To ensure zero tolerance corruption, and prudency in the spending of public funds by the next administration, SERAP has written to all the presidential candidates to adopt an agenda that would impact positively on Nigerians if any of them is elected. Senior Correspondent…
As the proposed February 2015 general elections approach, a Lagos-based civil rights and non-governmental organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has asked all the presidential candidates to make a strong and unequivocal commitment to adopt and ensure the implementation of a seven-point anti-corruption and human rights agenda in their political parties, if voted into power.
Some of the highlighted agenda include public declaration of asset, reduction of public expenditure on non-essential items and probity in expenditure on the military.
The charge was contained in an open letter to the presidential candidates dated January 16, 2015, signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, and made available to newsmen.
The presidential candidates include President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chekwas Okorie of United Progressive Party (UPP), Oluremi Sonaiya of Kowa Party (KP), Martin Onovo of National Conscience Party (NCP), Mani Ahmad of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ambrose Albert of Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and Ganiyu Galadima of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
In the said letter, Mumuni stated: “We believe that the forthcoming presidential election holds the potential to usher in changes in the way that Nigeria enforces and implements its human rights and anti-corruption commitments.
“We urge you to clearly and unequivocally commit to concrete human rights reforms to end the increasing level of corruption and the impunity of perpetrators.
“Evasive and obfuscatory commitments by politicians undermine transparency and accountability of elected public officials and contribute to bad governance.
“By making a clear and unequivocal commitment to implement the proposed seven-point programme, Nigerians will be able to make an informed and unbiased decision to vote for issues and not personalities.
“They will also be able to compare what you are promising to do and what you actually do while in the office. We believe that the president, after the election, must come to terms with the reality of massive high-level official corruption, and the devastation and suffering it has caused millions of innocent Nigerians.”
According to the seven-point programme by SERAP, Nigerians are tired of leaders who are reluctant to obey the rule of law.
“We ask you to demonstrate your total rejection of corruption by publicly declaring your assets ahead of the election. Nigerians are not prepared to trust a would-be president that is unwilling to come clean and be straight with them. We also ask you to make a clear and unequivocal commitment to recover all stolen public funds since the return of democracy in 1999 and to spend the funds on projects that can ensure respect for basic socio-economic rights of all Nigerians.
“We ask you to clearly and unequivocally commit that, if elected, your government will cut down unnecessary and wasteful expenses in particular, especially the spending on presidential jets, on foreign and local trips, on meals and refreshment, and on fuelling generators, and that the savings will be used for better projects that can add value to good governance and improve the conditions of millions of Nigerians living in poverty.
“We ask you to commit to ensuring that within six months in office, that allegations of corruption in spending on military equipment will be fully investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to justice. We believe that transparency and accountability in the management of funds meant to end the problem of Boko Haram are key to efficient and effective security forces capable of responding to Nigerians’ legitimate security needs.
“We ask you to tell Nigerians what you would do to promote transparency and accountability in military spending and ensure that the conflict in the North East is swiftly and satisfactorily brought to an end.
“We ask you to make a clear and unequivocal commitment to, within six months of assumption of office, begin to resolve all outstanding cases of high level official corruption, in particular, cases of corruption in the aviation, oil subsidy scandal, alleged mismanagement of trillions of naira by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), missing N300 billion in the petroleum ministry since 2011, the KPMG report involving large-scale corruption in the Nigeria, National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the missing $20 billion from the account of the NNPC, and the missing $12.4 oil windfall during the Babangida administration.
“We ask you to tell Nigerians that, within your first 100 days in government, you will lead the process to domesticate and effectively implement the United Nations Convention Against Corruption within the legal system. We also ask you to commit to ensuring a robust and effective whistle-blowers’ law, and to establishing a politically-independent and well-resourced anti-corruption commission with potent and effective prosecutorial powers. We ask you to commit to non-interference in the work of the anticorruption commissions and agencies.
“We ask you to commit to ensuring, within one year of your government, the inclusion of legally enforceable economic, social and cultural rights in the Nigerian constitution. We believe that the entrenched legacy of poverty and inequality in the country requires far-reaching positive and redistributive measures in areas such as education, housing, healthcare, water reform and social security. Without such measures, the socio-economic legacy of the past would be perpetuated and continue to generate classes of people marginalised from full participation in our fragile democracy.
“We ask you to publicly commit to the full and effective implementation of courts’ judgments, in particular the ECOWAS Court right to free education judgment, and the ECOWAS Court Niger Delta oil pollution judgment.
“We ask you to lead the process to bring the constitution, alongside all other national laws, into line with the standards set forth in international human rights law, including the UN Convention against Corruption, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.”
SERAP’s executive director stressed that “it is clear that the lack of accountable leadership, together with the deficit of transparency in the management of public finances and public spending, has continued to exacerbate the country’s growing poverty and underdevelopment.
“The evidence of corruption and underdevelopment is indeed staring the country in the face. Hospitals without drugs, bad roads, poor electricity supply, contaminated and undrinkable water, and collapsed educational system alone provide strong evidence of the devastation that the stealing of public funds have done to this country.”
