Flood Relief Fund

DONOR: Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA)

    Numbers:

  • 800 Victims Interviewed
  • 12 states visited
  • 6 Government Agencies engaged
  • 5 Media Houses covered findings
  • 100,000 Online impressions and counting

THE PROJECT: The 2012 floods in Nigeria, which affected 27 of the country’s 36 States and the FCT, Abuja resulted in the loss of over 300 lives and the displacement of over two million people. About 597,476 houses, farmlands, livestock and other means of livelihood for millions of rural dwellers were destroyed. Soon after, the receipt and utilization of the government-allocated Flood Relief Funds, worth N17.6 billion ($109.1 Million) soon became an issue of national interest and outrage.

    OUTCOMES:

  • BudgIT captured the testimonies of the victims on: followfloodmoney.org and ruralreporters.com
  • On the ground, an event was also held on 25 March 2014 in Abuja, to extract first-hand reports from citizens and also to connect them with the relevant institutions (Ministry of Environment, National Human Rights Commission, Presidential Committee on Flood Relief & Rehabilitation, National Emergency Management Agency, National Refugees Commission) responsible for disaster response and management.
  • Online, using tweet meets, online media engagement and other tools, BudgIT reached out to Nigerians, moving on to engage with the public sector to submit a field report on victims’ experiences and advocate for transparency and accountability in disaster fund management and disbursement.
  • Nigeria’s Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Samuel Ukura recorded his interest in probing the utilization of the 2012 Flood Rehabilitation Fund.
  • Increased interest and a renewed demand for transparency on social media over the utilization of emergency funds in Nigeria occurred, also buoyed by the launch of other compensation initiatives - the Victims Support Fund for those affected by terror group Boko Haram, and the Ebola Emergency Response Fund.