The Twisted Budget Proccess; the story continues

The Amounts received annually by several states were substantial In some cases, such as Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Lagos, they were comparable to or higher than the yearly revenues of some West African countries with similar or larger populations, such as Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Yet several of these countries could boast better infrastructure and services.

Public demand for the state allocation numbers was so high that we began to compile the numbers into annual booklets, that even though free, could be deemed the most boring bestsellers ever. They flew off the shelves as fast as we could print them.

These compilations also became an important input into the investigations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Although state governors could not be prosecuted in office, some of them were investigated and later successfully prosecuted after they left office. The increased transparency put governors on the defensive and generated a great deal of animosity for me and the Economic Management Team at the time. But as the originator and implementer of the revenue transparency idea, I felt hostility from some governors often manifested in subtle and not so subtle threats and attacks in the press.

When I resigned from government in 2006, the publication of the monthly revenue allocations became sporadic and then stopped. As soon as I returned to government, these were revived. By January 2012, they had become a regular feature again.

Extracted from: Fighting corruption is dangerous