A coalition of 407 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria have called on the government to ensure transparency and accountability in its disbursement and use of COVID-19-related funds. The CSOs also urged the government to prevent further abuses of human rights by law enforcement agencies.
At an online press briefing on Friday, the group disclosed that it has developed a comprehensive memo to guide the government in its fight against the pandemic. Bukky Shonibare, founder of Girl Child Africa, said, “To augment government efforts, some CSOs have implemented projects to support the poor and vulnerable while raising concerns about areas of improvement. “To articulate these gaps, CSOs in Nigeria have produced a Joint Memo covering eight thematic issues and many recommendations aimed at ensuring more effective and efficient responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria,” she said. The eight focus areas of the document include safeguarding frontline workers, strategy for lockdowns and curfews, access to essential services, composition of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, standardisation, human rights and security, gender equality, and transparency and accountability.
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