Odinkalu: Real theft in Nigeria is by the executive — not legislature

Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), says the “real theft” ongoing in the country is in the executive, not in the parliament.

In an interview with PUNCH, the human rights activist said the issue of reducing the number of federal lawmakers has been blown out of proportion.

He added that cutting the cost of governance should begin in the executive arm.

“I think we are fixating too much on symptoms and not causes. Do I think Nigerians are over-represented? No. Do I necessarily think that 360 representatives are too many for Nigerians? No. It all depends on how we want the system to run,” he said.

“The national assembly surely has to make an effort to show it cares about the people and to reduce appearances of conspicuous consumption by its members. That is important. And legislators all over the country should.

“But the real theft in the country happens not in the parliaments but in the executive and if we are going to make progress in reducing the cost of governance; that is where I believe we should begin.

“One more thing: citizens also have to take some responsibility. It is okay for us to ask legislators to cut their costs. But we should also cut the demands and expectation we have of them as Father Christmases.”

‘PRESIDENCY HAS GONE OFF-SHORE’

Odinkalu added that it was not proper for President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out official duties such as his recent assent to the bill amending the deep off-shore act.

He said: “While he has been on the private visit, the Presidency has been off-shored. He has assented to the Deep Off-shore Act, in London.

“His chief of staff took the bill to him there to assent to, which begs the question how private is this private visit. If you recall, in the final days of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, the attorney-general then, Michael Aondakaa, told us that the president could rule from anywhere.

“It was in response to that that the national assembly amended the constitution requiring the president to hand-over to his deputy in these kinds of circumstances.”

He, however, added that such action of the president is not surprising “with the way they have been treating the vice-president recently.”

“Let’s be honest, did you realistically expect them to comply with the constitution on this matter? Essentially, these folks find the constitution worse than inconvenient,” he said.

- THECABLE

Unemployment: 29,000 applicants battle for 1.500 jobs in Ogun

The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun has said a total of 29,000 applicants are currently jostling to fill the 1,500 existing vacancies in public primary and secondary schools in the state.

Abiodun, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin said the 29,000 people applied for the jobs through the recruitment window of the government.

According to him, the state government has started analysing the profiles of the would-be teachers, following the closure of the application on Saturday.

The governor said recruitment of more teachers became necessary to reposition the state’s education sector.

He explained that his government’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for teaching and learning made it embark on the reconstruction of schools across the 236 wards in the state.

- DAILY POST

N241b Security votes: SERAP sues Buhari, NASS leaders

How much money do the Federal Government, state governors and council chairmen, spend on the unaccountable security votes every year?

A rights group Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is seeking an answer and has sued President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, asking the Federal High court to order them disclose details of allocations.

The group wants information on disbursement and spending of security votes by the Federal Government, 36 state governors and 774 local governments between 1999 and 2019.

The suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1369/2019, filed last Friday followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information requests and “the respondents’ failure to account for some N241.2 billion of public funds allocated, disbursed and spent yearly as security votes, and the corresponding lack of effective protection of the rights to security and welfare, life and physical integrity of millions of Nigerians.”

Others joined as parties in the suit are: Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Ahmed Idris, Accountant General of the Federation and Mr Anthony Ayine, Auditor General for the Federation.

According to SERAP: “Nigerians have the constitutional and international human right to know details of the exact amounts that have been spent as security votes and specific areas and projects covered by the allocations, disbursement and spending. There is overriding public interest in Nigerians having access to these details, and the respondents have legal obligations to facilitate public access to such information.”

“Constitutional provisions requiring governments to ensure the security and welfare of the people are intended to protect the security and safety of citizens and not the security of a few individuals in government. Without transparency and accountability, the mismanagement and corruption in the allocation, disbursement and spending of security votes will continue with devastating consequences.”

The suit filed by SERAP’s lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi read in part: “The respondents have a legal duty to proactively record, keep and disclose information in respect of allocation, disbursement and spending of security votes without waiting for SERAP to request for such information. They are also required to maintain and publish documents containing information relating to the receipt or expenditure of public funds.”

“Public officials receiving and spending security votes ought to come clean with Nigerians on how exactly these public funds are spent. Unless the reliefs sought are granted, Nigerians would continue to see the appropriation of public funds as security votes as a tool for self-enrichment.”

“The suit is seeking to offer governments at all levels an important opportunity to be transparent and accountable with the exercise of their discretionary powers in the allocation, disbursement and spending of security votes. The public interest in the disclosure of these details outweighs any private interest the respondents may be seeking to protect.”

“The huge financial resources budgeted for security votes by successive governments have not matched the security realities in the country, especially given the level of insecurity, violence, kidnappings and killings in many parts of the country, which seem to suggest massive political use, mismanagement or stealing of security votes by many governments.”

“As revealed by a 2018 report by Transparency International (TI), most of the funds appropriated as security votes are spent on political activities, mismanaged or simply stolen. It is estimated that security votes add up to over N241.2 billion every year. On top of appropriated security votes, governments also receive millions of dollars yearly as international security assistance.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

- PM NEWS