CBN gets seven days to make COVID-19 donations public

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) Thursday said it had filed a Freedom of information (FoI) request for details of Nigeria’s COVID-19 funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It demanded that the CBN should, within seven days, make public the value and details of the funds and material donations received from local and international organisations from February to April this year.

Since February 27 when the country’s index COVID-19 case was confirmed, funds from governments, individuals and corporate organisations have trickled in.

HEDA, in the letter sent to the CBN this week, said the apex bank had the “moral and constitutional obligations” to provide the information to the public.

The FOI request was signed by HEDA Chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju.

The CBN, the letter said, should without any promoting have been publishing the figures of any fund received on behalf of the people of Nigeria.

The FOI request signed by HEDA Chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju said his group wants a comprehensive breakdown of financial donations received towards responding to COVID 19 as at April 20 this year.

The group also wants CBN to indicate the names of the donors (individual, corporate and international organisations), date of donation, source(s) of the donations, the amount contributed by each individual and corporate body.

“The CBN holds resources in trust for the people. The bank needs to set standards in line with global best practices. The receipt of funds in the form of donations either in cash or in material forms should be done in an open and transparent manner.

“We want to see the CBN act in accordance with a culture of accountability which should be the hallmark of business transactions in Nigeria,” Suraju said.