Nigeria Demands Clarity on How UN-Managed Funds Are Utilised
The Nigerian government has thrown down the gauntlet to the United Nations (UN) and its various agencies, demanding full transparency regarding funds solicited on Nigeria’s behalf to tackle issues concerning poverty, women, and children.
During a press conference, the Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uche Kennedy Ohanenye, accused UN agencies of raising substantial sums and squandering them on unproductive endeavours.
To hold these organisations accountable, Nigeria has issued a one-month ultimatum, threatening legal action if the UN fails to disclose financial details.
Minister Ohanenye emphasised that this call for financial transparency is prompted by escalating violence against women and children, rising poverty levels, the proliferation of out-of-school children, and the insufficient representation of women in politics—all issues ostensibly within the UN agencies’ purview, such as UNICEF, UNAID, UNFPA, UNESCO, and UNWOMEN.
Ohanenye expressed scepticism that these funds were primarily allocated to creating policies, providing theoretical technical support, organising summits, and advocating for causes instead of directly addressing the pressing issues at hand.
She elaborated on the troubling statistics, citing a significant increase in the poverty rate in Nigeria, a surge in out-of-school children, the expansion of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practices, a lack of land ownership for women, and a staggering number of extremely impoverished women and girls in the country.
Ohanenye revealed the substantial contributions from international donors, with the American Embassy providing $800 million in annual aid to Nigeria via the UN and the Canadian Embassy contributing $150 million annually.
These substantial sums, she claims, all follow the same pattern of financing oral technical support, policy development, and advocacy, with little substantial action on the ground.
The Nigerian government has given the UN agencies a one-month deadline, starting from October 16, 2023, to present a published report detailing how the funds were expended for public scrutiny.
If the agencies do not respond by November 8, 2023, a pre-action letter will be issued, and if no satisfactory response is received by November 15, 2023, legal action will be pursued.
Minister Ohanenye’s stance is clear: Nigeria demands meaningful and efficient use of funds, not vague technical support and empty rhetoric.
Source: Leadership News
