The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre

  • ‘Nigeria annually loses N4.4trn from absence of laws, policies’

    The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) says Nigeria loses over four trillion Naira annually in the extractive industry due to lack of laws and policies.

    CISLAC Director of Legal, Mr Adesina Oke, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on Sunday in Lagos.

    The stakeholders’ meeting is a collaborative effort of CISLAC, Connected Development (CODE) and Oxfam.

    Oke added that Africa also loses over 50 billion dollars every year due to Illicit Financial Flows (IFF).

    He, however, noted that pending laws before the National Assembly as well as policies yet to be implemented by the executive could have curbed these losses.

    He said that of the 50 billion dollars, Nigeria accounted for 30.5 per cent which represents 15.2 billion dollars.

    Oke explained that out of the 15.2 billion dollars losses, the oil-dominated extractive industry alone represented 95.2 per cent of the figure, amounting to 14.5 billion dollars (N4.44 trillion).

    Oke regretted that bills that could have curbed and eventually stopped these loses had been pending before the National Assembly.

    He listed some of the bills and policies to include: the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Proceeds of Crime Bill, Whistle Blower Protection Bill and the policy to know the beneficial owners of registered companies.

    In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, Oke said that the losses coupled with corruption and mismanagement was the reason the nation has yet to reap measurable benefit from the sector.

    “The truth is that there are so many problems confronting the extractive industry in Nigeria which has given birth to Illicit Financial flows.

    “From the discussions there are so many gaps, even in terms of our laws; there are so many laws that could have assisted Nigeria in combating IFFs in the extractive sector.

    “Laws like the PIB are yet to be passed, the Proceed of Crime Bill is yet to be passed, and we also have the Anti-money laundering and other anti-corruption bills.

    “There is need to implement the beneficial ownership for companies, whistle blowers policy and all sort of laws that could have been able to mainstream into an effective combat against illicit financial flows.

    “There is nothing anybody can do except the national assembly is able to discuss and pass those laws and for the executive to assent to it,” he said.

    Oke pointed out that those pushing for the bill to be passed might have to start afresh if the 8th National Assembly failed to pass the bills before it winds up in June.

    He added that the Civil Society Groups and other stakeholders were already preparing to take on the 9th Assembly if the 8th Assembly adjourned without passing the bills.

    “We had this dialogue to prepare us for the 9th Assembly so that we can immediately take off in ensuring that those bills are pushed and passed.

    “The PIB has come a long way and we have been struggling to ensure these bills are passed, but it has been going front and back.

    “It is not even as though what is contained in the bill is all that is desired, but it is better to have a law in place that you can amend than not to have any law at all.

    “As it is now, those things that are primary are the ones that are being pushed so that we can have a PIB law in place then the amendments can come later.

    “If these laws are in place, when something is not being done the way it ought to be done you can question; but when there are no laws, there is nothing you can do,” he said.

    Oke also called for the use of technology to monitor and track the extraction and sale of oil, urging the Federal Government to emulate Saudi Arabia that invest in technology to track its oil. (NAN)

  • Students magazine to hold dialogue

    Youths’ Digest Magazine, organisers of the yearly campus journalism awards, in partnership with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has announced the launch of Campus Journalism Dialogue (CJD).

    The magazine is also calling for applications from student-writers and campus journalists.

    According to a statement, the initiative formed part of efforts to address challenges facing student- journalists.

    It stated that the dialogue would feature student-writers and campus journalists across tertiary institutions in the Northwest to participate in the maiden edition of the dialogue come April, this year.

    “Youths Digest in partnership with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) is calling on student-writers and campus Journalists across all tertiary institutions in Northwest geo-political zone to participate in its maiden ‘Campus Journalism Dialogue’ (CJD)”

    The thee-day event, which would educate participants on issues such as hate speech, fake news, defamation, libelous publication and brown envelope syndrome in contemporary journalism practice, among others, called on students of Mass Communication, student-writers and campus journalists to start sending their published works for application.

    “Students of Mass Communication, gifted students with flair for creative writing from other departments and campus journalists can send their opinion articles, literary works, news reports, among other genres of publications to youthsdigest@yahoo.com, with ‘My CJD application’ as subject,” the statement further emphasised.

    All applications are to contain applicants details; name, school, level, contact, email address and passport photo with titles and weblinks of their published articles, creative writings, and news reports attached on or before Thursday ,February 28.

    The statement added that successful applicants would be fully-sponsored to attend the dialogue. Also, gifts and cash prizes have been lined-up for participants who produce quality, authoritative, edifying and top-notch writings during the event.

    “Fifty applicants will be shortlisted and fully-sponsored to attend the CJD after a panel of judges comprising  seasoned journalists, accomplished academics and prolifics writers, have assessed all entries.”

  • Stakeholders seek end to multiple taxation

    Media professionals from the Southwest states, except Osun, began to arrive at the City Hotels Ikeja Lagos, venue of the two-day training on multiple taxation penultimate Sunday. Officials of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) were on ground to welcome the participants preparatory for the event.

    The workshop, which was meant to provide a template for policy makers on ways to minimise multiple taxation was expected to assist key players in tax administration in developing appropriate legal framework for tax justice and sensitise the citizens to issues on tax.

    According to the organisers, the training was in line with the anti-corruption policy of the present administration; as it would facilitate development of effective legal framework that would promote fair, progressive and transparent tax system and administration.

    In his opening address, the civil society organisation’s Programme Officer, Mr. Chinedu Bassey elaborated on some of the loopholes in tax administration, even as he proffered some suggestions to be explored by the participants in finding solutions to tax administration.

    Reeling off the suggestions, he stated that some of the major problems in tax justice are unmonitored tax incentives given to multinational companies, multiple taxation, unethical means of tax collections and the need to amend relevant tax laws in Nigeria.

    He, therefore, sought collaboration of the media in the campaign/advocacy to stop multiple taxation and creating enabling laws, public enlightenment on taxation and improved manner of tax collection to develop and enhance tax justice.

    “Part of our recommendations is that tax incentives should be monitored, reduction of human interface in tax collection, awareness should be intensified at the grassroots levels and building of confidence to regain trust of the people in governance,” Mr. Bassey said.

    Some of the participants who narrated their experiences in their various states, sought to achieve the cardinal objective of integrating the media into the Tax Justice and Governance Platform in their respective states.

    They maintained that this would make the media more effective in the engagement with the private and public sectors and be more responsive to the Nigerian people in respect of fair and equitable tax system.

    Speaking on the topic “Definition, Basic Concepts, Overview of Taxation and Development”, he said there was the need to amend extant tax laws to address loopholes that could eliminate injustice and inequality in payment of tax.

    Mr Bassey, who expressed discontent over high rate of multiple taxation and non-accountability on how revenue generated was spent, advocated abolition of some obnoxious sections of tax law that make operations of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and State Internal Revenue Boards (SIRBs) to be confidential and secretive.

    He maintained that inappropriate tax system was reason small and medium scale businesses were not thriving, noting that many traders, artisans and entrepreneurs were discouraged in the process of tax collection.

    The Programme Officer urged the media to be in the forefront of ensuring that tax administration was in line with global best practices and in ensuring that tax incomes were judiciously used so as to improve infrastructure and welfare of the people.

    In another lecture entitled “Influencing Strategies and the Role of the Media in Promoting Fair Taxation in Nigeria”, the representative of Oxfam, Mr Henry Ushie who described media as indispensable, called on professionals to embrace the use of digital media/social media in their campaign for tax justice.

    In his goodwill message, the CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa said the training was organised with the support of Oxfam to enhance capacity of journalists from the Southwest region to enable them to monitor how members of the public were paying taxes, how government was administering the revenue collected through tax and to help in enlightening shop owners, marketers, artisans and other informal tax payers on their tax rights.

    Speaking on taxation and media engagement in the five states, Coordinators of the Tax Network in the state, Mr Olakunle Oyegoke (Ondo), Mrs Debra Salami (Oyo), Olalekan Ogunjobi (Ogun) Obanubi Felix (Lagos) and Martins Olamide (Ekiti), insisted that the media had a huge role to play in achieving high rate of public awareness on mode of tax payment and utilisation.

    The coordinators blamed low compliance with tax payment on inflexibility, inequality and inconvenience in the administration of tax system; even as he pledged that their platforms would continue to engage stakeholders, especially the media, in ensuring tax justice.

    At the end of the training, participants recommended, among other things, government at all levels should ensure the provision of statistical database of the informal tax payers in their domain, development of modern Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) template for the state and local governments, provision of social and economic services to the informal tax payers and development of a sustained engagement between governments and the informal tax payers.

  • ‘Less than 36,000 doctors attend to over 182 million patients in Nigeria’

    Nigeria has less than 36,000 doctors attending to over 182 million patients. A medical expert of Health Policy/ Systems Development Unit Department of Community Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Jubril Mohammad Bashar, has disclosed

    Bashar disclosed this at a one-day capacity building workshop on Basic Healthcare Funding in Nigeria for the media organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) which was held recently at Chesterfield Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

    According to Bashar, Nigeria needs no fewer than 237,000 medical doctors to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standard, as opposed to the “36,000 working in the country today.”

    To corroborate this fact Dr. Bashar cited example of Jigawa State which has the highest number of health workers in Nigeria but 92% of them are auxiliary nurses, laboratory attendants and cleaners, while Kaduna State has more of ghost doctors and ghost hospitals.

    Read Also: NMA cautions against patronising quack doctors

    Bashar, who spoke on Financing for Primary Healthcare: Harnessing Domestic Funding Opportunities, Enabling Policies and Legislation, pointed out that lack of success in achieving health care financing has continued to be a challenge in achieving universal health care in Nigeria.

    “The health of any nation is very vital to the development of that country. Therefore, for any country to develop, the health care sector must be adequately funded,” he said.

    In his address, the Executive Director CISLAC, Mallam Auwal Ibrahim Musa, pointed out that the ultimate goal of the project is to promote policy implementation of government’s commitment to primary health care in Nigeria.

    Investigative journalism in the words of the Programme Manager CISLAC, Chioma Kalu, may be challenging and constrained by finances, access to information, threats from individuals or society but it is highly rewarding for journalists in that it propels them to levels where others cannot get. They may even get international acclaims and awards.

    “Investigative journalism is the panacea towards rebuilding our primary health care. It will bring about accessibility and attendance to health centres. It may also reduce cost, thereby enhance affordability,” Kalu said.

    At the end of the workshop, participants recommended the following: Full-fledged community consultation in planning and processes establishing primary health care to enable ownership, attendance and monitoring; Strategic community-oriented advocacy in demanding accountability from the policy and legislative realms; among others.

  • CISLAC urges govts to end herdsmen/farmers’ clashes

    Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged federal and state governments to take measures to halt herders and farmers’ conflicts.

    Speaking with The Nation, CISLAC Executive Director Mr Auwal Rafsanjani said  the crisis between the two groups could put Nigeria’s peace and unity in jeopardy.

    Rafsanjani expressed the NGO’s displeasure at non-implementation of reports of panels and commissions of inquiries on conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary communities by successive administrations.

    He said the responsibility of government in protecting lives and property of farmers in some places and herders in other places had not been discharged with seriousness.

    He maintained that the conflict’s escalation was the direct consequence of the collapse of traditional conflict resolution mechanism.

    According to the director, failure on the part of relevant authorities to challenge the negative attitude and atrocities of the two groups further paved the way for the duo to take law into their hands.

    He said there should be a consultative process with the federal, state and local governments, including community leaders to develop long-term policy that would address the concerns of all parties.

    “There is the need for paradigm shift in policy-making from conflict resolution to conflict prevention strategy.

    “Conflicts could be prevented through collective understanding and acceptance of causes of conflict with inclusion of all resources and users in the process.’’

     

     

     

     

     

  • CISLAC urges FG to end herders/farmers clashes

    CISLAC urges FG to end herders/farmers clashes

    Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged the Federal and State Governments to take decisive measures to halt herders and farmers conflicts.

    Executive Director of CISLAC, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, made the call at a news briefing on the state-of-the-nation in Abuja on Tuesday.

    He said that the crisis between the two groups could put Nigeria’s peace and unity in jeopardy.

    Rafsanjani expressed the NGO’s displeasure at non-implementation of reports of panels and commissions of inquiries on conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary communities by successive administrations.

    He said that the responsibility of government in protecting lives and property of farmers in some places and herders in other places had not been discharged with seriousness.

    He maintained that the escalation of the conflict between herders and farmers was the direct consequence of the collapse of traditional conflict resolution mechanism.

    According to the director, failure on the part of relevant authorities to challenge the negative attitude and atrocities of the two groups further paved the way for the duo to take law into their hands.

    Read Also:  CISLAC  urges FG to establish trust fund for recovered loot

    He said that there should be a consultative process with the federal, state and local governments, including community leaders to develop long-term policy that would address the concerns of all parties.

    “There is the need for paradigm shift in policy-making from conflict resolution to conflict prevention strategy.

    “Conflicts could be prevented through collective understanding and acceptance of causes of conflict with inclusion of all resources and users in the process.

    “This could follow by establishing rules over natural resources use and enforcing them, collective acceptance of such rules and continuous negotiation on divergent demands.’’

    Rafsanjani said that the group also recommended the provision of legal assistance to conflicting parties and educating the parties on channels of challenging injustice and grievances.

    He stressed the need to overcome widespread marginalisation of farmers and herders in policy-making and implementation in some societies, and provide support for livelihood to conflict affected households.

    Also speaking, Mr Okeke Anya, Senior Programme Officer, CISLAC, said that the group was worried over rising cases of kidnapping in the country.

    Anya said that the group was also concerned about the feeling of insecurity that had posed a threat to national and international investment opportunities.

    He said that it was more disheartening that the security agencies appeared helpless in addressing the situation.
    The programme officer urged the agencies to deploy all resources at their disposal to stop kidnapping of fellow Nigerians and foreigners.

    He advised that security agencies should deploy intelligence in checking criminality and end impunity of government officials. NAN