{"id":66054,"date":"2019-04-08T04:49:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T03:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=66054"},"modified":"2019-04-08T04:49:48","modified_gmt":"2019-04-08T03:49:48","slug":"success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a<\/div>\n
\n
Freedom of Information request to governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta
\nState requesting him to use his \u201cgood offices and leadership position to
\nurgently provide information on details of the budgetary allocations and
\nactual spending by your government to provide and ensure access of
\nNigerian children to free and quality primary school education in your
\nstate between 2015 and 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

SERAP said: \u201cThe evidence of education deficit in the state is further
\nbuttressed by the case of Success Adegor, who was sent home because her
\nparents could not pay the illegal school fee\/levy of N900 and the
\ninsufficient and poor-quality education infrastructure of Okotie-Eboh
\nPrimary School 1, Sapele.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group also said: \u201cIf we have not heard from you within 7 days of the
\nreceipt and\/or publication of this letter, the Registered Trustees of
\nSERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you to comply
\nwith our request.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the FOI request dated 5 April 2019 and signed by SERAP deputy director
\nKolawole Oluwadare, the group said: \u201cFull development of human personality
\nis essential objective of education. A strong Delta State in the future
\nrequires a strong education system today. A poor education system will
\nseverely cripple Delta State\u2019s future growth, development and
\nsustainability, both socially and economically. Providing the information
\nas requested would show your commitment to ensuring access to quality
\neducation as a public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to SERAP: \u201cDespite the huge resources available to your
\ngovernment and the massive budgetary allocations to primary education in
\nyour State including from the UBEC funds, several of the around 1,124
\nprimary schools across the State are in shambles, and with very poor
\nteaching facilities, thereby jeopardizing the futures of tens of thousands
\nof Nigerian children in the State.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FOI request read in part: \u201cSERAP notes that since assuming office,
\nyour government has received over N7.8 billion from Universal Basic
\nEducation Commission (UBEC). Your government has also received funds from
\nfederal allocations to Delta State. Your government accessed over N3
\nbillion of UBEC funds between 2015 and 2016, while also reportedly
\napproved the release of N1.28 billion counterpart fund to enable it access
\nUBEC funds for 2017.\u00a0 Your government also received N213 billion from
\nFederation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) in 2018, at an average of
\nN17.8 billion monthly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge you to provide details of budgetary allocations and actual
\nspending by your government between 2015 and 2019, including specific
\nprojects carried out to improve access to free and quality primary
\neducation in your state, the locations of such projects and the primary
\nschools that have benefited from the projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also seek information on specific details of the steps your government
\nis taking to improve the overall welfare of children in primary schools
\nacross your state, and details of your government\u2019s fee-free programme, if
\nany, across primary schools in the state and information on indirect
\ncosts, including uniforms, exercise books, and transport costs to students
\nand their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour government should also provide details of specific projects by your
\ngovernment to improve access to education for children with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSERAP believes that investment in education is an obligation of States
\nunder human rights law, and adequate resources must be allocated to the
\neducation sector including primary education on enduring basis and in a
\ntransparent and accountable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPromoting transparency and accountability in the spending on primary
\nschools would demonstrate your commitment to achieve the goal of universal
\nquality education for all free of costs, as stated in the 2030 Agenda for
\nSustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations Summit in July
\n2015.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal 4 of the Agenda stipulates that \u2018By 2030, ensure that all girls
\nand boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary
\neducation leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note that it is the statutory responsibility of State Governments in
\nNigeria to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for
\nevery child of primary and junior secondary school age by virtue of
\nSection 2(1) of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act 2004.
\nFurther, under Section 18(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as
\namended), government at all levels in Nigeria should strive to eradicate
\nilliteracy and provide free, compulsory and universal primary education to
\nthe citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria is also a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the
\nChild, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
\nand the African Charter on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights, which require states
\nparties to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the right to education
\nincluding primary education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese laws and treaties obligate your government to ensure the enjoyment
\nof the right to primary education, including by promoting transparency and
\naccountability in the spending on education, and taking steps to improve
\nand expand quality and free education for all.”<\/p>\n

\u201cBy virtue of Section 1 (1) of the FOI Act, SERAP is entitled as of right
\nto request for or gain access to information, including information on
\ndetails of budgetary allocations and actual spending on primary schools in
\nDelta State. By virtue of Section 4 (a) of the Act when a person makes a
\nrequest for information from a public official, institution or agency, the
\npublic official, institution or urgency to whom the application is
\ndirected is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with
\nthe information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act,
\nwithin 7 days after the application is received.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the Act, there is a binding legal duty to
\nensure that documents containing information relating to spending of
\nallocations and spending is widely disseminated and made readily available
\nto members of the public through various means.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe information being requested does not come within the purview of the
\ntypes of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FOI
\nAct. The information bothers on an issue of access to education,
\ndevelopment, good governance, transparency and accountability. The
\ndisclosure of the information requested will give SERAP and the general
\npublic a true picture on how budgetary allocations and UBEC funds received
\nby your state have been spent to provide access to free quality primary
\neducation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information request to governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State requesting him to use his \u201cgood offices and leadership…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSuccess Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information request to governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State requesting him to use his \u201cgood offices and leadership…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\"},\"wordCount\":1022,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\",\"name\":\"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg\",\"width\":660,\"height\":387},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News","og_description":"Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information request to governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State requesting him to use his \u201cgood offices and leadership…","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":660,"height":387,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education","datePublished":"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/"},"wordCount":1022,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/","name":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg","datePublished":"2019-04-08T03:49:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/serap.jpg","width":660,"height":387},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/success-adegor-serap-gives-okowa-7-days-to-disclose-spending-on-primary-education\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Success Adegor: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to disclose spending on primary education"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}