CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION SET TO EXPOSE ACCOUNTABILITY CONCERNS IN MDAs

The Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria (ILEWN) has raised concerns over what it describes as a growing pattern of weak accountability, opaque expenditure practices, and inadequate transparency across certain Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), warning that such trends could undermine the gains of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic recovery programme and anti-corruption agenda.

The concerns emerged during an interaction between City Post and the Executive Director of ILEWN, Amb. Splendour Agbonkpolor, following the circulation of invitations to a coalition press conference scheduled to hold on June 4, 2026, in Abuja.

According to Amb. Agbonkpolor, the forthcoming briefing is aimed at drawing national attention to emerging accountability concerns within public institutions and their implications for fiscal discipline, public trust, and the success of ongoing economic reforms.

He noted that while the Tinubu administration continues to implement far-reaching economic measures designed to stabilize the economy, improve government revenues, restore investor confidence, and strengthen public finance management, there remains an urgent need to ensure that public expenditure across MDAs is subjected to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated considerable political will in pursuing difficult economic reforms. However, reforms can only succeed when citizens are confident that public resources are being managed prudently, transparently, and in a manner that delivers measurable value,” he stated.

According to ILEWN, one of the recurring concerns identified in recent expenditure reviews involves substantial public disbursements occurring within compressed periods, vague project descriptions that make independent verification difficult, weak beneficiary traceability, and questions surrounding procurement transparency and value-for-money assessments.

While declining to disclose the full details ahead of the planned briefing, the organization revealed that recent reviews of expenditure records within certain federal agencies, including concerns arising from expenditure patterns observed in the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), have raised questions requiring independent examination and public discussion.

According to ILEWN, preliminary observations from records reviewed point to issues relating to end-of-year disbursement patterns, vague project descriptions, contractor due-diligence concerns, beneficiary verification gaps, and procurement transparency issues.

Although SMEDAN features among the institutions whose expenditure records have attracted public attention, ILEWN emphasized that its concerns extend beyond any single agency and reflect what it believes may be a broader accountability challenge across sections of the public sector.

The organization maintained that accountability goes beyond showing that public funds were spent and requires clear evidence of what was delivered, who benefited, where implementation occurred, and whether intended objectives were achieved.

“What we are saying is simple. Transparency is not hostility, and accountability is not persecution. Citizens have a right to know how public resources are utilized and whether government programmes are delivering measurable results,” Amb. Agbonkpolor stated.

He warned that persistent opacity, weak oversight, poor procurement controls, and inadequate accountability within public institutions could ultimately weaken public confidence, reduce the effectiveness of intervention programmes, and undermine the broader objectives of economic recovery and anti-corruption reforms.

“When resources meant for entrepreneurship development, youth empowerment, small business support, poverty reduction, and economic growth fail to produce measurable outcomes, the nation suffers. Economic opportunities are lost, development objectives are weakened, and the intended gains of ongoing reforms become more difficult to achieve,” he said.

According to him, the forthcoming coalition press conference will provide an opportunity to present emerging findings, identify systemic weaknesses within public expenditure management systems, and advocate reforms capable of strengthening transparency across government institutions.

The event is expected to bring together civil society organizations, accountability advocates, governance reform groups, media practitioners, professional bodies, youth organizations, and concerned citizens committed to promoting transparency and good governance..

ILEWN has called on members of the public, professional bodies, labour groups, civil society organizations, development partners, and the media to follow the proceedings closely and participate in the ongoing national conversation on accountability, transparency, and responsible stewardship of public resources.

“This is not about personalities or politics. It is about protecting public resources and ensuring that every naira spent delivers measurable value to Nigerians. If we fail to ask these questions now, we risk undermining the very reforms intended to rescue the economy and restore public confidence in governance,” Amb. Splendour Agbonkpolor concluded.