A don with the Department of Geography, University of Maiduguri, Prof. Abubakar Monguno has called for accountability in the use of Ecological Funds disbursed for environmental protection across the country.
Monguno made this call in an interview on Monday.
He said as Nigeria faces worsening ecological challenges, including the ongoing flood crisis, concerns are being raised about the management of the ecological fund.
He noted a glaring gap in the use of the fund, which is disbursed monthly to state and local governments to address critical environmental issues.
He said for over 30 years, local and state governments have collected substantial amounts under the Ecological Fund, but their impact remains unclear.
“It is very unfortunate that despite these funds, little has been done to show we are prepared, Where do we see the results? We don’t, it is a sorry state of affairs.”
The professor, drawing comparisons with other sectors, stated that in education, projects funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund are visibly marked with logos, demonstrating transparency in fund usage.
He also noted dubious claims of large-scale environmental initiatives, saying that state and local officials often claim to plant millions of trees annually.
“Where is that transparency with the Ecological Fund? It doesn’t exist. I remember decades ago, we used to see signboards marking ecological fund interventions, especially in erosion control projects in places like Maiduguri, but those are long gone.
“If a million trees are planted annually, we should see at least some surviving. Yet we don’t. Where are these trees? If you plant a million trees, that should cover over 2,000 square kilometers, yet we don’t see it”.
He noted that while civil society organisations (CSOs) have played a crucial role in sectors like health and education, their presence in the environmental sector remains limited.
“We need CSOs to step up and hold governments accountable for how these funds are used. It’s critical for the environment ministries at both federal and local levels to face scrutiny.
He urged citizens and watchdog groups to push for greater oversight, demanding transparency on how much money is disbursed, where it goes, and how it is spent.
“It is time we examine the records and track every last kobo spent on environmental preparedness. The lack of accountability is undermining our ability to prevent ecological disasters.”
NAN
