Date Published: 10/02/09

Niger Delta Group tackles Yar'Adua on graft

 CENTRE for  Environment, Human  Rights  and  Development (CEHRD), a Niger Delta civil society group, has  taken on President Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria, alleging that his administration's anti-corruption war is very gasy.

The group said in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that they do not see any reason why former public functionaries who looted tresuries including those of the oil and gas region, are not facing prosecution.

CEHRD has accordingly tasked  the  Federal  Government  to  take the  anti-graft war  as well  as  electoral  reforms  very  seriously  and to  make  budgets  and  budget  information  available  to the  public  at  all  times.

Special  Project  Officer  of  the group, Sebastian  Kpalap,  gave  this  charge  during  a  media  forum  organized  for  journalists  by  them in Port Harcourt.   

Kpalap  called  on  the  National  Assembly  to  ensure  the  passage  of  Freedom  of  Information  (FOI)  bill  into  law  without  further  delay,  saying  that  the  development  would  enable  communities  to  have  access  to  information  concerning  them.

CEHRD  is also  tasking civil society and community-based organisations to  embark  on  aggressive  enlightenment  campaigns  to  creat  awareness  on issues  relating  to  budgeting , accountability, transparency  and  due  process  at  the community  level. 

They insisted that the civil society at all levels  should  embark  on advocacy  visits  to  the  government , especially  lawmakers at  all  levels to  engage  them  on  issues  of  budgeting , accountability  and transparency.

The  group  advised  civil societies  to  empower  communities  through  trainings,  with  necessary  tools  to  monitor  and  evaluate  budget implementations,  adding  that  communities  should  stop  regarding  projects  as  privileges  or  gifts, but  as  their  rights  and  that communities  should  start  asking  questions  on  how  resources  meant  for  them  are  used  and  to  demand  for  participation  in  budgeting  process.

In  his  contributions, the  Programme  Officer  of  Niger  Delta   Citizens  and Budget  Platform, Mr  Ken  Hensaw,  blamed  the  leaders  for  the  poor  implementation  of  budget in the  country, noting  that there  had  been  duplication  of  projects  in some  states  such  as  Akwa  Ibom, Rivers  and  Bayelsa.

He  observed  that  some  projects  claimed  to have  been  executed  in  some  states  were  not  existing  and  was  the  reason  why  some  state  governments  do  not  want  people  to  have  access to  their   budget  document, saying  that  communities are  not  also  contacted  before  Government  site  any  project  in  a  particular  community  and  that  the  needs  of  the  people  should  also  be  considered.