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$500m: SERAP asks World Bank to publish documents on funded electricity projects
By Joseph Ayinde
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the World Bank President Mr David Malpass “to exercise the Bank’s prerogative to release archival records and documents relating to spending on all approved funds to improve access to electricity in Nigeria between 1999 and 2020.
Also the Bank’s role in the implementation of any funded electricity projects should be released, and the Bank should identify and name any executed projects, and Nigerian officials, ministries, departments and agencies involved in the execution of such projects.
The World Bank Board of Directors had last week approved $500m “to help boost access to electricity in Nigeria and improve the performance of the electricity distribution companies in the country.”
The application, read in part: “The bank should explain the rationale for approving $500m for electricity despite reports of widespread and systemic corruption in the sector, and the failure of the authorities to enforce a court judgment on payments to corrupt power contractors.
The access to information policy aims to maximize access to information and promote the public good. There is public interest in Nigerians knowing about the Bank’s supervisory role and specifically its involvement in the implementation of electricity projects, which it has funded.
The $500m is part of the over 1 billion dollars available to Nigeria under the project: Nigeria Distribution Sector Recovery Programme.
Should the bank refuse to release the information and documents as requested, we will file an appeal to the secretariat of the Bank’s access to information committee to challenge such decision, and to the access to information appeals board, and consider other legal options.
