SERAP Sues Governor Okowa Over Alleged Poor Primary School Funding

The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has been sued by the Anti-Corruption group, Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project over alleged poor funding of primary education in his state.

In the suit filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, the group urged the court to compel Okowa "to explain the disparity between budgetary allocations to primary education and the reality that several of the around 1,124 primary schools across the state are on a shambles, and with very poor teaching facilities"

SERAP'S Deputy Director, Kolawole Oludare, said the suit followed Okowa's redusalntp oblige its freedom of information request for detailed information on how much his administration had spent on primary education in the state since 2015.

He said the FOI request was informed by the case of Success Adegor, who was sent home from school for being unable to pay.

"We are aware that Okowa's administration had received N7.8bn from Universal Basic Education Commission, apart from other funds from Federal Government," the group said.

It contended that in spite of this, "tens of thousands of Nigerian Children are being left behind in Delta State and their future put in Jeopardy"

"The refusal by the governor, UBEC and SUBEB to respond to SERAP's FOI request can only be construed to mean denial of the information sought. The evidence of the education deficit on the state is buttressed by the case of Success Adegor, who was sent home because her parents could not pay the illegal school fee/levy of N900 and the insufficient and poor-quality eduction infrastructure of Okotie-Eboh Primary School 1, Sapele, " SERAP said.