Insecurity: CISLAC calls for urgent re-organization of security architecture

From Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) says the level of insecurity in the country today calls for an urgent need to reorganize the country’s security architecture.

Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, in a statement in Abuja, said the level of insecurity in the form of armed robbery, kidnappings and killings, even during the lockdown, shows an urgent need for such reorganization deal with the issues.

CISLAC advocated for reforms in the security sector to guarantee a more accountable and professional security outfit that will ensure the protection of lives and properties of Nigerian citizens with competence and clarity of roles and responsibilities to avoid overlapping of assignments.

Also, while felicitating with the 9th National Assembly on its first anniversary, CISLAC called for increased priority in legislative activities.

Musa commended the desire of members to come up with Bills and attend to the Executive Bills, but rued a “lack of substantial effort” by the National Assembly towards amendment to the Electoral Reforms Act to address current trends and challenges, promote credibility and transparency in the electoral process.

“We are worried over continuous delay in introduction of appropriate legislative framework to improve coordination and result-oriented approach in the anti-corruption fight through full domestication and activation of pending Global and Regional Anti-Corruption Instruments to improve coordination and ensure a result-oriented approach in the anti-corruption fight; review of Petroleum Industry and Governance Bill (PIGB) to promote transparency, accountability, and governance, as well as curtail monumental financial losses in our nation’s oil and gas sector; back disclosure of beneficial owners of licenses in the oil sector and the publicizing of oil and mining contracts, as recommended by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Open Government Partnership Commitments.

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”We observe that for us to win the war against corruption in the country, a comprehensive legislation on Asset Recovery and Proceeds of Crime to provide legal and institutional frameworks for confiscation, seizure, recovery and management of assets or proceeds derived from unlawful activities, must be in place.

”Nigerians expect the National Assembly to consider the introduction of legislation that will provide legal backing to the establishment of special courts or strengthen existing courts to expedite justice on corruption cases through legislative amendments, including cases of suspected mismanagement, misappropriation and diversion of COVID-19 expenditures; as well as passage of Whistle-blower Protection Bill so that mismanagement and misappropriation of governmental funds, including COVID-19 palliatives, are disclosed with the guarantee of anonymity to insiders.

”CISLAC wants a comprehensive National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act that will cover all citizens of Nigeria, not just civil servants; increased budgetary allocation to the health sector to fulfil the Abuja Declaration of at least 15%; increased priority for the Basic Health Care Provision fund in the health budget with thorough oversight of relevant MDAs to ensure compliance in the implementation of various provisions,” the statement read.

He acknowledged various initiatives by the legislature like the return of budget cycle to January-December to ensure timely release of funds and cash-backing for the development of the ailing critical sector; Finance Bill, 2019 (now Finance Act) assented by President Muhammadu Buhari to support the implementation of the 2020 National Budget and to create an enabling environment for businesses.

Other initiatives, CISLAC lauded, included the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act Amendment Bill (the Act) to ensure that the Production Sharing Contract is economically beneficial to the government of the federation; and the passage of Emergency Stimulus Bill, 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate impact on businesses and individuals in Nigeria.

CISLAC commended the sustained open-door policy by the legislature for Civil Society legislative engagement, as well the recent mainstreaming of information technology in technical proceedings in the legislative rules and protocols to enhance the legislative process, citizen participation in legislative activities in the face of Covid-19 pandemic era.