Corruption, Bane Of CGS Programme – Aide

Corruption has been identified as one of the greatest problems militating against the smooth utilisation of the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) fund put in place in 2007.  The scheme is intended to contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria by 2015.

Senior Special Adviser to Governor Sullivan I. Chime of Enugu State, Mr Joseph Ajadike, made the observation in Enugu while delivering a lecture at a one Day Media Roundtable on  Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) in the state.

It was put together by an Abuja-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) in collaboration with the Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) based in Enugu and funded by the Coalition for Change.

Mr. Ajadike, who described the CGS grant as a step in the right direction since it was meant to alleviate the sufferings of the people, especially those at the rural areas, however,  expressed regret that corruption had continued to hamper  CGS programme.

   No matter how rigorous your due process is, corrupt officials and corrupt contractors always find ways of cutting corners and end up delivering poor quality jobs and services to the people. To such people, meeting the MDGS is not their concern. What matters most to them is how much money is added to their bank account after each deal,” he said.

According to him, besides the problem of corruption, the issue of Monitoring and Evaluation could also pose a lot of challenges for the smooth operation of Conditional Grant Scheme.

“But I must tell you frankly, the CGS is a step in the right direction. It would no doubt contribute a lot to the achievement of the Millennium Development  Goals in Nigeria by the 2015.

“ I suggest here that more of the debt relief gains should be invested in CGS. Though CGS has a lot of success stories, it has also many challenges that should be addressed for more effectiveness and greater efficiency, he continued.

The governor’s Adviser, who gave a comprehensive analysis of how the CGS issue started in Nigeria, explained that the programme was born following series of negotiations in the metropolitan capitals of Europe and America that culminated in the Debt Relief Deals in 2005.

“Nigeria’s foreign debt was estimated at 29 Million US Dollars, but Nigeria did not benefit from outright debt cancellations for many reasons: Nigeria was highly indebted but was not considered as one of the highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) like Chad, Niger and Central African Republic.

Also, Nigeria   is a major player in the crude oil market as it ranked the 6th largest oil producer in the world and had enough external earnings to adequately service her debt.

Thirdly, Nigeria debt stock was not from multinational institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund but from a group of creditors collectively called Paris Club”.

Mr Ajadike stated that the 2007 Conditional grant scheme was the first experiments to test run all the ideas and activities under the CGS package, adding that the scheme gained ground in 2008.

Welcoming the participants earlier to the event, Director, CDD, Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, who spoke through the organisation’s programme officer, Mrs. Seno Ngene, explained that the media roundtable was organised to sensitise members of the media on CGS projects in the state.

The CDD programme officer, urged media men in the state to always show interest in the monitoring of CGS projects in Enugu, expressing dismay over non contacting of most communities where CGS projects were cited before embarking on such projects, saying such action was not proper.

“We believe that the media is an important stakeholder. We also believe that the media can help us to monitor these projects”, she said.

Executive Director of CIRDDOC, Mrs. Oby Nwankwo in her remarks through her organisation’s programme officer Mr. Jerry , said the Millennium Development Goals “are set of developments aimed at effecting measurable improvement in the life of world’s poorest citizens”.

She thus expressed the hope that the programme would go a long way in improving the lots of the poor masses of Nigeria.