- “These children are being short-changed and they deserve to know how much exactly the state government spent between 2015 and 2019, on their education,”
Anti-corruption advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has sued Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, over alleged poor funding of primary education in his state.
In the suit filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the group urged the court to compel Okowa “to explain the disparity between budgetary allocations to primary education and the reality that several of the around 1,124 primary schools across the state are in a shambles, and with very poor teaching facilities.”
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oludare, said the suit followed Okowa’s refusal to oblige its Freedom of Information request for detailed information on how much his administration had spent on primary education in the state since 2015.
He said the FOI request was informed by the case of Success Adegor, who was sent home from school for being unable to pay.
The group said it was aware that since coming on board, Okowa’s administration had received N7.8bn from Universal Basic Education Commission, apart from other funds from the Federal Government.
It contended that in spite of this, “tens of thousands of Nigerian children are being left behind in Delta State and their future put in jeopardy.”
“These children are being short-changed and they deserve to know how much exactly the state government spent between 2015 and 2019, on their education,” SERAP said.
Apart from Okowa, also joined as defendants in the suit are the Universal Basic Education Commission and the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board.
“The refusal by the governor, UBEC and SUBEB to respond to SERAP’s FOI requests can only be construed to mean denial of the information sought.
“The evidence of education deficit in the state is buttressed by the case of Success Adegor, who was sent home because her parents could not pay the illegal school fee/levy of N900 and the insufficient and poor-quality education infrastructure of Okotie-Eboh Primary School 1, Sapele,” SERAP said.
