The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CSOs

  • Unionists, CSOs, media collaborate on agitation for LG autonomy in Osun 

    The Civil Society Organizations and the media in Osun state have teamed up with NULGE on the agitation for the autonomy for Local Government in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 constitution.

    Addressing a press conference under the auspices of Osun Coalition for Actualization of Local Government Autonomy, the group urged the State House of Assembly to support and vote for local government autonomy.

    The National Vice  President of NULGE,  South West, Comrade Oludare Famoofo highlighted progress in the agitation for the local government autonomy and urged all stakeholders to come together to ensure the passage of the bill.

    Also, Coordinator of the Coalition, Comrade Wale Adebisi and the Director General of the Committee for Democracy and the Rights of the People (CDRP), Comrade Amitolu Shittu urged the Osun State House of Assembly to pass the local government Autonomy bill into law.

    According to the coalition: “we urge Osun State House of Assembly to conduct a transparent public hearing on local government  autonomy without hesitation so as to allow the people of the state to have input in the process.

    “We urge the members of Osun State House of Assembly to be bold enough to face the reality and act in accordance with the aspiration of the people they represent by voting YES to local government autonomy.

    “We appeal to our amiable governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola to support Local Government autonomy and ensure the passage of the bill to further demonstrate that he is truly a man of the people and that he will always put the people first.”

  • Group confirms Lalong’s projects

    ….laud Governor over prudent use of funds.
    Buhari commissioned projects undertaken by Lalong says CSOs
    ‎A civil society organisation, Coalition for Monitoring Good Governaance and Assessment in Nigeria  (COMGAN) has confirmed that the some of the projects commissioned by President Mohamadu Buharri, during his visit to Plateau State were some of the achievements of Governor Simon Lalong of the state since his assumption of office in 2015.

    The organisation lauded‎ Governor Lalong for the  prudent use of resources and also called on the Sports minister, Solomon Dalung, who is also from Plateau state to join in moving the state forward rather than pulling  it down.
    COMGAN is made up of independent CSOs across the country, which embarked on a tour of Plateau state for projects evaluation across the state with the intent of establishing for themselves the extent to which the state Governor, Simon Lalong has gone in delivering good governance to the people of the state or otherwise.
    Comrade Ikpa Isaac, the Executive Director and also National President of COMGAN‎, who addressed journalists in Abuja accused the Sports minister ‎of not being fair in his assessment of the achievements of the state government.
    “What we found on ground is that Governor Lalong’s administration has delivered on its mandate on various projects.
    “This is especially gratifying when the areas he has focused on are aspects that directly touch on the life and well-being of the people of the state.
    “Of particular interest is the boost in the agricultural output of Plateau state with produce from the state being readily found in other states of the country.
    “Our coalition scores Governor Lalong high in the areas of transparency and accountability, which he has adopted as standard to be followed by anyone connected to the government in that state.
    “Apparently, these zero tolerances for graft in government business is responsible for the quality of work done by the governor.
    “The projects executed under his watch are of world standard in testimony to how he has the interest of the state’s people in mind.
    “It is therefore shocking that there are people that have resorted to playing politics with the achievements that have been recorded in Plateau state by seeking to create the impression that there is nothing that has been done by the incumbent state government”.
    According to Ikpa, the unfair assessment of the state government by certain individual would have been ignored and “focus on our work of assessing the extent to which elected officers are able to deliver good governance to their constituents but for two reasons.
    “One, it is dangerous for highly placed persons to be unfair in their assessment about the performance of a government as done by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung.
    “Secondly, failing to expose the unfair comments and assessment about the performance of an elected officer may discourage others from delivering on their mandate”.
    COMGAN also said, “He has every right to seek political outcomes that suit his desire but his lack of fair assessment on what the state government has achieved is condemnable.
    ” In case he is not awake to the reality of what he has done, our coalition is telling Solomon Dalung, in clear terms, that his comments may threaten the peace of Plateau state and that of Nigeria as whole.
    “He would be held accountable for any breach of the peace arising from his attempt to provoke violence by instigating people.
    “In our opinion, the kind of people that will lie about a governor’s performance in office simply to score cheap political points are dangerous to the polity.
    ” It is on record that Dalung has remained embittered since failing to become Plateau state governor but even this is not enough justification to lie about what is happening in his state.
    “The claims made by Solomon Dalung do not only conflict with the realities on ground in Plateau state but also present his party, the APC, as running a corrupt government.
    “This is worrisome knowing that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has anti-corruption as one of its cardinal goals.
    “We hope President Buhari will take this as the final call to question Dalung’s place on his cabinet.

  • Why CSOs and Journalists must work together

    Why CSOs and Journalists must work together

    I remember having to ask Edetaen Ojo what is the difference between Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs ) and Non-Governmental Associations (NGOs). It was a long throaty laughter he gave when he tried to explain the difference.

    This was the first time I will be in a meeting of both Journalists and Civil Society Organisations, and Edetaen Ojo, who recognised the dilemma in my question, was quite patient to explain the difference.

    In his opinion, NGOs and CSOs are the same. However, Civil Society Organisation is the broader term used in characterising what the advocates of social justice and good governance do. Not to forget that Non-Governmental Individuals (NGIs) do exist; they are in Barrister Onyinyechi’s explanation, “the unscrupulous individuals that attract bigger funding from external bodies for a purpose, and end up sharing the money equally amongst themselves without using the fund attracted for its initial claim.” Social Justice is of no meaning to them, as they are in the business for the advancement of getting personal gain for themselves

    May be that was the reason the Federal Government sought to scourge them and fight them with several policies like the anti-NGO bill, threatening the core of their existence. The meeting facilitated by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) made me to understand that the media and CSOs are both advocates for social justice and good governance, employed in the service of the well-being of the greater good for the people.

    Thus, I wasn’t too surprised to see several organisations under the Civil Society Organisations. Initially, one would pass them as activists, probably noisemaking eloquent individuals that like to speak good English on TV. I was in an interview with an activist once and I knew how strictly I had to sanitise that report lest it rescinds into a libellous claim against the government and my organisation.

    CSOs are an integral part of the society. They have all the sources to the grassroots and public donors but they face one problem with the press. What Barrister Onyinyechi of the South Saharan Social Development Organization outlined as visibility. That is the area in which they need the press to help project their work to the people and the world beyond. In a society like Nigeria, where it is difficult to share human issues that people deal with on a personal basis, it is quite hard to go public for many reasons. Shame is a major part of the problem. Then there is fear, victimisation and stigmatisation. Coming out to talk on real human issues of abuse, Female Genital Mutilation, Rape, VVF, HIV/AIDS to mention a few is frantically impossible.

    Read Also: “Civil societies are the third sector of the society”- Edetaen Ojo

    With Civil Society Organisations, your secrets are safe. Some of the issues never cease to worry them in the least. They are ever willing to share and help. But must these CSOs then pay for press coverage? Bearing in mind that some members of the press could be owed salaries for months with their employers doing nothing to salvage the issues?

    Must they pay the press for coverage of the ideals that will promote human good, social justice and good governance? Do CSOs not have funding for Media campaigns?

    Many sides vary in this argument. But the most important aspect is that both sides must work together and generate a meaningful relationship beyond just transactional journalism to highlighting the real issues affecting people. People that both CSOs and Journalists have sworn to protect.

    What are the metrics of social justice and good governance? Is it the quarterly inflation rates of the UN, UNESCO, and other regulatory bodies that are churned out as reports daily? Over 6 million people lost their jobs in Nigeria last year. Is this the viable economy that our Ministers and Heads of State always push and propagate about?

    Social Justice and good governance is for the people. If the people are well taken care of, the Government will be applauded. Is it not the mandate of the people that the Government must obey? Social Justice is the link between the grassroots and the people. The CSOs must join hands with the fourth realm of estate as espoused by William Burke to bring the development to the Nigeria of our dreams we have always talked about.

    Let the Journalists and CSOs now work together. This way, the government will feel the due pressure to fulfil its numerous promises, be accountable to the people and good governance will ensue.

  • Minister urges CSOs, media to remind Nigerians of treasury looters

    Minister urges CSOs, media to remind Nigerians of treasury looters

    •Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) launched in Abuja

    THE Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners have been urged to ensure that the citizenry do not forget the evil committed by those who looted the country’s treasury.

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed threw the challenge at the launch of the Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR), which includes civil society organisations, media groups, government agencies and other stakeholders in Abuja yesterday.

    The minister asked the civil society to work with the media and other stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians never forget, for one moment, the damage done to the country by treasury looters.

    He said: “Those who turned our treasury to their piggy bank are once again presenting themselves as the saviours of the nation. They say the best time for Nigeria was when the proceeds of their corruption subsidised many and gave the illusion of economic boom. They are so emboldened as to say Nigerians are earnestly yearning for them. No contrition, no apologies and no shame. Just sheer bravado, unbridled arrogance and revisionism.

    “The civil society, the media and indeed all stakeholders owe it a duty not to allow Nigerians to forget, to say ‘Never Again’ to those who view Nigeria as nothing but a cash cow to be milked to death.”

    Mohammed said the formation of the ACSR could not have come at a better time, as the Buhari Administration’s fight against corruption is gaining momentum, “and the government is winning the war”.

    He said: “But there is a challenge: There seems to be a feeling of numbness among the citizens about the conduct of those whose actions brought us here, those who looted the national treasury dry. Suddenly, these same people are engaging in revisionist history and blaming everyone but themselves for the mess their actions put the country into.”

    Reeling out the cost of corruption to the nation, the minister listed the conversion to a slush fund of the 2.1 billion dollars meant to buy weapons for the Nigerian military to fight Boko Haram; the fact that the country could only generate 2,690 megawatts as at 29 May 2015 despite the billions of dollars spent on power and the failure of past governments to save for the rainy day, even when oil was selling above $100 a barrel for many years.

    He listed some of the gains of the anti-corruption fight as raising the country’s foreign reserves from $23 billion to $38 billion; stoppage of the payment of phantom subsidy of between N800 billion and N1.3 trillion; and the recovery of at least $43 million and 56 houses from just one official of the immediate past administration.

    Other gains of the fight against corruption, according to Mohammed, include the recovery of $2.9 billion from looters so far; the Whistle-blower policy which has led to the recovery of $151 million and N8 billion in looted funds from just three sources; the elimination of thousands of ghost workers, which saved the nation N120 billion and the elimination of the N108 billion in maintenance fees payable to banks pre-TSA.

    He hailed those behind the formation of the ACSR, a platform to build synergy among anti-corruption CSOs, the labour movement, the law enforcement agencies, the Parliament and the judiciary, as well as to ensure that Nigerians take ownership of the fight against corruption.

     

     

  • CSOs to FG: Publish names of treasury looters, recovered monies

    CSOs to FG: Publish names of treasury looters, recovered monies

    A coalition of civil society groups under the auspices of the Say No Campaign has asked the Federal government to make public the names of Nigerians found to have looted the public treasury and also make public the actual amount of money so far recovered as it will help the fight against corruption in the country.

    One of the congeners of the Coalition, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said a the 2017 world anti corruption day celebration in Abuja that the government owes it a duty to inform Nigerians on the progress so far made in the fight against corruption, adding that when the government says it is fighting corruption, it is not doing anybody any favour because it is part of its constitutional duties.

    He said the group was out to demystify the fact that the fight against corruption was one man’s fight, adding that “it is easy in Nigeria to build a personality cult around the anti-corruption fight; it is easy to make the anti-corruption fight a cliché. So you hear the government saying every time that it wants to fight corruption but the truth of the matter is that it is in the Constitution that it is the role of the government to abolish it.

    “So, when the government says it is fighting corruption, it is not doing anybody a favour, the consequence of corruption is upon us, its effect is upon us. When you hear that billions of naira is stolen, it means there are no drugs in the hospital, it means that citizens cannot have jobs; they will sell recharge cards.

    “It means that our industries will not work and Ajaokuta, Oshogbo and Aladja Steel Rolling Mills will never come to life”, adding that Ajaokuta mill alone could employ 17, 000 engineers. If you take 17,000 engineers off the unemployment market, that is a respectable self-esteem kind of job but corruption has hampered that’’.

    Another convener and Coordinator African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, Chidi Onuma, Keeping the names of those who have looted the treasury is a disservice to the fight against corruption, saying “I don’t know anybody you would ask in this  country who wouldn’t want to make those names public. It goes beyond the name.

    “We should also have the amount that the government has recovered so far from its effort in the fight against corruption. It will help in ensuring that there is greater confidence in the government and its anti corruption war.

    “It is important for Nigerians to know because it is beyond making an elaborate statement about how much was recovered and the corrupt people who are being prosecuted.

    “It is important that we also come out to tell Nigerians how much of the looted funds has been recovered and from who. Some of the reasons may be because of the legal implication because you have to ensure that the judicial system takes its course and ensure that things are resolved before you make anything public”.

    He said further that even though People have different opinion about the war against corruption, there has been some successes, but there is still room for improvement, adding that “we need to keep talking about it with the hope that it would primate every Sector and aspect of the Nigeria society. You do not resolve the issue of corruption in a day.

    “The current government has made efforts through whistleblowing, treasury single account among others. There has been some criticism, but it is something that we need to continue to work on as a people until we are able to reduce corruption to a bearable minimum.

    “Every now and then, you hear accusations of selective prosecution. I think the question. We should be as, I give ourselves is whether anybody who has been picked up for corruption irrespective of political affiliation, has committed a crime.

    “If a crime has been committed, we should look beyond where the person comes from, his religion, ethnicity of political party. If we look at that, I would say you that allegations can’t stand because in my own estimation. Almost everybody that has been put on trial for corruption in this country has a case to answer.”

  • Groups express over digital switchover delay

    A group of civil society organizations (CSOs) have expressed concern over the delay in implementing the switchover from analogue to digital broadcasting by Nigeria.

    National Coordinator of Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Solomon Adodo, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said some cabals were working against the implementation of the plan.

    The statement was jointly signed by Yomi David, Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative; Comr. Okpanachi Jacob, Civil Society Advocacy Group for Accountability and Probity; Ms. Adebimpe Adeboye, Royal Empowerment for Development Initiative; Chief Raymond Obuseh Integrity Leaders International Development Initiative.

    Others include, Mallam Suleiman Musa, Independent Public Service Watch; Comr. Jonathan Ogwuche, Youth Advocacy for Credible Leadership; Comr. Danesi Momoh, Guardians of Democracy and Development; Dominic Ogakwu, Civil Society Groups for Good Governance and Jonathan Ella North/South Youth Integration Forum.

    He blamed the failure of Nigeria to meet the switchover date on two occasions on misappropriation of funds and sharp practices within the broadcasting industry.

    The statement reads: “Our incontrovertible findings reveal that the failure of Nigeria to meet the Digital Switch Over plan twice is as a result of ineptitude, misappropriation of funds and deliberate industry sharp practices geared at tilting signal distribution component of the process in favor of Integrated Television Service – a commercial entity unbundled from NTA in September 2015.

    “Evident records bear it clear that Integrated Television Service Limited (ITS) has been used as a conduit for diverting public funds at the detriment of the efficient implementation of the Digital Switch Over project.

    “We found out to our dismay that certain cartels are working at cross purposes with the digital switch over plan all for self serving pecuniary interests.

    “Out of the whopping sum of #1.7 billion given to ITS to purchase equipment for the smooth transition to the Digital Switch Over plan, a greater chunk was diverted to private pockets and only a paltry sum was committed to the purchase of very obsolete, substandard and inefficient equipment.

    “This in itself poses a great threat to Nigeria’s DSO plan. It therefore behooves on us as ever vigilant Civil Society organizations to expose the seething corruption, waste of public resources, inept services and compromise in standards being perpetrated using ITS as conduit.”

    He called on Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed to prove the process.

    Adodo also urged the minister to address the delay for nigeria to implement the DSO plan.

    “The Minister of Information should correct the anomalies or face serious protest from CSOs,” the statement added.

  • CSOs unseal Peace Corps house

    There was a drama yesterday as some members of civil society organisations  (CSOs) in Abuja yesterday enforced the judgment of a Federal High Court against the Police by unsealing the corporate head office of the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    The place had been sealed by police since February.

    But Justice Gabriel Kolawale of the Federal High Court, Abuja in a November 9 judgment ordered the police “to unseal and vacate the office with immediate effect”.

    The judge also imposed a fine of N12.5 million on police for breaching the fundamental rights of the Peace Corps National Commandant, Ambassador Dickson Akoh and 49 others with unlawful arrest and detention.

    However, following the refusal of police to obey the court order, 15 civil groups stormed the premises at No 59, Iya Abubakar Crescent, Abuja and opened the office.

    Led by a legal practitioner and President of Lawyer Integrity Crusade Network, Mr. Edward Omaga, the groups, which were armed with the court order, told the policemen, who barricaded the gate that they were there to enforce a valid court order.

    Without resistance, an unmarked Honda Bullet car used by police to block the gate was driven to another location by a policeman.

    After the members of coalition entered the premises, one of the officers contacted the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command on phone on the development.

    This led to deployment of about 100 fully armed policemen to the scene.

    The armed policemen, led by an Assistant Police Commissioner, Danlami Yusuf Taura, on arrival, summoned the leader of the groups for explanation on their mission.

    He was told by Omaga that they were there to enforce a lawful court order.

    To justify their action, he presented a copy of the court order to the police boss and also drew his attention to another copy pasted on the gate of the Peace Corps house by the Federal High Court.

    ACP Taura attempted to defend police with a claim that they have up to seven days’ grace to unseal the office.

    But Omaga drew his attention to a portion of the court order that police must vacate it immediately.

    Another claim by the ACP that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT Command had not been served with the court order was also punctured by Omaga, who drew his attention to the acknowledgement of the service of the court order on the Inspector General

    At the time of this report, there was no fracas between the groups and the policemen drafted to the premises.

    Omaga, thanking his colleagues for their courage in defending the rule of law, announced that the Peace Corps house has been unsealed incompliance with the court order.

    He added that officials and the workers of the Peace Corps are expected to resume work in the office today unhindered by the police or any other security agents.

    A statement signed by leaders of the 15 groups condemned Inspector General Ibrahim Idris for showing disrespect to the court order.

    Omaga, who read the statement, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call the IG to order so as to prevent him from instigating the masses against the Federal Government.

    The civil groups leader called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN to use his office as chief law officer of the federation to compel those in authorities to always respect court orders in the interest of justice.

  • CSOs, LSUBEB clash over UBEC projects

    Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have accused the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB) of substituting projects funded by the 2015 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) without authorisation.

    They alleged that certain projects in the original LSUBEB Action Plan, were substituted and relocated.

    The CSOs comprised Parent Teachers Association (PTAs), School Based Management Committee (SBMC), Community Development Associations and Faith Based Organisations.

    Their spokesperson, Mrs. Oluwafunmi Adedokun, spoke yesterday at a forum organised by Human Development Initiative.

    She said five of the 17 public schools approved in the LSUBEB action plan were observed to be absent in its project bidding advertorial published in The Nation publication of June 26.

    But LSUBEB Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr Seyi Akitoye debunked the allegations.

    He said the adjustments were approved by UBEC following the need to redistribute some projects to areas of need and avoid repetition.

    Akitoye said: “It is not an abnormal situation for projects to change. What is required is that you follow due process when changing projects. You write formally to UBEC such that UBEC will now approve. You cannot spend a dime without their approval.

    “Concerning the issue of the action plan, the fault is not from us. There is nothing like hidden action plan. If there is hidden agenda we wouldn’t have placed adverts for projects concerning schools. What we are after is the development of education generally in the state.”

    Research and Programme Officer at HDI, Olayemi Samuel said monitoring and tracking was pivotal to a transparent process.

  • CSOs want compliance with court order in Benue

    The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Transparency in Governance (CCSOTG), has called for deepening democratic norms and the rule of law in Nigeria with regards to the freedom granted BIRS -Consultants by a Makurdi High Court in a dispute with the Police and the need for Immediate compliance.

    Convener of the Group, Comrade Sabo Ode, who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Monday, said BIRS got a judgment last week in its favour, as the Court declared the Police as incompetent in issuing such directive and restrained its agents from harassment, intimidation and disruption of lawful tax collection in any part of the state.
    It will be recalled that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, in May 2017 inaugurated a Police Special X-squad teams specifically charged with the responsibility of arresting all tax revenue officials operating on federal roads across the nation.
    “We therefore side with the clear verdict of the Presiding judge, Justice Adam Onum that the police have no authority to issue such executive directives, which contravenes the validly passed laws of the Benue State House of Assembly or any other State Assembly in Nigeria.
    The group said BIRS is obliged to support this tending for the truth by CCSOTG to enable the widespread and deep dissemination of this cheerful news to re-establish the confidence of taxpayers to BIRS which could be done through pamphlets, billboards adverts, community theatre strategy and open-door advertisements on taxis and buses or any other means possible to ginger payment of more taxes to liberate Benue state.
    “On this score, the coalition wishes to salute the courage and wisdom of the Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service’s (BIRS) executive chairman, Chief Mrs. Mimi Adzakpe- Orubibi, by challenging the controversial directive of the Police in court,” the group said.

  • CSOs to Kwara: focus on farming

    Civil Society Organisa-tions (CSOs) have urged the Kwara State government to focus attention on agriculture, saying it will complement its drive for internally generated revenue (IGR). The CSOs decried the non-involvement of small-scale farmers in the agriculture budgeting in the state.

    They added that the 2017 Kwara State budget did not take cognisance of women farmers who form a large chunk of producers of over 60 percent of food being consumed in the state.

    “The agriculture budget is not gender sensitive as there is no provision or line items for women farmers and this limits the application of funds to specific issues faced by women farmers; the

    percentage of the state’s total budget allocated to agriculture sector is abysmally low (less than one percent). This falls short of the 10 percent Maputo and Malabo declarations and commitments,” they said.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, Senior Programme Officer, Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), Abdulrahman Ayuba urged the state government to allocate no less than five percent of the state total annual budget to the agriculture sector.

    He recommended among others that: “The government must realise that the agriculture sector has the potential to contribute significantly to its aim of introspecting and sustaining the economy; moreover, honouring the Maputo declaration is a demonstration of a government of integrity and its commitment of its citizens, especially to the smallholder farmers of which women are in majority.

    “Government must vigorously promote organic farming among smallholder farmers, therefore, it is expected that government will reasonably make budget provision for this purpose in subsequent budget proposals.

    “Extension services of the government should also be strengthened by recruiting new extension agents, building their capacity and providing them with incentives and facilities necessary for their effectiveness in the field.

    “Given the centrality of the budget to the actualisation of that purpose, the citizens must be involved in the process. This should be promoted from the point of identification of needs, conceptualisation of response to such needs, budget formulation, consideration, defence, passage, implementation, monitoring and review.

    “A forum should be created by the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the state House of Assembly, for the participation of smallholder farmers especially women farmers and CSOs in the budgetary processes for ownership and in order to also inform and articulate priorities.”