The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Civil Society groups

  • Rights group advises Fed Govt on renewable energy

    The Environmental Rights Action, Friend of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has advised the Federal Government to show more commitment to the provision of renewable energy in the 2019 Budget.

    ERA also called for a ban on power generating sets for by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), of the federal and the state governments, as a way to support the renewable energy campaign of Civil Society groups (CSOs) in Nigeria.

    Speaking during the opening ceremony of this year’s Annual National Environmental Congress in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital tagged “Post-extractivism: Energy Democracy for National Development”, the Executive Director of ERA, Godwin Uyi Ojo, said the need to end the era of  fossil energy use for renewable energy cannot be overemphasised.

    Ojo observed that policies on energy in the country are deficient, lack focus and devoid of community perspective.

    He said: “We cannot overlook the fact that a new form of energy colonialism seems to have emerged. Energy colonialism is killing the Nigerian economy.

    “To promote this, a percentage of the national budget should be dedicated to renewable energy research and development. All public finance, loans and subsidies being channelled to fossil fuel explorations should be halted immediately and the funds invested in renewable energy.

    ”We advocate for energy democracy that is decentralised, people driven and socially controlled such that citizens become energy producers as well as end users from mini-grids, and non-grid systems that are less capital-intensive.

    “To reiterate, energy colonialism should not lead to the dumping of petrol and diesel engines and cars from industrialised nations to Nigeria. We call for a ban on generator sets in all MDAs at the federal, state and local government levels.”

  • Civil society groups begin good governance assessment in Osun

    AHEAD of September 22 governorship election in Osun State, three civil society groups have embarked on a public assessment project in Osun State. The project targets about 30,000 respondents on governance in the state for the past eight years.

    The groups said it was aimed at establishing deep public perception of the socio-political developments in the state for the past eight years.

    The project is being undertaken by three rights groups, the Civil Society Coalition for Mandate Protection, (CSC-MAP), the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), and the Green Peoples Environmental Rights Groups (GREPNET), a member of the International Alliance on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest (IAITPTF), based in Thailand.

    In a release, which was signed by Comrade Oluwole Suleiman, Uche Obiora and Oladimeji Fatunla, the group stated that 10,000 questionnaires have been distributed to 500 volunteers picked across the 31 local government areas. Is said there is also an online version expected to reach a total of 20,000 people using Information Technology (IT).

    The project takes a look at cultural, socio-political and economic developments in the state from the perspectives of the people.

    The statement said: “We are adopting best practices in measuring good governance in Nigeria. Osun has been picked as a pilot project in Nigeria. We want the people to assess the government in the past eight years in a reflective and comparative sense. Every social strata in Osun will participate in the questionnaire including civil servants, students, peasants and the general public.”

    The groups stated that 10,000 questionnaires will be administered while the same assessment is being conducted online and that it is targeting a minimum of 20,000 people.

    The statement said the coalition is organizing training for some of the key leaders of the survey in the three senatorial districts of the state. The trainees will be responsible for administering the questionnaire to locals.

  • 22 Civil Society Groups berate Senate Over Call for Sack of Service Chiefs

    Twenty two civil society groups today berated the Senate for calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to sack all the Service Chiefs.

    The twenty two groups under the aegis of the Coalition for Good Governance‎ and Change Initiative, at a press conference in Abuja also accused some politicians in the country of benefitting from the insecurity in the land.

    The Convener of the Initiative, Comrade Emmanuel Okpokwu Ogenyi, said‎ some politicians in the country worsen the insecurity situation in the country by giving cover to some of the criminals.

    “He said this is a clear case of conspiracy against the Nigerian state by persons who are the greatest beneficiary of the system.

    “The military had concluded on decisively dealing with these security threats before the elections so that no one would use them as excuse to postpone or scuttle the polls as was the case in the past.

    “This is commendable and proof that the military is desirous of defending and protecting our democracy at any cost”, he said.

    He also said the group has gathered that this has greatly unsettled the beneficiaries of the security breaches and threats in Nigeria who decided to give a patriotic face to their questionable acts by pretending to be concerned about the welfare of the country.

    “It is an attempt at appearing to be patriotic that culminated in the motion by Senator Suleiman Asonya Adokwe supported by Senator Solomon Olamilekan, Senator Philip Gyunka, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.

    “These elements called for change of security chiefs under the pretext that they are concerned about the safety of Nigerians.

    “To the best of our knowledge, this call for change of security chiefs is nothing but another political game for the 2019 General Elections, in which the only winners are the politicians.

    “They therefore have the incentive to divert attention from practical solutions to the security situation in the country.

    “This is why they conveniently omitted to acknowledge that the militias and terrorists that are driving these crises were armed, co-ordinated and financed by members of the political class and how these killings are masterminded by those who have refused to empower the youths in line with electoral promises”, the group also said. ‎

    The group demanded that  the Senate, the National Assembly as an institution, should wake up to the reality and enormity of the duty they owe Nigeria and face their core duty.

    “Instead of asking for a change in military leadership, they must first provide the necessary political support for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges. The executive arm under the able leadership of President Buhari and the Armed Forces have done their part.

    “Had the legislature demonstrated an equal zeal as opposed to actively supporting terrorists, these crises would have been history by now.

    “We challenge the federal lawmakers to deliver resolutions that will tackle foreign nations that are sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria, like Iran. This must be in addition to calling out countries that midwifed the instability that has poured fighters and weapons into Nigeria from Libya and other North African states.

    “National Assembly members have the burden of calling themselves and other politicians to order and arrive at an accord not to introduce more firearms into the country as Nigerians go to poll.

    “They will also have to introduce mechanism for mopping up the weapons they had given out in the past while discretely tipping security agencies to the criminal killer squads they set up as private militias”. He said

  • Our fear over growing insecurity, 2019 elections, civil society groups

    Our fear over growing insecurity, 2019 elections, civil society groups

    A group of civil society organisations yesterday expressed fear over growing insecurity in the country and preparations for the next general elections.

    They noted that while the nation was increasingly drifting towards unrestrained criminality, including kidnapping and killings, the electoral umpire seemed unprepared for the 2019 elections.

    The over 70 organisations, under the aegis of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR), urged the National Assembly not to carry through its plan to alter the election time table already released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    NCSSR’s coordinator Clement Nwankwo observed at a news conference yesterday that the nation “appears to be descending into chaos before our very eyes and the government’s inability to confront the challenges and provide security for our people is becoming very alarming and frightening.

    “Citizens are seriously losing faith in the ability of security agencies to protect their lives and secure their properties. Never before has the effectiveness and competence of our security agencies been questioned this much as we have today.

    “Besides, the incapacity and incompetence of the security services is the other major concern that the security services have failed to apply evenness, balance or fairness in the manner in which they carry out their work,” Nwankwo said.

    Nwankwo, who is also the Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), expressed worry that the National Assembly was yet to effect the necessary changes to the legal and constitutional framework for the conduct of the next general elections.

    He argued that the National Assembly’s plan to alter the schedule of election as announced by INEC was an interference with the constitutional guaranteed independence of the electoral commission to direct the conduct of elections.

    Nwanko urged the President to ensure that INEC was adequately constituted, including filling all existing vacancies before the 2019 elections.

    He said: “South-East is the only zone in the country that does not have full representation in INEC. We still have a vacancy for the South-East existing in INEC. And then, you have about nine Resident Electoral Commission vacancies.

    “The Situation Room calls on President Buhari to live up to his responsibility of securing lives and property of Nigerians, revamp the national security apparatus, including reconstituting the leadership of the security agencies to reflect the diversity and national character of the country and ensuring that persons who head the security services have clear understanding of modern national security operations.

    “President Buhari also needs to begin to hold his appointed officials to account by punishing the incompetence and high failure levels prevalent among his appointed public,” Nwankwo said.

  • Civil Society Groups Tackle ASUU Over Stance On JAMB

    -Endorses reforms in JAMB

    The Joint Action Coalition of Civil Society Organization for Transparency in Governance  has endorsed the on-going reforms and innovations introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to ease admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions, while also passing a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Board led by its Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

    The groups said the innovations will  deal with corruption in the educational sector and eradicate the problem of admission racketeering.

    Addressing a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, Executive Director/Convener of the coalition,

    Mr. Sabo Odeh condemned the recent attack on JAMB by ASUU, accusing the union of being allergic to reforms and innovations being introduced by JAMB under professor Oleyede

    Odeh who was reacting to recent call by ASUU calling for the scrapping of JAMB the coalition has become aware of recent ploy by ASUU to hijack the tertiary education sector by ruse.

    According to him the latest trick is via the instrumentality of calling for the scrapping of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He the reforms introduced by JAMB into admission process in Nigeria appears to have taken many members of ASUU engaged in admission racketeering out of business and they are not happy.

    He said, “If ASUU is allowed to dictate how JAMB does it work, it is a matter of time before the lecturers set their sight on WAEC, Secondary and even primary schools.

    “The clamour by ASUU that each university should be allowed to handle its own admission processes is an open call to empower these admission syndicates operated by no other persons but ASUU members.

    Heeding ASUU’s ill-conceived call would send us back to the problems that JAMB was set up to solve.

    “In the years that preceded JAMB, it was common to see some candidates secure admission into as many as five universities which implies that four slots would we wasted as the student can only resume in one school while several other candidates are made to wait another year at home because these  slots have been wasted.”

    Odeh blamed ASSU for the decay in the education sector that the country is today grappling to remedy, saying the union has lost its moral compass and does not have the capacity to challenge the reforms being introduced by JAMB under professor Oleyede.

    He accused the union of frustrating interventions that would re-establish Nigerian university as centre of excellence where youths can pass through and favourably compete with their contemporaries from any other top flight institutions on earth.

    He however said Nigerians are now aware id their antics and will ensure that the progress made by JAMB under Prof Oleyede is sustained.

    He said, “ASUU, as it did in the 90s, is giving the impression that it is genuinely interested in the wellbeing of would be undergraduates.

    “We took time to study the situation with a view to ascertaining if ASUU’s intervention in the way JAMB conducts its major or mock examination is altruistic as they make it appear.

    “Sadly, all that can be surmised from ASUU’s interference in this process is that they have resumed their efforts to hijack the education sector for their own purposes. Note that we say education sector because they have gone beyond their remit as higher institution teachers to dabble into academic levels that are outside their jurisdiction.”

    He insisted that the reforms and innovations introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remains the best approach to ensure that only the best gets admitted into the nation’s tertiary institutions.

    He said, “The embrace of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), coupled with other policy direction has helped JAMB make changes that increased the admission chances of applicants.

    “It has for instance streamlined the options of schools that candidates have based on careful analysis of trends. This innovation is also responsible for the curtailing of the way ASUU members used to manipulate admissions while side-lining JAMB.”‎

  • PENCOM to extend coverage to Informal Sector

    PENCOM to extend coverage to Informal Sector

    The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) on Friday gave the assurance that it was ready to cover the outstanding 60 per cent of the populace in its micro-pension scheme, to secure the future of informal sector employees.

    Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amaizu, the Director-General of the commission, said this while answering questions from reporters in Lagos.

    According to Anohu-Amaizu, PENCOM will collaborate with groups such as Organised Labour, Civil Society groups, Road Transport workers and others, to achieve the objective.

    She said that people in the informal sector of the economy needed to be captured in the scheme, to guarantee some steady income for them in their post-work era.

    “The micro-pension scheme is ready to capture even people in Nollywood and the music sector. When some actors or musicians are no longer performing, they find it difficult to be able to live well.

    “People in the entertainment industry earn millions today, but many of them may have no plans for the rainy day. Which explains why it is pertinent to capture them in the micro-pension scheme,’’ she said.

    The PENCOM chief stressed that the informal sector employees must, however, be ready to save some money for the future, adding that the country was now encountering problems with earnings from oil because it did not leave money in the reserves during the oil boom era.

    She said that the commission had started sensitising workers in the textile industry on the issue and that it also had plans to extend the initiative to the road transport workers.

    “We have identified the groups to work with. We will soon begin sensitisation for the workers to enable them to understand the importance of what they are going into, before we will start the scheme,’’ she said.

    Anohu-Amaizu, however, disclosed that the commission’s contributory pension scheme had so far harnessed about N5.3 trillion which was safely invested, stressing that PENCOM’s activities were governed by its enabling law.

  • UNODC trains anti-corruption agencies, civil society groups officials

    UNODC trains anti-corruption agencies, civil society groups officials

    The United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has trained some officials of anti-corruption agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs).

    According to the agency, UNODC Country Representative Koli Kuoma, represented by the Project Officer, Mrs Horsheth Virk, the training was to assist states in dealing with corruption, adding that participants would understand the international instrument that is available to them that will help them in their respective agencies to fight this scourge of corruption.

    She said the training was also to ensure that people know about United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to which Nigeria is a signatory, while urging participants to make a content use of the training so that they will be able to disseminate and actualise the knowledge that is given form the training.

    The training, which was funded by the European Union (EU) in Lagos, had in attendance officials from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Federal Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Police, in Lagos to build integrity and reduce corruption in the country.

    “We expect agencies to work together to implement the UNCAC recommendations which include better data collection systems, drafting new legislation, immunities and obstruction of justice, anti-corruption institutions, pending bills and powers of the Attorney-General,” she said.

    Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Conference Support Section, UNODC, Sophie Meingast noted that corruption attacks the efficiency and legitimacy of the institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law and fairly applying market rules.

    “On a purely financial level the effect of corruption is huge with US $ 1 trillion paid in bribes each year. The total cost of corruption is estimated as equaling more than 5 per cent of the global gross domestic product (US$ 2.6 trillion). Corruption accounts for 10 per cent of the total cost of doing business globally and some countries have lost up to 20 per cent of their internal revenues to corruption. Previous academic studies have suggested that a 1 per cent increase in the corruption level reduces the growth rate by about 0.72 per cent. But the intangible costs of corruption are much more significant. Corruption in key rule of law institutions such as the judiciary, police and prison services reduces the legitimacy of government and consequently has an impact on the willingness of citizens to play by the rules,” she said.

    Assistant Director ICPC, Raheem Adesina said the corporation of the agencies in the fight against corruption was crucial, saying Nigeria needs to take practical steps to ensure that the recommendations of UNCAC are carried out because it will strengthen the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

    He noted that Nigeria lacks protection in reporting crime and that this would hinder the future generations from venturing into crime related cases because protection is not there.

    “Nigeria does not have protection for law enforcement officials neither does it have protection for those reporting crime. We do not have adequate laws to protect them and this is affecting cases, because these people are harassed or killed because they gave witness, this would prevent others from venturing into such. This is a serious gap which has to be filled because it prevents the fight against computation. Some of our cases are lost because we do not have laws that protect those involved,” he said.

    He said there was need for a law to address the embezzlement in private and pub

    lic sector, saying people should be held accountable if they have properties or belongings that are above their income. There should be a law to address this, he said.

    He added that it is essential for the   stakeholders, the anti-corruption agencies, the civil society, the government and those involved in the fight against corruption to come together and harmonise these efforts with  the development partners to ensure that the UNCAC recommendations were implemented.

     

  • Civil society groups to monitor National Dialogue proceedings

    Sequel to several consultations, dialogues and advocacy meetings convened by civil society organizations and youth groups to evaluate the National Dialogue agenda of the Federal Government, some groups have resolved to monitor the proceedings of the zonal meetings by the Committee.

    The monitoring according to a statement by leaders of the civil society groups  is informed by the need to provide citizens engagement with the
    committee’s work with a view to ensuring accountability and improving the credibility of the process.

    “The National dialogue consultation process is too serious an activity to be left for members of the committee alone hence our decision to deploy
    independent youth monitors to observe the conduct of the zonal visitation of the Committee,” the groups stated.

    The statement was signed by Samson Itodo, National Coordinator, YACORE, Ezenwa Nwagwu, Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reform and Ayisha Osori, Civil Society Activists.

    The monitors will independently assess the zonal consultative meetings, using a specially designed standard checklist to assist civil society in
    constructively aggregating the views of Nigerians on the terms of reference of the advisory committee on National Dialogue.

    In recognition of the role that social media plays in information dissemination and active engagement of young people, the monitors will
    also provide real time updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+ using the hashtag #NationalDialogue.

    Despite the omission of young people in the Senator Femi Okunrunmu’s Committee, the groups encouraged citizens especially young people, women and other socially excluded groups to participate in the zonal meetings and make informed presentations geared towards reconstructing and redesigning a future for our great country.
    They said youth CSOs and other stakeholders are currently working out a National Youth Dialogue that will unveil a general youth position on the terms of reference of the Advisory committee.

    Groups to be involved in the monitoring are Activista Nigeria, Benue State, CAFA Foundation, Buckingham, United Kingdom, Centre for Policy
    Advocacy & Leadership Devt, FCT and Centre for Public Policy & Research , FCT.

    Others are Community Life Project, Lagos , Conscience Nigeria, FCT, Clear View Development Initiative, Edo State, Development News Africa, Lagos State, Human Rights Volunteer Initiative, FCT, National Youth Network on Nigerian Elections, FCT, NASENS, Enugu, Nigerian Youth Forum, Kaduna State, Nigerian Centenary Group, FCT, Pan-African Development, Education and Advocacy Program, Katsina, Progressive Grassroot Youth Organization, Bauchi State, Reclaim Naija Forum, Ekiti State and Society and the Future,
    Gombe.

    Smiles Africa International, Edo State, Vote or Quench, Chicago, USA, Youth Alliance on Constitution & Electoral Reform (YACORE), Youth Hub Africa, FCT, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement, FCT , Youth Crime Prevention Initiative, Ebonyi State, Youth Aid Organization for Africa, Lagos State  and Youth Activist Initiative of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State will also participate in the exercise.

  • Rights commission, groups seek alternative to death penalty

    The Nigerian government has been asked to review its stand on the issue of death penalty for capital offences.

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and some Civil Society Organisations (CSO) made the call in Abuja on Thursday at an event held to mark this year’s World Day Against Death Penalty.

    Speakers at the event queried the rationality for sustaining the death sentence in the nation’s statute book, in the face of a defective justice administration system and poor investigation by the police.

    They urged the government to sustain the existing moratorium on death penalty if it was yet to device an alternative means of punishing people convicted for capital offences.

    The event was jointly organised by the NHRC, Lawyers Without Borders – Avocats Sans Frontieres (ASF) and Access to Justice.

    The Executive Secretary, NHRC, Prof. Bem Angwe, contended that since the nation’s Constitution guaranteed the right to life, the pronouncement of death penalty on offenders should be placed under review.

    Angwe, who was represented by an officer of his commission, Murphy Okwa, suggested a review of the law on death penalty on a case-to-case basis.

    “That is, in the case of an armed robbery that does not result in death, the state should consider the use of other sentencing in place of death penalty.”

    “This is given the fact that the criminal justice system has flaws, which need to be amended,” he said.

    Head of Office, ASF, Angela Uwandu, faulted the practice of sentencing people to death for offences committed as minors.

    She said her organsation has sued the Nigerian government at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court in relation to the case of a nursing mother, Maimuna Abdulmumini sentenced to death by a High Court in Katsina State for the murder offence she committed while she was 13 years.

    Uwandu, who noted that Maimuna was currently imprisoned with her baby, noted that 69 of such babies, incarcerated with their mothers, are currently in the nation’s prisons.

    She urged the Federal Government to initiate measures to improve the living condition of people on death row in the nation’s prison.