Despite OGP buy-in, Adamawa govt fails major financial integrity test

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‎By Mohammed Ismail
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‎Despite subscribing into the Open Government Partnership, (OGP) Adamawa State government has failed critical financial integrity and accountability tests, this paper can reveal.
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‎OGP is a multilateral initiative aimed at securing commitments from national and sub-national governments to promote open governance, combat corruption, improve accountability, financial integrity and good governance.
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‎It also provided a framework for governments and citizens to work together to build robust, more open, resilient, and prosperous societies through empowerment, collaboration, and accountability.
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‎Adamawa State subscribed to OGP in May 2019, coinciding with the inception of the administration of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who sought to make the initiative a reality and institutionalize reforms in fiscal transparency, access to information, and citizens’ engagement.
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‎But this paper can authoritatively disclose that the laudable initiative did not come to fruition due to the impregnable brick wall and administrative bottlenecks built around critical information including government earnings and spendings.
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‎This paper’s efforts which commences about three months ago aimed at getting vital data on state’s debt profile, earnings and how funds were spent was obtrusively and blatantly frustrated by concerned authorities.
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‎This paper has meticulously carried out extensive research via government websites of interests and other online resources but the effort could not yield positive results due to near total absence of information. The situation prompted our reporter to write requests to relevant MDAs to start seeking for information concerned authorities.
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‎Our reporter has on June 11, 2025 reached out to the Director General of Adamawa State Debt Management Agency Professor Ibrahim Danjuma seeking for information on the current debt profile of the state and the projects tied to the loans.
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‎In a Whatsapp communication, the reporter specifically requested for both foreign and local debts portfolio and the projects associated with the loans.
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‎”Compliments of the day Prof. I’m writing a special report on Adamawa’s debt profile both foreign and local. I have seen data from DMO. So I want to meet you so as to compare notes and also enquire the projects executed with the loans. Till I hear from you Prof,” our reporter wrote the DG of the Debt Management Agency.
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‎The DG on June 12, 2025 responded to the request by urging the reporter to tarry awhile till an ongoing reconciliation was exhausted.
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‎”Hold on please, there are  some reconciliations going on amongst all concerned agencies with DMO. We are scheduled to be in DMO, Abuja end of this month for that. The Data you saw online might not be true reflections of State of Affairs. So tarry awhile until I flag you. Thanks,” the DG replied.
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‎On July 1, 2025, our reporter sent a reminder to the DG. The DG then linked him with Mr. Moses Helda
‎Deputy Director and Head of Debt Recording and Settlement.  For sometime, our reporter continued to engaged with Mr. Helda but could not get a tangible answer till communications irretrievably broke.
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‎For instance, on 16 and 17 July, 2025 this reporter wrote a gentle reminder to Mr. Helda but was again told to tarry while reconciliation continues.
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‎On 30th July this reporter again contacted Mr. Helda over the issue and told him that in the absence of any response from the DMA, he has no alternative than to go ahead with his report.
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‎”I think I will just go ahead with my report. At least for two months I have waited for your side of the story. I thought you can furnish me with the first quarter report not necessarily the second quarter report so that I can use that to balance my story. But in all honesty, I have waited longer than necessary. Thanks,” this reporter sent to Mr. Helda which was not responded to till the day of this publication.
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‎This paper on August 5, 2025 sent a memo to the ministry of finance and budget requesting for the release of FAAC allocations to Adamawa State government, local governments and the state’s IGR from 2019 to now.
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‎The letter addressed to the commissioner of finance and budget partly reads “This paper is seeking Adamawa State ministry of finance to make available all Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC’s) disbursements to Adamawa State government and the 21 LGAs from 2019 to now.
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‎”In addition, this paper also seeks to be furnished with the monthly IGR accruals to the state government. This will strengthen an ongoing investigative reportage the paper is currently partaking to ensure the general public have a first hand knowledge of how resources which accrued to the state government are utilized for the benefit of all.”
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‎But on August 18, 2025, the ministry responded by directing the paper to channel the request to governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for further action.
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‎A letter signed by Mrs. Gyatam Bassi, the permanent secretary of the ministry on behalf of the Hon. commissioner entitled Re: Request for release of FAAC allocations to Adamawa State government, LGAs and state’s IGR from 2019 to now told this paper to channel its request to governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
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‎”Sequel to your later dated 5th August, 2025, I’m directed to write and inform you to channel your request to His Excellency, the governor of Adamawa State for further directives please,” the permanent secretary directed.
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‎This paper has on August 6, 2025 sent a memo to Adamawa State ministry of works and energy development requesting details of spending on critical infrastructure from 2019 to now.
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‎A letter to the commissioner of works and energy development requested to be furnished with details of spendings on critical infrastructure ranging from flyovers, housing, model schools, grade interchanges, superhighways etc from 2019 till date.
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‎”This paper wishes to request for details of all spendings on critical infrastructure ranging from flyovers, housing, model schools, grade interchanges, highways etc from 2019 to date. The details should involve review of contracts sums, virements, contract reviews and projects undertaken with loans and the amount of loan taken,” this paper requested.
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‎But after a fortnight without response, this paper on August 26, 2025 put a reminder to the ministry on the issue, but as at the time of filing this report, the ministry has maintained sealed lips.
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‎CSOs, Lawyers, analyst react, accuse government of double standards
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‎But reacting, critical stakeholders including lawyers, civil society activists and financial analysts accused the government of double standards mouthing to uphold best practices by subscribing to OGP while operating a system rooted in opacity.
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‎A renowned financial expert, Calvin Anadio Lawan maintained that the government’s touted OGP buy-in was a ruse since people are in the dark about government businesses and transactions.
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‎”While we are shining in the area of public fund management, our performance in digital governance is a national embarrassment. The 2025 e Governance Performance Index ranked Adamawa at the bottom, alongside just two other states.
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‎”Some assessments even gave us a zero, because our official state website either doesn’t exist, doesn’t work, or offers nothing useful to the public.
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‎”And then came the biggest digital red flag: The Governor’s verified X (Twitter) account was hacked – and for days, it was used to post fake crypto adverts to the world. No official alert. No digital rebuttal. No functional platform from the state government to clear the air. Just silence, confusion, and more embarrassment.
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‎”That hack didn’t just affect the Governor. It exposed a deeper weakness – our entire state has no organized digital presence, no system to inform or protect its citizens online.
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‎”People think digital governance means just having a nice website. No, it’s much more. It means:
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‎”Citizens can check what the government is doing. They can access public services without political middlemen. Budgets and contracts are visible and downloadable.
‎Farmers, youth, women, and business owners can find help, apply for grants, or track projects online. Misinformation can be shut down immediately with verified facts from the government.
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‎”But right now, in Adamawa, none of this is possible. Two big reasons why Adamawa must go digital
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‎”We are doing well with accountability, but who sees it? Only auditors and report writers. Let the public see it too. When you are clean, you don’t hide your hands. Let Adamawa build a platform where the people can interact with governance openly, directly, and without barriers.
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‎”The Governor’s hacked X account showed the risk of being digitally silent. In a state with proper e-governance, there would have been instant updates, a digital crisis unit, and official statements on the website. Instead, we watched as strangers used our leader’s voice to sell scams, and the system could not respond,” he said.
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‎Also responding on the OGP subscription, a renowned civil society activist in Adamawa, Yusuf Amos Sunday said even though the initiative was laudable, poor or non implementation has eroded any tangible benefit that would have accrued to the state noting that it has no positive effect since citizens are still in the dark about government businesses.
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‎”Well, there are different aspects of the OGP for example, there are aspects of government policies, the citizen engagement policy, the citizen-driven budget and all of that came as a result of the engagement with GIZ.
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‎”My NGO has worked with GIZ and we know what GIZ is doing from the world level to the local government level as far as bottom-up approach to community development is concerned. We worked actively with GIZ. In fact, the NGO that I head was the very first NGO to implement the community-based, development planning of GIZ from Manjekin Ward in my local government.
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‎”And it is because of the result of those activities that government keyed into the projects of GIZ. And now we are talking about a citizen budget. Whereby each ward, members of each ward community are trained on how to identify their developmental priorities and how to budget them.
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‎”And these ward plans are now presented to the local government to be collated into a local government development plan and budget. And it is those local government budget that are supposed to be brought to the House of Assembly to be collated into the budget of the state. So you see that is a positive thing  because it means the voice of the local man is now being brought to bear as far as the budget is concerned.
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‎”But whether that has been implemented or not is a different ballgame. But it’s one thing that we can praise the government that it’s been responsive to developmental ideals. But as far as other issues are concerned, like the open government partnership that we are talking about, who hears about it any longer? It remains a paperwork.
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‎”Open government partnership, with who? Do you hear it in the media again?  Members of the committee, even with representation from the civil society, do you hear, even you in the media, when last did you hear about open government partnership? Do you even know what it means again? So you see, we embrace new things but we don’t sustain them.
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‎ “And because of this lack of sustainability, at the end, no matter how good things are nothing will be achieved.
‎As it is now, we are not seeing the results on the ground,” he said.
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‎Also speaking, an Adamawa based constitutional lawyer and senior lecturer with the Nigerian Law School, Yola campus, Barr Aliyu Hamidu Alkali faulted the failure of the state institutions to disclose such vital information from the point of law.
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‎While responding to the failure of ministry of finance and budget to give the information requested, Alkali said “the ministry has erred in law.”
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‎”Ideally, under the legal system that we are practicing in this country, the ministry should have been the one that would divulge this information. It is the duty of the commissioner to disclose the information not directing the reporter to get the information from the governor.
‎If he says so, it is a clear case of haughtiness and dereliction of duty,” he said.
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‎He urged the publication to seek redress in court adding that the court has the constitutional remit to compel the state government to disclose the information adding that accountability is the major plank on which democracy itself rests.
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‎”The FOI Act which is the brainchild of the National Assembly on its strength has national coverage and cut across all tiers of the government. So, no government can claim that they cannot divulge or they cannot give out information.  Especially when you have followed the proper channel by writing to them, giving them time and reminding them.
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‎”The government has a duty to give out this information for public knowledge, it is a way of check and balance,” he added.
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‎But asked on the argument that the government cannot be compelled by the FOI Act to disclose such information since the act was not domesticated in Adamawa, Alkali said such position is trite from the point of law.
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‎”We are missing the point, since it was passed by the national assembly, the act has already assumed a compelling force in Nigeria. The issue of domestication can only come in this context if we are talking of alien or foreign laws. But this law originated from Nigeria, so it has a ripple effects across board,” he said.
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