Expert wants ‘independent monitor’ to oversee disbursement of FG’s grant

To ensure the federal government’s conditional grant is properly managed and dissuade official corruption, an accounting expert, Kehinde Tanimowo has suggested that the government set up an independent body to oversee the disbursement of the funds.

Reacting to the news that the government disbursed N9.5 billion to less-privileged families in Katsina state, Tanimowo in an interview with Prime Business Africa said it was essential that every money spent by the federal government under its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was monitored, as a means to check and discourage corruption.

“Monitoring is very essential. It is the lack of checks and balances that encourages corruption. To get the best result, a wholly independent body should monitor and oversee the grants given to these people and not the regular government or team”, Tanimowo said.

Earlier the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk revealed that the federal government had disbursed N9.5 billion as conditional grants to 142,000 less-privileged families in Katsina state.

Umar-Farouk said the federal government had empowered 4,442 independent monitors across the 36 states of the federation to work hand-in-hand with state government officials to oversee and ensure transparency of how the funds were being disbursed and utilised.

Tanimowo criticised the federal government’s employment of independent monitors. “The government cannot claim to have engaged the services of independent monitors and then turn around to begin monitoring those same monitors. Let them be independent without any government body interference; that is the true definition of being independent.”