The National Economic Council has approved new criteria for the disbursement of the ecological fund to cut down on discriminatory spending and sanitise the management of the fund.

The new guidelines are contained in a final report by an ad-hoc committee of the council on ecological fund headed by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, which the council approved at its meeting today.

The Abia State Governor, Mr Okezie Ikpeazu told State House Correspondents after the closed-door meeting of the council that the committee has come up with a robust governance structure.

He said, “In Council today also, the Committee on Ecological Fund submitted its final report… The Chairman of that committee, Governor El-Rufai, recommended, among other things that a robust governance structure and stringent disbursement criteria will be required to sanitise the management of the funds, going forward.

“In their recommendations, they prescribed that physical visitation by the Ecological Fund management team and the on-the-spot assessment of ecological disaster was very important. They also recommended that technical evaluation of disasters by experts in disaster management was also key.”

Governor Ikpeazu added that the committee said there was the need for community involvement in the process.

“The Chairman of that committee, Governor El-Rufai