CSO, The Finder, write Kaletapwa, demand details of money spent on TEtfund project in Adsu, Mubi.
The Finder Multimedia (THE FINDER), centre for leaders evaluation and accountability forum(CLEAF) have sent a joint Freedom of Information request to Kaletapwa Farauta, Acting Vice Chancellor, Adamawa State University, Mubi, requesting her to use her good offices and leadership position to “urgently provide information on the 2017 till date allocations received from TETFUND and the implementation reports of the University, including the amounts released (financial implications) and expended in fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019 for the various projects the University carried out.”
The groups also urged Mrs Farauta, a Professor, to furnish them with “the amounts released (financial implications) and expended in fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019 for: all the TETFUND grants projects ongoing in the University.”
In the FOI request sent on Wednesday and signed by Mohammed Suleiman of THE FINDER NEWSPAPER, Mathias Pwasaato of CLEAF, the groups said: “Transparency of the TETFUND allocations to ADSU and the process and its implementation is an essential condition to achieve good governance. The reports, if provided and published, will shed light on the University spending and put to rest once and for all the perceived lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of ADSU, Mubi budgets, which has been a subject of intense public debate and concern.”
The groups said: “If the requested information is not provided within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, our organisations shall take all appropriate legal action under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.”
According to the groups: “several billions of naira allocated to the University to provide enabling environment for students and lecturers to improving the ability of teaching and learning in the University.”
The FOI request read in part: “The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FOI Act. The information requested for, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FOI Act, would serve the national interest, public welfare, public interest and peace, human rights, good governance, transparency and accountability.”
“By virtue of Section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, we are entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on 2017, 2018 and 2018 TETFUND implementation reports of the University, and the amounts released (financial implications) and expended in fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019 for the various operations listed, which have yielded no tangible result.”
“Also, by virtue of Section 4(a) of the FOI Act, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or agency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.”