SUCCESS ADEGOR: SERAP gives Okowa 7 days to reveal how much he has spent on education

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has given the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, seven days to reveal how much his administration has spent on education.

The group is making the demand on the heels of a viral video showing the young girl, Success Adegor, being sent home from school for failing to pay her fees. Images of dilapidated strcctures of the school also went viral online.

SERAP, in a statement signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare on Sunday, said apart from other funds from the Federal Government, it was aware that the Okowa administration has received the sum of N7.8 billion from the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.

Revealing that the request is being made in accordance to the Freedom of Information Act, the group said in the statement: “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 notes that since assuming office, your government has received over N7.8bn from Universal Basic Education Commission.

“Your government has also received funds from federal allocations to Delta State. Your government accessed over N3bn of UBEC funds between 2015 and 2016, while also reportedly approved the release of N1.28bn counterpart fund to enable it access UBEC funds for 2017.

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“Your government also received N213bn from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee in 2018, at an average of N17.8bn monthly.

“We urge you to provide details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by your government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve access to free and quality primary education in your state, the locations of such projects and the primary schools that have benefited from the projects.

“We also seek information on specific details of the steps your government is taking to improve the overall welfare of children in primary schools across your state, and details of your government’s fee education programme, if any, across primary schools in the state and information on indirect costs, including uniforms, exercise books, and transport costs to students and their parents.”

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