foundation-laying ceremony by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to rebuild Government Secondary School in Chibok, nothing appeared to have been done in the institution.

Shettima, who stated this on Monday when he visited Chibok, lamented that a lot of individuals and groups have turned the misfortune of Boko Haram victims into a money-making venture.

He said his administration would pressurise the Federal Government to uncover those who might have diverted the money meant to rebuild it after Boko Haram insurgents destroyed it and kidnapped over 200 girls from the school in 2014.

The governor said that it was important to determine how much was released to the contractor handling the project as the school has remained in a state of disrepair.

Also, a Lagos-based rights group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has petitioned the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, requesting him to “urgently begin a thorough, transparent and effective investigation of the alleged missing fund.”

The group, in a petition signed by its Senior Staff Attorney, Timothy Adewale, urged the EFCC to “invite for questioning anyone suspected to be involved in the alleged diversion, including the contractors allegedly handling the project.

According to it, the allegation that N500 million has been lost to corruption has resulted in denying the girls access to education, and shows the failure of former President Jonathan’s government to live up to Nigeria’s commitments under the global safe school declaration.

It, therefore, urged the EFCC to work with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to set up a mechanism to monitor government’s spending of the fund.

“SERAP is concerned that the alleged diversion of N500 million meant for reconstruction of Government Girls School in Chibok has directly violated the right to education of the girls as guaranteed under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Nigeria is a state party,” it added.

0 Comments