open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his
leadership position to “urgently instruct the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor spending
by federal agencies and state governors to combat coronavirus or COVID19
pandemic in Nigeria.”
SERAP said this “would remove the risks of corruption and mismanagement
in our healthcare systems that are already weakened by systemic
corruption.”
In the letter dated 20 March, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director
Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Coronavirus crisis requires
quick responses but it also requires corruption safeguards to ensure
public funds are well spent, and promote access to basic public health
and other services to those most in need.”
SERAP said: “By prioritising transparency and accountability in the
spending of funds to combat coronavirus, your government will be taking
preventive measures to ensure that the efforts to reduce the spread of
the pandemic and promote the health and safety of Nigerians are not
compromised by corruption.”
SERAP expressed “concern that systemic corruption in the health sector
across the country would hurt the federal and state authorities’
responses to the coronavirus crisis.”
The letter, read in part: “The challenges posed by the coronavirus
pandemic also show the urgent need for your government to improve
Nigeria’s health systems and to encourage state governors to commit some
parts of their security votes to provide additional resources towards
strengthening the health systems within their states.”
“Your government ought to move swiftly to increase spending on efforts
to combat coronavirus in the country and provide funding support to
Nigerians that are most affected by the crisis, by presenting COVID-19
budget/spending plan to the National Assembly and setting up a COVID-19
trust fund to which wealthy individuals and others should be encouraged
to contribute.”
“The proposed increase in spending of funds on COVID-19 means
accountability for those funds should be top of your government’s list
of priorities, if it is to remove opportunities for corruption that can
undermine initiatives to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
“The EFCC and ICPC should ensure that anyone found to have mismanaged or
stolen public funds meant for addressing the coronavirus pandemic are
effectively prosecuted and punished.”
“We also urge you to take urgent measures to ensure that health sector
services in federal institutions and agencies are strengthened and that
the appropriate corruption risk assessments are implemented and
monitored.”
“The lessons from the Ebola crisis is that even in times of public
emergencies, there are those who aim to profit from others most affected
by the crisis. Monitoring the spending on coronavirus would help to
apply the lessons of the Ebola crisis and prevent corruption, which
characterised the efforts to combat it in some countries including in
Sierra Leone and Liberia, where patients reportedly paid bribes to
access health services.”
“Corruption in the spending of funds to combat coronavirus will
undermine public trust in any efforts by your government to bring the
spread of the pandemic under control, and deny access to basic public
health services to Nigerians who need the services most.”
“Monitoring the spending of public funds budgeted to combat coronavirus
would also ensure respect for human rights and contribute to ensuring
that Nigerians who cannot afford to pay bribes are not denied access to
testing and treatment, and that high-ranking officials and wealthy
individuals subject to quarantines are not abusing the systems.”
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and where appropriate
invoke the Freedom of Information Act and take legal action to ensure
transparency and accountability, and full respect for Nigerians’ human
rights.”
“The right to health provides that health facilities, goods, and
services should be: available in sufficient quantity, accessible to
everyone without discrimination, and affordable for all, especially the
most vulnerable and marginalized groups.”
“These obligations mean that your government should ensure that accurate
and up-to-date information about the number of identified cases and
spread of coronavirus in the country, access to services, service
disruptions, and other aspects of the response to the outbreak is widely
available and accessible to all.”
“The right to health also imposes obligations on your government to
minimize the risk of occupational accidents and diseases including by
ensuring health workers and others involved in the coronavirus response
have information and adequate protective clothing and equipment they
need.”
“This request is consistent with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption
and human rights obligations including under the UN Convention against
Corruption, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Nigeria has
ratified these treaties.”
“Under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of
physical and mental health. Your government is obligated to take
effective steps for the prevention, treatment and control of epidemic,
endemic, occupational and other diseases.”
“As the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which
monitors state compliance with the covenant, has stated, the right to
health is closely related to and dependent upon the realization of other
human rights, including the rights to food, education, human dignity,
life, non-discrimination, equality, and access to information.”
“We hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your actions in
acting to ensure the effectiveness of any efforts to combat the
coronavirus crisis in Nigeria. We would be happy to discuss any of these
issues in more detail with you.”