BudgIT Calls for Vigilant Citizenship Against Subnational Procurement Awards

 BudgIT, a civic-tech organization promoting transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery in Nigeria, has expressed profound disappointment about the dubious items listed in the Public Procurement Awards reported by Nigerian state governments for 2023 2nd and 3rd quarters.

A vivid example was Funsho Doherty’s open letter to the Lagos State Government on November 18, 2023.

According to BudgIT, in the letter, Funsho Doherty, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party, notified the public about obscure projects awarded to contractors by the Lagos State Government in the second quarter of the year.

“The letter emphasized extravagant expenditures such as the allocation of N7,400,000 to replace liquid fragrance in the governor’s office, N2,017,840,000 to replace rechargeable lamps and fans in the deputy governor’s office, and N535,500,000 for a church renovation. These expenditures are disturbing, given the state’s current debt stock of N996,440,044,235.35.

“We also noticed Delta State pulled down its procurement website before it could be scrutinized and later restored it after public outcry from concerned citizens.”

BudgIT, in a statement signed by its Communications Associate, Nancy Odimegwu, noted that as a fervent advocate for transparency, uses this opportunity to advise and call on all well-meaning Nigerians to pay attention to their state’s financial appropriation, budget implementation reports, and procurement details. BudgIT believes if all citizens take ownership by calling their subnational governments to order through advocacies and demand accountability on their financial status, many state governments will sit up.

While Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a vital role in holding the government accountable, BudgIT underscores that accountability fundamentally depends on citizens’ active participation. BudgIT provides a user-friendly platform where citizens can access data and information on approved budgets, citizens’ budgets, and other budgetary information at openstates.ng.

“To promote good governance and accountability, BudgIT urges citizens to become vocal and actively engage in causes that yield concrete accountability and transparency results, and foster a collective effort toward better governance.

“We remain unwavering in our commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible governance and anticipate increased citizen activism for a brighter democratic future”, the civic-tech organization stated.