The Nation Newspaper

Tag: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

  • UN drug office, Bayelsa invest in youths

    UN drug office, Bayelsa invest in youths

    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative for Nigeria, Mr. Cheikh Toure, has described inauguration of the Youth Peace Champions in Bayelsa State as vital in leadership, resilient communities, and in  a peaceful, prosperous Nigeria. He said the Bayelsa Youth Peace Champions join a growing national movement, spanning geopolitical zones and cultures, united by a common purpose: to reclaim peace and rebuild futures.

    Toure, who spoke at the inauguration in Yenagoa, said the theme for this year’s International Youth Day, ‘‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond’’, underscores the timing of this inauguration. He noted that ‘we are equipping these young people with skills and a platform to amplify their voices, propose solutions, and stand as beacons of hope for their peers.’

    “This is not charity. It is not tokenism. It is a vital investment in leadership, in resilient communities, and in the peaceful, prosperous Nigeria we envision. The Bayelsa Youth Peace Champions join a growing national movement, spanning geopolitical zones and cultures, united by a common purpose: to reclaim peace and rebuild futures” he added.

    Read Also: APC trounces opposition in legislative by-elections

    UNODC, in partnership with Bayelsa State and support from Denmark, launched in Bayelsa State. The strategic expansion brings a proven, youth-led peace-building model, celebrated for its impact in Northeast, to Niger Delta for the first time.

    Commissioner for Youth, Alfred Kemepado, noted that on this International Youth Day, “we stand united with UNODC to ignite a movement, one that empowers our young people to become torchbearers of peace and leadership. The inauguration is more than a programme; it is a call to action. It is a bold statement that the voices, courage, and vision of our youth will shape the destiny of Bayelsa, of Nigeria, and of the world. Together, we are raising a generation that will not only dream of peace but will defend it, live it, and lead it.” Rooted in the conviction that sustainable peace must be people-led and youth-powered, Youth Peace Champions initiative is a grassroots movement. It equips young people with tools, training, mentorship, and platforms to become effective peace-builders and positive change makers in their communities.

    Implemented under Strengthening the Niger Delta Peace Architecture project using community-based Crime and Violence Prevention Strategies (funded by Denmark), the Bayelsa launch aligns with the state’s pioneering youth policy. It stands as a potential blueprint for youth-led transformation in Nigeria.

    Building on documented success Northeast, where 32 Youth Peace Champions reached over nine million people with campaigns like #SeeTheChild, UNODC is adapting its methodology to Bayelsa’s unique context.

    A diverse cohort of 25 young leaders has been meticulously selected from five communities: Otuan, Ekeremor, Ikebiri 1, Ekowe, and Ayamasa. The group, representing both formal and informal sectors, includes 13 females (one with a disability) and 12 males. They will undergo intensive training in peace-building, crime and drug use prevention, future-forward skills, creative communication, and emerging trends. Crucially, they will be mentored by established leaders across various sectors who share UNODC’s core belief: peace must be youth-led and locally driven. Beyond advocacy, they will serve as visible community role models, fostering social cohesion, driving positive change, and promoting self-reliance through inclusive, sustainable, community-owned actions.

  • West Africa loses $777.1million to maritime crimes

    West African countries have lost over $777.1million annually between 2015 and 2017 in addition to human costs as economy cost of piracy in the region. The region has also experienced an escalation of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery at sea incidents in recent years.

    According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2018 report, the attacks in the region more than doubled last year accounting for all six hijackings worldwide, 13 of the 18 ships fired upon, 130 of the 141 hostages taken globally and 78 of 83 seafarers kidnapped for ransom.

    The report the economic effects on countries such as Nigeria and its trading partners are especially burdensome, noting that in the last three months of 2018, 41 kidnappings were recorded in waters off Nigeria alone.

    “In October 2018, 11 crew members were kidnapped from a container vessel 70 nautical miles off Bonny Island, Nigeria. Two days later, pirates in a speedboat hijacked a tanker underway 100 nautical miles off Point Noire, Congo. Eight of the 18 crew members were kidnapped. These are just two recent examples of how armed criminals are reaching further out to sea and targeting a wider variety of ships: bulk carriers, container vessels and general cargo vessels in addition to local attacks on tankers, oil industry support vessels and fishing vessels,” it adds.

    Worried by the trend of criminality within the West Africa sub-region, Nigeria participated actively in the 2019 Exercise Obangame Express, a multi-national maritime exercise sponsored by the United States Military Africa Command (AFRICOM) and attended by 33 countries from West Africa, Europe and North America.

    The exercise carried out weeks of maritime training to improve safety against pirates and to improve the monitoring of the coastline.

    The training which witnessed deployment of 2,500 personnel, 95 ships and 12 aircraft was aimed at improving regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of the Gulf of Guinea and West African nations to counter sea-based illicit activities.

    The report stated that with a view to covering the legal aspects of this exercise at sea, UNODC, in cooperation with Interpol and the support of the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), developed simulated trials using the Obangame maritime exercise as a platform for training prosecutors and investigators in handling the piracy and maritime crime scenarios played at sea during the exercise.

    “In April, UNODC and INTERPOL organised in Lagos the first of the series of simulated trials, using aspects of the piracy bill currently under consideration by the Nigerian national Assembly. The simulated trials were based on arrests and evidence collected from the Obangame exercise and involved the cross examination of expert witnesses by a prosecuting and defense team with a presiding Judge of the Federal High Court. Interpol cooperated in building the simulated trial through preparing all witnesses for cross examination,” it says.

    Commenting on the simulated trial, Mr. Yusuf Abdulkadir, a senior prosecutor and head of the Maritime Crime Group in the Federal Department of Public Prosecution, remarked that ‘the simulated trial has created an avenue for prosecutors and investigators to test-run the draft piracy bill and see the possible challenges that could come up with operationalizing the bill when it is finally passed into law.’

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been working with the Nigerian authorities and other international partners already since 2015 to stave off the threat of piracy and maritime crime in Nigeria through capacity building, fostering interagency cooperation and strengthening the legal and policy framework.

    However, all these efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s response to piracy and maritime crime are bound to remain ineffective without a strong legal framework. Since 2015, UNODC through its Global Maritime Crime Programme has been supporting the Federal Ministry of Justice, to prepare the ‘Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bills 2017’ currently before the National Assembly.

     

  • Demand for good governance in tackling crimes, UNODC urges CSOs

    Demand for good governance in tackling crimes, UNODC urges CSOs

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) has urged Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs ) in Nigeria to continue to demand for good governance from leaders to address organised crimes in the country.

    The UNODC outgoing Country Representative, Ms Cristina ALBERTIN, gave the advice when she appeared as a guest in a forum in Abuja.

    UNODC deals in organised crimes like drug, child and human trafficking, smuggling of fire arms, economic crimes, money laundering, corruption and terrorism base on UN conventions and protocols.

    ALBERTIN explained that the roles of CSOs did not stop at the prevention of crimes by raising awareness but also ensures leaders were living up to their responsibilities.

    She said that CSOs must play their roles to increase transparency in governance and ensure projects captured in budget were done in accountable manner.

    The outgoing country representative stated that vulnerability remained a key factor in terms of organised, adding that because poor people who did not see opportunities in their own countries to develop were vulnerable to such crimes.

    “It is important for us to attack the vulnerability as well to tackle the challenge of organised crime,” she said.

    According to her, the role of CSOs in organised crimes is also enormous, especially in prevention of human trafficking.

    “In fighting human trafficking, we have to go to communities where these girls and women come from, we have to work with them because they know the girls that are living and the ones missing.

    ALBERTIN commended Nigeria for its effort in adopting Justice sector reform, pointing out that most of the states had set up such reforms and urged those that had not done that to do so.

    She said that in the last two years, her UNODC had been working with 10 states in the country on Justice Sector reforms.

    NAN

  • NDLEA arrests 67 persons for drug trafficking in Edo

    NDLEA arrests 67 persons for drug trafficking in Edo

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) in Edo says it has arrested 67 persons for allegedly trafficking in various drugs in the state.

    The Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Buba Wakawa, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Benin.

    Wakawa said the suspects that comprised 47 males and 20 females were arrested in various parts of the state between July and August.

    He also disclosed that suspected illicit drugs totaling about 779.572 kilogrammes were seized within the period.

    He said about 45.5 hectares of land estimated to yield about 216, 835 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis sativa were also destroyed.

    Giving a breakdown of the figure, the commander said that about 114.75 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis sativa were seized and about 667.62 kilogrammes of the same substance abandoned by the owners were confiscated.

    The commander said two grammes of Heroin; 26.1 grammes of suspected cocaine and 170 grammes of Psychotropic drugs were seized within the period.

    He further said that one vehicle was seized during the period.

    Wakawa described cannabis cultivation as a major threat to food security, peace and development in the state, and appealed for the urgent intervention of leaders at all levels.

    He said a cannabis survey was being conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) under the European Union ( EU ) funded project in collaboration with the Nigerian Government and technical support from the Nigerian Air Force.

    He explained that the exercise which was to access the scope of the problem in high-risk States had shown that what had been destroyed was “a tip of the ice berg”.

    According to the commander, vast expanse of fertile arable land in the state had been completely taken over by cannabis cultivators.

    He, therefore, called on the State Government to declare a State of Emergency to effectively tackle the situation due to its security implications.

    “The situation calls for a State of Emergency.

    “Our operations are impeded by huge logistic constraints.

    “Manual destruction of the farms is a far cry considering the magnitude of cannabis cultivation in Edo, besides the security implications, food shortage, unemployment, deforestation, environmental degradation and high rate of criminality all militate against good governance.

    “The Agency cannot win this fight in isolation and l call on the state government to intervene in addressing the situation before it further degenerates,” he said.

  • Nigerians advised to see the police as change agent

    Nigerians advised to see the police as change agent

    Nigerians have been urged to see the Nigerian Police as a vehicle of law-enforcement and positive change, rather than just a platform for corruption. This advice was given in a statement made available to our correspondent.
    Stating that Nigerians had found it much easier to say the Police Force was corrupt and, that they have also compromised crime fighting.
    “Until we unveil our caged senses to see beyond our peculiar fogginess, we shall continue to unfairly belittle the Police and by the break of dawn, we shall only discover to our national shame that we  have security agents garbed in official uniforms, but very unwilling to protect us, because of our expressed ingratitude to their sacrifices, having deliberately failed to appreciate them and preferring to cast aspersions and dark shadows on the Police, as good only as agents of Lucifer”.
    Talking about the recent reports publicized by two institutions- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)  and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), that claimed NPF as the most corrupt public institution in Nigeria, it said none mentioned the statistics of high profile crimes that had been combated under the incumbent IGP.

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had enforced penetrative reforms in the NPF, initiating an insidious spy squad to trail and expose erring and corrupt police officers for appropriate sanctions. And for the first time, the NPF is not shielding its corrupt or erring officers who act as cogs in its determination to battle crimes of all dimensions.

    Not totally absolving the NPF of blame,it was stated that rather than see the Police in a totally bad light, we were also to see the reforms in the NPF that have worked to change the police force and making it become alive to its responsibilities; having disciplined and courageous personnel, with eyes fixated on integrity in consonance with the “change mantra” of the President Muhammadu Buhari regime.
    “It created its own internal disciplinary and punitive mechanisms against any officer who traduces the new creed of conduct as proclaimed by IGP Idris. Just recently, a Police officer in the famed case of the University of Port Harcourt suspected ritualist in Police custody, who escaped was arrested by the police itself and arraigned in court for official negligence”.
    It also stated that worthy of commendation,was the arrest of suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, (aka Evans) who had an amazing network and terrorized Nigerians for years and also the case of the brave cops, who confronted some armed robbers during a robbery operation at Zenith Bank in Owerri, Imo State, and paid the supreme price. They had the option of abandoning their arms and ammunitions and scurrying for safety, but they patriotically executed the duty of defending Nigerians unto their graves.
    “We cannot have the Police of our desire if we continue to ridicule the reformatory efforts of a crack Police Officer, like IGP Ibrahim Idris who has devoted time and energy to rebrand the Police in combating crime in our country”.
  • APC’s battle to restore meritocracy in Edo

    APC’s battle to restore meritocracy in Edo

    The logic and reason behind the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) criticism of the policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State are often disturbingly shallow and many times, absolutely ridiculous.

    This is especially so because this same political party ruled over this country and indeed Edo State for nearly two decades and literarily left the nation and all the states where they held sway in ruins.

    You only need to look at the pages of the newspapers on any day, and you are certain to see revelations of the mindless looting which was supervised by the now degenerating political entity.

    Under the guidance of the PDP, an estimated N400 billion, or the equivalent of $4.6 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP), representing 39 per cent of the combined federal and state education budgets in 2016, was paid out as bribes to public officials in Nigeria annually. As shown in a new report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), revealed last week.

    The National Corruption Report, which covered the period between June 2015 and May 2016 also showed that almost a third of Nigerian adults (32.3 percent) who had contact with public officials between June 2015 and May 2016 had to pay, or were requested to pay a bribe to such public officials.

    This was the sort of culture which the PDP promoted both in Edo State and in other parts of the country, invariably resulting in a failed system where people had to resort to corruption to get ahead.

    So terrible was the situation that adults in the public and private sectors; young people and children in Universities, Secondary and Primary Schools, were introduced to a new ‘normal’ where success, wealth and victory did not come to you based on your competence but based on how much bribe you are willing and able to pay or how many people you knew on the corridors of power.

    Essentially, meritocracy was sacrificed on the altar of malpractices and corruption, leading civil servants, teachers, businessmen, students, pupils among others to abandon their quest for knowledge and capacity enhancement for the simple reason that promotion or increase was no longer secured on the basis of how good you were or how much you knew.

    Such was the state of Edo when the APC wrestled it from the PDP. Unfortunately, as they say, old habits die hard, and so the new ruling party in the state has been riding tirelessly against the tide of the culture of corruption enthroned by the PDP, trying to get the people to see that merit as the only currency for success and promotion has been restored.

    This same problem surfaced recently when Governor Godwin Obaseki introduced capacity enhancement testing for civil servants to identify the areas where government workers have skills gap to be able to fashion out appropriate training programmes for them.

    The same PDP leaders who damaged the system which the APC is now making efforts to fix began to scream and misinform government workers that the testing being done by the current government was designed to select workers for victimization and sack.

    Nothing could be further from the truth.

    Governor Obaseki has since dismissed the fear looming in some quarters that the ongoing assessment of senior civil servants in the state was designed to fish out incompetent workers for sack, assuring that such fears are baseless.

    Obaseki who was at Imaguero College, Benin City, venue of the assessment, last Wednesday, said that the exercise was in good faith and not a competency test as being rumoured.

    He explained that Edo civil servants are competent and do not require any further competency test. “Before they were employed, their competency was tested, and that is why they are working in the Civil Service. But before promotions are made in the Civil Service, senior civil servants go through assessments to fill vacant positions in the directorate cadre,”

    He added that the exercise was part of the strategy to strengthen the Civil Service for effective service delivery and assured that no employee writing the examination would be sacked.

    The governor disclosed that the recent examination conducted for staff members on levels 16 and 17 in the state was an eye opener as some civil servants were discovered to be very good and were appointed Permanent Secretaries.

    “We are not sacking anybody, but want to strengthen the service so that it can deliver quality services to the state. The assessment is not compulsory but necessary for promotion as those who need to be promoted would have to be assessed. If you refuse, then there may be no basis for your promotion,” Obaseki said.

    For teachers who kicked against the assessment, the governor said it was unfortunate as his administration did not intend to exclude teachers from the resulting promotion exercise and added that the two teachers that performed very well in the last exercise were appointed Permanent Secretaries.

    “We want to give everyone the opportunity to participate, but if teachers say they don’t want to be part of the process, no one will force them, we would, however, have no basis to promote their senior colleagues,” he added.

    This explanation of the issue by the governor has been completely sidestepped by mischief makers who are bent on constantly stirring a storm in a teacup, with the intention of smearing the good reputation of Governor Obaseki.

    Suffice to say however that this propaganda is an effort in futility.

    The Edo people who chose Obaseki as their governor did so with deep discernment and this ability to assess peoples’ character very much resides with them. They know without doubt that Obaseki in all his actions is fighting for their best interest.

     

    Osagie is the Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy

     

  • We are not corrupt – Police

    We are not corrupt – Police

    A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in conjunction with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and others had released a report titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Bribery: Public experience and response” Which has described police officers as the most corrupt.

    The report which was released Wednesday in Abuja indicated that police officers are the type of public officials to whom bribes are most commonly paid in Nigeria.

    The police ranked high with 46.4 percent while prosecutors ranked directly after them with 33.0 percent.

    Other public officials put into perspective are Judges and magistrates, tax and revenue officers, customs officers and public utilities officers.

    Reacting to the report, the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood described the report as false.

    He also urged Nigerians to disregard the report noting that there is no way the Nigeria Police Force officials could be corrupt.

    He said: “I don’t think the UNODC are for such purpose. We have not seen such report and we cannot react to what we have not seen but what I know is that Nigeria Police Force is not corrupt.

    “Corruption is a personal thing and Nigeria Police Force is not a corrupt institution and it is not for anybody to have made such allegation.

    “The allegations are mischievous because it is not empirical and we distant ourselves from such and we want all Nigerians to condemn such.

    “In fact a lot of changes have been introduced into the Force to ensure that we are accountable to the people.

    “Such a report is unacceptable by the Force and we want everybody to disregard such because the Nigeria Police is not corrupt. The allegation is not empirical and it cannot stand any test or proof.  It is misleading.”

     

  • UN urges FG to focus on corruption prevention

    UN urges FG to focus on corruption prevention

    Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cristina Albertin, has urged the Federal Government to focus more on prevention corruption in its fight against the scourge.

    Speaking during the National Workshop on Corruption prevention for Anti-Corruption Agencies in Nigeria funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) in Calabar on Monday, she said it was also pertinent to involve the private sector in the fight against corruption.

    “I think there is a solid foundation for anti-corruption work in Nigeria because there are lots of institutions that work on anti-corruption. I think focus has been very much on law enforcement and criminal justice response, and I think it is time to give more time to the prevention of corruption. The war on corruption shall also involve the private sector, especially on public procurement that uses private sector. And it also has to deal with transparency and accountability of budgets in the involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that can help in setting up transparency measures.

    “We are hosting the workshop together with anti-corruption agencies on corruption prevention and it is happening within a project that we have with the government of Nigeria, the European Union and UNODC.

    “UNODC is providing comprehensive assistance to 14 agencies in Nigeria on anti-corruption in the framework of the United Nations Convention against corruption. That is a convention that sets out a comprehensive set of measures against corruption, which includes criminalization, and penalization of corrupt offences.

    “We render assistance to Nigerian Government in a series of areas in line with our mandate under this regard to drug control, anti-human trafficking, combatting smuggling of migrants, counter terrorism, HIV prevention and prevention of corruption,” she said.

  • Reps move to decongest prisons

    Reps move to decongest prisons

    • Pass Criminal Justice Act Amendment

    A reprieve may be in the offing for people who are awaiting trial in prisons across the country following the Wednesday consideration for the bill on Criminal Justice Act Amendment at the House of Representatives.

    This is as Lawmakers expressed support for the bill that strengthens the Criminal Justice system as it went through consideration at the committee in the Whole.

    The bill which amends the Criminal Justice (Release from custody) (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. C40, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, with the view to decongest and reduce the number of pretrial inmates in Nigerian prisons and for other related matters was co-sponsored by Nicholas Ossai and Ochiglegor Idagor.

    It seeks to “order the release of a person detained in custody pending trial where the prosecution fails to commence after the person had spent one-third of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence.”

    Figures released by the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in August 2016, states that  out the 63,000 inmates spread across 240 prisons in the country, 17,897 are convicted while 45,263 are awaiting trial.

    Idagor while arguing for a positive consideration of the bill said its “embarrassing and worrisome State of Nigerian prisons, where over 70% of inmates are awaiting trial, has made it imperative for us to apply extra LegislativeBudget measures to decongest our prisons and further strengthen the criminal justice system.”

    He further states: “Our society is one in which innocence until proven guilty has been thrown into the wind, as Nigerians are made to spend months and years in incarceration even without being proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

    “We can no longer continue living in the dark age where  people’s rights are constantly abused while the government stands aside and watch. We all know that in the 240 prisons spread across Nigeria, the innocent who were wrongly accused, wrongly detained and are awaiting trial constitute 70% of the Nigerian prison population.

    “It has also been revelead that 95% of riots, escapes and jail breaks are perpetuated by this category of inmates.”

    The lawmaker stated that the bill seeks to cure the age long problem of awaiting trial persons languishing in various prisons as well as saddle an awaiting trial perons with powers to apply to a Judge within the judicial district for unconditional release from custody.

    This he said is especially in a situation where the person has been in custody for a period longer than the maximum period of imprisonment which he could have served had he been convicted of the offence in respect of which he was detained in the execution of a court or Tribunal duly constituted by law.

    According to him, the Judge on receipt of the application will summarily release the inmate if satisfied that the person has been in custody longer than the maximum period the person would have served had he been convicted.

    The lawmaker states that the bill is beneficial in the sense that there is reduction in monetary expenses spent on feeding and upkeep of inmates across the country, reduction of Staff workload and stress, manageability of prisons/improved prison regime, reduction in prison overcrowding rate, improved sanitary and living conditions in prison and reduction of lack of discipline, disturbances and aggression in prison.

    He said the passage of the bill into law will help in reducing unnecessary violation of individual’s right to liberty, prevention of the negative effects of incarceration such as psychological stress to the prison, financial, psychological and social stress faced by the  families, opportunity for better preparation of their cases and prevention of criminal socialisation of those innocent by the more serious and sophisticated offenders.

    However, an observation by the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, that it requires amendment of section 35 of the 1999 Constitution to run the bill through, made the Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun who presided to referred it to the House Committee on Rules and Business for further advise.

  • Ekweremadu seeks public hearings for national budgets

    Ekweremadu seeks public hearings for national budgets

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu Wednesday said national budget proposals should be subjected to public hearings.

    He said public scrutiny would reduce the corruption associated with the budgeting process and will improve transparency.

    It will also enable the citizens make direct input on areas in need of attention, he said.

    Ekweremadu spoke in Abuja on the second day of the national conference on “Role of the Legislature in the fight against Corruption”, organised by Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, in collaboration with the European Union, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Africa Development Studies Center.

    Ekweremadu, who chaired a session, said Nigeria is perceived as a corrupt nation partly because its budgeting processes are not transparent enough.

    He said: “We are one of the few countries that don’t subject our budgets to public hearings. I don’t see why Appropriation Bills should not be sent in early by the executive so that the public can contribute.

    “The problem has always been that the executive brings budget proposals at the last minute, usually at the end of a financial year, leaving no room for public input,” he said.

    PACAC’s Executive Secretary, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, urged the National Assembly to make its budgets public for the sake of transparency and accountability.

    He said the lawmakers should justify to Nigerians the fact that there has been over 2,220 per cent increase in National Assembly’s budget between 1999 and 2014.

    Owasanoye said the number of lawmakers has not increased, nor has the salaries of other workers increased, yet their budget rose from N6.9billion in 1999 to N150billion in 2014.

    According to him, National Assembly’s budget was N6.9billion in 1999, N9.9billion in 2000, N19.8billion in 2001, N21.6billion in 2002, N24.3billion in 2003, N34.7billion in 2004, N55.4billion in 2005, N60billion in 2007, N106billion in 2009 and N154.3billion in 2010.

    Owasanoye accused the lawmakers of competing with the executive rather than focusing on their core mandates of lawmaking and oversight duties.

    “The National Assembly, just like the judiciary, does not account to anybody for how it spends money. It’s a big problem. The arm of government to help us deal with that is the legislature.

    “But for several years they’ve been collecting over N100billion, they’ve not accounted to anybody. They have to justify it to us. That is the only way to remove the negative perception that that the National Assembly is corrupt.

    “On constituency projects, which I have no aversion for, in the majority of cases, unless we want to live in denial, a legislator wants to nominate or succeeds in totally hijacking the contract.

    “So, the National Assembly should stop competing with the executive for budget increases,” Owasanoye said.