News From Nigeria
It takes time to form a country. It takes patience and dedication to change attitudes. When people from disparate places and cultures are brought together to form a Nation, it is never easy. In the long run, the tears and toil are worth it because the interactions lead to expansion of consciousness which drives human progress.
The journey of nationhood is not for timid souls. It was never easy for countries like India, China and the USA to rise. It is not an easy journey. These countries have more divisions and more ethnic and religious cleavages and groupings than we can ever imagine.
America conducted an election in the midst of war. Nigeria conducted elections by declaring curfews and turning cities to militarized zones. These democracies we try to emulate did not give power to their military to intimidate their citizens.
Since the advent of our democracy, we have used the military as a law enforcement agency. This is wrong and unconstitutional. The military was never set up as a prosecuting agency. Using the military to intimidate and arrest people is illegal. The other countries have clear lines of process between the military and civilian populations. This has worked for them and their citizens don’t look at their armies as a government in waiting. This prevents any upstart military officers the chance to upend their civilian administration and throw their country into a fratricidal war.
We must say never again to military rule in Nigeria. They can go to the Sahel and brandish their weapons. Not here. In times of distress, there are people in Nigeria who still look to the military for solutions. This is shameful.
The military caused our problems. How did we arrive at this place where a lot of Nigerians still think the military have solutions to our problem? Are these people victims of Military Induced Mental Retardation (MIMR)? These people still think this way despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The Nigerian military destroyed our uniform code of justice. Under their rule, law and justice became subjective and citizens were subjected to the brutality of the rule of men and they robbed Peter to pay Paul. Their lack of discipline and egocentricity threw Nigeria into a civil war whose wounds are not healing. This is the reason why the various legislative bodies have not seen it fit to abrogate the decrees of the parasitic military that ruled Nigeria on behalf of a certain group of people. This mentality is dangerous to our body politics. This is why a lot of politicians pay courtesy visits to these soldiers of fortune that turned Nigeria to Pariah nation.
MIMR is the reason the Nigerian lawyers don’t know their role in a democratic society. For Nigeria to move forward, all the decrees still in the statute books must be expunged. Those are laws meant for dictators, not a democratic country. Those decrees gave unbridled power to the dictators and disempowered the citizens
Military induced mental retardation is the reason why we don’t have legal reforms. It is the reason why citizens don’t know how to seek redress from the government they elected. Most Nigerians don’t even know how they are governed and they don’t make effort to seek knowledge in this regard.
In a constitution that guarantees freedom of movement, the Nigerian is harassed daily on the highways by checkpoints which have become legal armed robbery by government agents. Are we still at war? Why is our freedom restricted? No lawyer has taken the government to court for this constitutional violation. This is pathetic.
We need serious legal reforms. The method of appointing judges is very antiquated. We need to know the character of those who will be judges. Knowledge of jurisprudence should not be the only criteria.
During the military years, the Nigerian lawyer played the role of stenographer for military decrees and the judges took their decisions from the soldiers. Now they are playing almost the same role as politicians who have no idea why they were elected. They have abandoned the practice of law to become jesters at the feet of reckless politicians and conveyor of injustice at our courts. Our courts harbor judges who suffocate justice under their robes and consider military decrees of bygone era as guide posts for our state of jurisprudence.
All over the country, you see governors and other politicians seizing and damaging people’s properties without compensation and there is no lawyer in sight to argue on behalf of the afflicted. A known company truck will damage and incinerate people on the highways and no case is brought on behalf of the victims. The army goes into a village for security duties and wipes out the village, no justice for the victims. The governor pays a courtesy visit to the commander in chief; no lawyer files a lawsuit on behalf of the victim. The officer who issued the command to murder sleeping villagers is left to repeat the same scenario in another jurisdiction. We will protest if this happens in Palestine.
It is happening in the Democratic Republic of Nigeria where the rights of the citizens are undermined daily by those they elected. These politicians did not gain power by a coup. If you listen to them with your eyes closed, you will think they are military officers who have just gained power through a military coup. They don’t seek consensus. They give directives. Some of them defy court rulings with fanfare. The Military infantilized everyone in Nigeria, but they pushed the lawyer back into the womb. This is atrocious.
As a nation, we must consider the fifty five years of military rule in Nigeria as the years of locust. The journey of great nations is always evolutionary. The military years were the years when hatred of each other became ossified and personalized as the military played us against each other to prolong their power.
The revolution is always a lie. In history, most periods of revolutionary zeal turn to mirage. We will have good leaders and we will have bad leaders. Each period is an opportunity to learn what to do and what not to do. The rush to think that some army generals will appear and use a magical wand to achieve all we wish for is infantile and dangerous. No soldier can develop any nation. Nigeria is a testament to that foolery. It is the willingness of the people to understand the necessity to build bridges and lasting institutions of harmony that moves a nation forward.
The rule of law is the cornerstone in this exercise. If we have the rule of law, the Nigerian will feel protected in any place he calls home. Ethnic crisis and tensions will dampen because he knows no matter what happens, the law will protect him from ethnic or religious vigilantism that is the breeding ground for timid souls that are still married to the past. These people must be made to see the supremacy of the law as the sign of our progress.
The journey is arduous and our dream should be about building frameworks that lasts beyond our existence, because the nation that we dream of should always be a continuous journey of those who believe in tomorrow, and understand that the yearning and aspiration of our people shall never die.
This is all we can ask for as we toil in our little corner to build tomorrow for the next generation. We must strive to make tomorrow a brighter proposition for those coming after us. It is when we arrive at that place; we can say our work is done. This singularity is love that binds us beyond ethnic and religious proclivities, which robs us of our basic humanity. We can start this journey today and also understand that others who share the same aspirations with us may start their journey tomorrow. The wisdom we seek should give us the patience to know the difference and endure the pain and loneliness of waiting for those who are not ready today but will join us tomorrow.
For those who seek truth, justice and fair play, tomorrow is a distant horizon we must gaze at with hope, endurance and fortitude. Tomorrow is not a destination. It is a state of our being. The futuristic tomorrow may never come but our state of being will be fulfilled and rewarded as our collective struggles will build monuments that last beyond our time. That is the tomorrow we seek. A place where our dreams will never die .The rule of law must be established as supreme in Nigeria. It must be transparent and treat the pauper and the king alike. This should be the sine qua non of our development. A nation without justice will always remain in a state of anarchy.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM, TEXAS
IGBO, THORNY SITUATIONS AND ARROGANCE AS STATE FLAG BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE
Two sets of people settled in the Anambra-Imo River Basin. The dominant empire in the region at that time was the Benin Empire whose influence spread from present day Edo state to Republic of Benin in the West and Onitsha in the East.
The Nris were the first group of Igbo people that moved into the Imo River Basin. They are known to be highly spiritual and were involved in mathematics and astronomy. It is reported they are from the Nile valley civilization. They were peaceful.
Later on, the Aros arrived and invaded the Region. The Aros were warlike and had no time for finesse of royal courts. Their ethics were situational. They are described as coming from Northern Benin. This could mean castaway from the Benin kingdom and others from the Tiv area of present-day Nigeria. They were mainly involved in catching slaves for the Portuguese in the Niger Delta area. They conquered Nris and sold a lot of them to the Portuguese. They had no official rule of conduct. Their incessant incursion into the Benin Empire on behalf of the Portuguese led to the Benin Empire invading them twice. They created a lot of havoc in the present-day Niger Delta because they played the role of slave catchers for the Portuguese. Their activities and other internal factors led to the weakness of the Benin kingdom that was exploited by the British for colonization.
From the aforesaid, our great grandparents never had any cordial relations with Igbo because any dealings with the Aros led to enslavement. In Isoko language, the name for a slave is Origbo. This means someone who has been captured by the Igbo people.
A lot of the tribes in the Niger Delta have this history when they talk of their relationship with Igbo. So, it is very confusing when an Igbo person says Isoko is Igbo. We have history. Our people got along very well with Nris. As times moved on, we could not differentiate those Aros who occupied the Anambra basin and the Nris who occupied Mbaise and other parts of Imo State today. Our great grandparents believed that all the atrocities in Igboland today are caused by the remnants of the Aros who have no respect for civilized conduct. This is as far as they could define the essential Igbo person of today.
With the risk of running afoul of historical folklore, most of the scholars in Igboland tend to be from the Imo axis. Those who tend to go into politics and non-intellectual pursuits tend to be from the Anambra basin. This is a subject that should need further studies.
If we assume that the majority of those who participate in politics and business are not Nris, then you can see that the Igbo people have achieved more in scholarship than in politics. So, it can be seen that a lot of decisions that have resulted in shortchanging Igbo people were made without scholarly input.
From the outside, you will wonder why people who credit themselves with so much wisdom always choose the worst options in times of crisis. The scenario is that there is a crisis, and the loudest person gets his way and disaster ensues. At the end, the Igbo people blame the onlooker for the bad outcome. Due to the lack of options, their politics is insular and excommunicates anyone with a contrary view. They find it difficult to work with others who are not Igbo because of their siege mentality. This has led to the retardation of their politics and business ventures.
The present cry for Biafra is actually a symptom of a disorganized polity. I have never seen a situation where a businessman will fight to decrease his market size. That is what Igbo people are doing when they orchestrate Biafra. They are willing to leave a market of 200 million people to ensconce themselves in a market of about forty million people. The corollary is when Joseph Kennedy tried to tolerate Hitler. He lost favor with the American people. To be fair to him, he was thinking like a businessman. He felt Hitler will see reason and as such there should not be war so businesses can go on and let the diplomats straighten the rough edges. That is the way most businessmen tend to think. They don’t want to rock the boat, because violence is not good for business.
When this corollary is applied to the Igbo people, they fall short. They always ask for war before negotiations. This should be the opposite because when you lose a war, you no longer have leverage. This is Nnamdi Kanu’s story and a lot of Igbo people are willing to hook their wagon to his fate. There is no day that goes without someone on YouTube tying the fortunes of the Igbo people to that of Nnamdi Kanu. We have seen this movie before and the Igbo people are rewriting the sequel which makes them the villains and us the victims.
Can Nnamdi Kanu win an election in Igboland? The answer is No. Why are they making him a martyr? It is possible they need someone as a unifying factor. For someone to be a unifying factor, his story must be sympathetic to people outside the group. It is a failure to seek collaboration with others that always make Igbo politics difficult. The few times I have seen Nnamdi Kanu in court did not endear him to me. He was imperious and abusive towards his lawyers. His actions in court made me question the sanity of those who take instruction from him as a leader.
Before anyone will say he is being persecuted, they should also know that Mr Orkah who was vandalizing pipelines in Niger Delta is serving his jail term in South Africa. No one in Niger delta or Ijaw land considers him a martyr. We understand he broke the law and he was tried and convicted. The only thing we can do is render help to him and rehabilitate him when he is released. This is what is expected.
Instead of doing this, the Igbo people will make him a cause to celebrate. This is the problem. We have been here before and it led us to a civil war. The civil war could have been avoided. The actors like Nnamdi were young and thought that war was a predictable event. If negotiations had continued, those who caused the pogrom could have been brought to justice and those affected could have been massively compensated. Those who were in charge then thought they knew it all and also were being goaded by emotional subterfuge of the aggrieved. No one challenged those who were beating the drums of war. The first salvo was Nnamdi telling us he is going to Abuja with a million Biafra and he will return to Igboland with the head of Buhari. This amateur is making enlightened citizens in Igboland to grovel before him and have become emotionally suffused.
They should remember that this sequel will play out to their disadvantage if they don’t manage it well. I say this to make history come to life.
The Nigeria of today is the creation of the Igbo people. They drew the first blood. All other actions that ensued were a reaction to the initial injury. It was Ojukwu who arrested Isaac Boro for seceding. Why was Niger Delta secession not good and Biafra secession good?
We must calibrate our hubris. A perusal of the history we share should give us the humility to engage each other to unravel thorny situations that are created by those who use arrogance as a state flag.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON TEXAS
We must teach our history. I cannot find any reason why Nigeria’s history is not being taught in Nigerian schools. This is a terrible mistake. What are we afraid of? Whose idea is it, that teaching Nigerian history will be unhealthy to our nation?
This must be one of the mediocre ideas of the mercenaries that imprisoned Nigeria for more than fifty years. Our history is who we are and why we are here and where we are going.
As a nation, we are not perfect. We have made mistakes and we have done some good things. Our history is the record of this journey as a nation. Our history should give us constant hindsight so that we don’t repeat mistakes. If we take the good and bad and give a proper account, it will be discovered we have made some great strides as a people.
We fought wars and we have managed to win the peace. Out of the cacophony of our existence, we have produced the Nigerian character. The Nigerian is the product from this blast furnace. It is this character that is under attack throughout the world. Nigeria does not have the monopoly of criminality. What the West is attacking is the virility of Nigeria. If we know this, it will give us the fortitude to persevere.
We cannot know who we are if our history is not made known to us. Knowing who we are will give us the ammunition to fight in a world that has become hostile to the Nigerian. We will be able to define ourselves instead of letting others define us. We must tell our story if not others will tell it and are unpalatable by using our least common denominator. We are Nigerians and we are not more corrupt than any other group of people.
The western press can make you hate your friends and make you love your enemies. At the end, it induces its audience into a state of celebrated ignorance. As Africa is waking up from its doldrums, the west is beginning to recalibrate their positions. They have chosen Nigeria as the bogeyman because the Nigerian represents everything they fear about the awake African.
For centuries, they used their instrument of coercion and education to tell the lion that it can only survive by stealing food from the hyena. A few Africans and the Nigerian never accepted this. The lion, within, was never slayed. It roamed without a purpose and it used its strength to attack its own kind and listen to the tails of the gazelle. It wandered in self-doubt. Every now and then, there is a glimpse of the glorious past which appeared as hallucinations. The dreams became more vivid and took on a reality of real life. He is the lion and must not wait for the meals provided by the hyena. He is the lion and must make his own kill and establish his pride. This is Nigeria from Slavery to Colonialism and Neo-colonialism. We lost our way. It is this awakening that the World is fighting. They have made the Nigerian a pariah because he wants to stand on his own two feet. The attack on the Nigerian is the attack on the manhood of Africa.
From wars, coups and disrespect, we have survived what the world has thrown at us. Out of this crucible, we have created a citizen who believes in himself and his people. This is what the world is attacking. Every one of these attacks tries to gain legitimacy by using our own against us. In South Africa, the black South Africans blamed the Nigerian for his problem. In West Africa, the Ghanaians blamed Nigeria for their problems. In America, the black America blamed Nigeria for their problems.
When Trump started his orgy of deportation, the black Americans were celebrating the deportation of Nigerians. When the world and our own are against us, we have to rely on each other and our history. Due to the lack of this history, we cannot tell the world what Nigeria has done for the freedom of all black people in the world. If we have history, we will tell the South African that we paid a heavy price to fight for their freedom. Western Companies like Shell, Barclays and others were nationalized due to their relationship with apartheid South Africa. Nigeria spearheaded and funded the anti-apartheid committee that negotiated the final phase of apartheid.
If we have history, we will tell the Ghanaian that the stability they enjoy in West Africa today was made possible by Nigeria. When Sierra Leone and Liberia caught fire, Nigeria became the fire fighters. America that created Liberia was nowhere to be found. People were dying in thousands and they were preaching human rights to those who were dying. Nigeria created the peace and did not ask for their land or their gold. Nigeria brought the soldiers who died in that war to be buried in Nigeria. We did not even ask for a place to bury our dead. We did not ask for their Diamond or their Gold. Nigeria did not impose any system of government on them. America or Britain will never give that kind of selfless service.
My country Nigeria did that. If we have that history, we will tell the black Americans that during the oil embargo of the 1970, a certain American president visited Nigeria to request for energy. The price of energy was prohibitive .Americans were losing their homes and could not afford to mitigate the brutal winters. Nigeria helped America by supplying them fuel at a very reasonable price, and also donated fuel to various foundations in America who were helping the poor to survive those brutal winters.
To top it all, Nigeria took an unprecedented step to assist Historical Black Colleges in America who were in danger of closing due to a serious financial crisis. Nigeria seized this opportunity. Nigeria awarded scholarships to many Nigerians to further their education at these Historical Black Colleges.
This is the beginning of Nigerians moving to the United States for education. The presence of Nigerians in those colleges brought a new lease of life to them. Today the Black American and the South African and the rest have joined the league of those who hate Nigeria with passion. Out of our difficulties, we have created a unique individual we call the Nigerian. He may be beaten but his head is unbowed. He is not bound by geography. His identity is justice, enterprise and fair play. We may tear at each other from North to South, East to West; let us never forget that the strength of our fabric will stand the test of time if we learn to understand that we are one people bound by a common identity that seeks justice and fair play in our common struggles. This struggles, created this individual we call the Nigerian.
When the World tugs at us, we remember that we are more than the sum of our differences. The Nigerian is not bound by geography or race. The Nigerian has a keen sense of justice. and knows that we are more than the sum total of our differences. He is indefatigable. The Nigerian is the hope of the African renaissance. The World is beginning to recognize this Nigerian and they all want to be members of this tribe. All that is needed to be members of this tribe is a keen sense of justice, agape love and fair play. Indeed, love of service and enterprise. Let us be this Nigerian. The world is waiting.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
In honour of President Bola Tinubu’s determined global push to aggressively attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria, the world’s second largest stock exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ), on Wednesday in the world’s financial capital, invited President Tinubu to ring the closing bell, making him the first Nigerian President to ever receive the honour.
The President, surrounded by Nigerian business leaders and officials of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, in trademark fashion, did not fail to seize the opportunity presented by the historic moment to boldly advance his foreign investment push as he stood, live, in front of financial markets at the famous stock exchange.
“It’s a great honour for me to be here. I am happy to bring Nigeria to your doorsteps and I am honoured that we are here today with a bubbling Nigerian stock market that will evolve in the West African sub-region. The greatest economy in Africa is Nigeria, there is an immense opportunity in Nigeria where you can invest your money without fear,” the President said.
The President noted that his government continues to address longstanding problems and impediments, such as his work to restore and unify the foreign exchange rate market to a stable and trustworthy level, allowing new investors to seamlessly bring their money into the country, free of worries about whether or not they can take their money out at any point in time.
“You’re free to take in your money and bring out your money. I count on you to invest in Nigeria,” the President exclaimed under the lights.
At the Nigeria-U.S. Executive Business Roundtable held just after the closing bell, President Tinubu assured prospective investors that while he recognizes that investment capital is cowardly in nature, he intentionally brought successful Nigerian industrialists and public officials to share their experiences and operational plans respectively, in addition to all that he has already done to boost the confidence of the global investment community in Nigeria’s presently reforming fiscal, monetary, regulatory and tax policy environment.
“Nigeria is an opportunity that is impossible to replicate or find elsewhere in any part of the world. We have brilliant young people who both innovate and consume at a large scale. Our entrepreneurial spirit is a major part of what makes our market totally unique, aside from demography. Nigerians build businesses and Nigerian businesses partner with other businesses to conduct larger business. There is enough value to spread around. Be careful of what you hear about Nigeria. You may be dissuaded out of a major opportunity that others will take up. We are here for you. We will give you all the support you need to succeed and succeed abundantly,” the President assured the roundtable as he pointed out cabinet officials.
On behalf of the U.S. Government, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary, Wally Adeyemo, told U.S. business leaders that he was just a few hours removed from arriving in New York from Lagos, Nigeria, where he was on an official visit that later became a fact-finding mission.
“In Lagos, I saw first hand some of the major reforms you implemented as the Governor of Lagos and the transformative effect it has had on Nigeria’s commercial capital. People have attested to the fact that the reforms you have put in place as President are quickly enhancing confidence. American business is paying attention to that and from what we have seen for ourselves, Nigeria is proving to be a new frontier for investment. We will encourage our companies from our end as those reforms continue to deepen,” Mr. Adeyemo said.
The American Business Council President, Mr. Sops Ideriah, said that the extensive turnout at the roundtable by American Business Chief Executives served as a testament to the degree to which confidence is rising in response to the actions and words of President Bola Tinubu’s administration with respect to ease of business, investment promotion, and his willingness to personally intervene where required to ease the historical concerns of American business people about doing business in Nigeria.
“Having all the stakeholders in the room, His Excellency the President of Nigeria being here, from government actors at the federal and state level to ministers and tax authorities present, as well as private sector industrialists in Nigeria. We are very positive about the potential of Nigeria and we are just reinforcing to our colleagues the message about the economic opportunities that exist there,” Mr. Ideriah said.
Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, assured the American Captains of Industry that under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the nation’s apex tax authority will be focusing its efforts not on taxing the seed, but only on the proportionate taxation of the fruit of fully formed industry, through efficient policy synergy with Nigeria’s sub-national authorities.
“The President is a business enabler, not a handicapper. Everything we do will be geared toward making your tax assessment and payment processes as digitally efficient and transparent as possible. We are not after the seed, but the fruit and we will keep to this commitment,” Nigeria’s new tax boss affirmed.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 21, 2023
Probe missing $15bn, N200bn of oil revenues, SERAP tells Tinubu
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to “set up a presidential panel of enquiry to promptly probe the grim allegations that over US$15 billion of oil revenues, and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries are missing and unaccounted for between 2020 and 2021, as documented by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).”
SERAP urged him to “name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing and unaccounted for public funds and to ensure their effective prosecution as well as the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.”
SERAP also urged him “to fully implement all the recommendations by NEITI in its 2021 report, and to use any recovered proceeds of crime.”
In the letter dated 23 September 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these serious allegations. Taking these important measures would end the impunity of perpetrators.”
SERAP said, “As President and Minister of Petroleum Resources, your office ought to be concerned about these damning revelations, by getting to the bottom of the allegations and ensuring that suspected perpetrators are promptly brought to justice, and any missing public funds fully recovered.”
The letter, read in part: “Any failure to investigate these grave allegations, bring suspected perpetrators to justice and recover any missing public funds would have serious resource allocation and exacerbate the country’s debt burden.”
“It would also create cynicism, suspicion, and eventually citizens’ distrust about the ability of your government to combat high-level official corruption, as well as deter foreign investment and limit growth and development.”
“We would therefore be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“The findings by NEITI suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], national anticorruption laws, and the country’s obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption.”
“The allegations of corruption documented by NEITI undermine economic development of the country, trap the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprive them of opportunities.”
“Your government has a constitutional duty to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of the country’s wealth and resources.”
“According to the 2021 report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), government agencies including the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NNPC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPDC) failed to remit $13.591 million and $8.251 billion to the public treasury.”
“The NNPC and NPDC failed to remit over 70% of these public funds. NEITI wants both the NNPC and NPDC to be investigated, and for the missing public funds to be fully recovered.”
“The report also shows that in 2021, the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) and its subsidiaries (the NNPC Group) reportedly spent US$6.931billion on behalf of the Federal Government but without appropriation by the National Assembly. The money may be missing.”
“The NNPC also reportedly obtained a loan of $3 billion in 2012 purportedly to settle subsidy payments due to petroleum product marketers but there is no disclosure of the details of the loan, subsidy and the beneficiaries of the payments.”
“The report also shows that N9.73 billion was paid to the NNPC as pipeline transportation revenue earned from Joint Venture operations but the money was neither remitted to the Federation nor properly accounted for. The NPDC in 2021 also failed to remit $7.61 million realized from the sale of crude oil.”
“The report documents that about N200 billion was spent on ‘refineries rehabilitation’ between 2020 and 2021 but “none of the refineries was operational in 2021 despite the spending.’ NEITI wants the spending to be investigated, as the money may be missing.”
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power’ in the country.”
“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’”
“Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’”
“Similarly, articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on your government to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds, and to promote sound and transparent administration of public affairs.”
“The UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party obligate your government to effectively prevent and investigate the plundering of the country’s wealth and natural resources and hold public officials and non-state actors to account for any violations.”
“Specifically, article 26 of the UN convention requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption.”
“Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations.”
“Nigeria is also a participating state of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which aims to foster greater governmental accountability for the use of natural resource wealth through the creation of a set of international norms on revenue transparency.”
“EITI also aims to tackle corruption, poverty and conflict associated with natural resource wealth. Nigeria has the obligations to implement the EITI Standard, which sets out the transparency norms with which participating States including Nigeria must comply.”
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
24/9/2023
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org; news@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202