PRESS STATEMENT
THE BUNKUM OF VISION 2020
NDEBUMOG Regional Accountability Center is using Article 19 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted and opened
for signature, ratification and accession by the United Nations General
Assembly resolution (2200A XXI) of 16th December 1966 with entry into
force on the 23rd of March 1976 to assert this intervention on Nigeria’s
2020 Vision.
The Minister of National Planning and Deputy Chairman, National Planning
Commission (NPC), Senator Sanusi Daggash was quoted recently as saying“it would cost, at least, N12 trillion or $ 100 billion dollars” to
drive Nigeria at joining the top 20 global economies by 2020. This is too
deceptive and Nigerians shouldn’t take the statement seriously.
Where that Minister derives his faulty projections from isn’t well
situated with best practices about how to emerge as best economy?
Vision 2020 cannot work in Nigeria going by the riotous approaches which
policy formulators in Nigeria generate flip-ideas. For example, what are
the accurate and factual data indicators used by government for their 2020
Vision? Can the National Bureau of Statistic give us situational analysis
of how the Federal budget(s) since 1999 have impacted on a Community like
Ndon Ebom in Uruan Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, Soku in Rivers,
Odi in Bayelsa etc? How many Nigerians are we? Are we 120 million, 150
million or 200 million people?
Fiscal projections cannot work without marching it with accurate
population projections, and which has to go line-by-line with Gross
Domestic Annual Growth (GDAG) rates, Budget Discipline, Yearly Performance
Indicators, Social Audits, Gender Impact Disaggregated Audits, Pro-poor
Legislative Impact Audits, among others. These are all clear benchmarking
tools which should guide fiscal policies towards Vision 2020.
Vision 2020 cannot also come-by without massive societal re-orientation
among Nigerians. That is, changing our mindsets that nothing good can come
out from our beloved country. Policemen take bribes and Customs do to
allowed contrabands and fake materials flood our country. The power sector
has perpetually been hanged by corruption. Contracts are awarded by top
elites in government according to the wishes of their zooming pockets (and
not for the good of the masses).Infact, policy regulators have destroyed
our country. NDEBUMOG commends the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) on
their ingenuity to list problems of the Nigerian mindset for discussions
during the coming # 14 NES in October, 2008.
Moreover, chapter II of Nigeria’s Constitution embeds the “Fundamental
Objectives and Directive Principle of State Policy, with Section 14 (1)
clearing stating thus “the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be based on
the principles of democracy and social justice. Where are the (true)
principles of democracy and social justice in Nigeria? Majority of our
citizens are still excluded from programmatic governance activities and
interventions till date.
Section 16 (2) of same chapter II highlights that “ (a) the promotion of
planned and balance economic development (b) that the material resources
of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve
the common good (c)that, the economic system is not operated in such a
manner as to permit the concentration of the wealth or means of production
and exchange in the hands of few individuals”.
Sadly, Nigeria’s economic policies and even the entire economy are in
the hands of few individuals. Millions of youths’ are roaming the street
daily for jobs. Therefore, Vision 2020 cannot work without stimulating
massive employment that has to go hand-in-hand with measurable social
security. But social security cannot work without an effective National
Identity Management System. The woes of Nigeria’s National ID Card
Project come to mind.
Therefore, we urge the National Assembly in Nigeria to demand the 2008
Budget Performance Report from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs) before considering the passage of 2009 Federal Budget. They should
do this going by line-by-line defense across the MDAs. This should be the
only basis at guiding them to properly situate the expected 2009 Federal
Budget to be Pro-poor. And can Nigeria achieve Vision 2020 when the
Capital allocation that touches the lives of the poor most isn’t fully
accessed as at the last quarter of the fiscal year?
NDEBUMOG equally draws the attention of the House of Representatives in
particular, and the National Assembly in general, to a vital Section of
the Procurement Act which needs urgent amendment. We implore the House of
Representatives to amend that Section but please leave amending sections
targeted at the Civil Society or Media exclusion within the Procurement
framework already capture in the Procurement Act. The Civil Society and
the MEDIA are the watchdogs where even our Honourable(s) in the House
shall fall back for protection when their tenure(s) are over. Rather than
removing the Civil Society and the Media, our National Parliamentarians
should look critically and amend Section 14, Part 3 of the Act, if not,
there maybe Presidential abuse of such unimaginable powers in the Act.
The National Assembly should equally look critically into the procedural
templates of the Due Process Procurement system in Nigeria as it deals
with the following:
Projects Policy files
Original Contracts Bills of Quantity
Contracts Drawing
Etc.
Importantly, the United Nations Compact, a voluntary International
Corporate Citizenship Network added a tenth principle in June 2004,
affirming that “Business should work against all forms of corruption,
including extortion and bribery. Also, the United Nations Conventions
against Corruption also affirmed this. Interestingly, the United Kingdom
codified (their) Whistle Blowers Protection Interest Act of 1998, with the
United States also enhancing their Whistle Blowers Protection through the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. Canada equally amended its Criminal Code in
the same direction in 2003. These are emerging best practices and Nigeria
cannot afford to slide backward.
Lastly, NDEBUMOG Regional Accountability Center is drawing attention of
all men of goodwill to Article I of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights of 16th December 1966 which states thus, “All
peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that they
freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development”.
Section 2 of same Article I states “ All people may, for their own ends,
freely dispose of their natural resources without prejudice to any
obligations arising out of economic co-operation, based upon principles of
mutual benefits, and international law. In no case may a people be
deprived of its own means of subsistence”
Therefore, the Nigerian State should therefore not move towards actions
which could be interpreted as an attempt to promote genocide in the Niger
Delta. The pains of our people have lingered for so long and constructive
approaches are needed to engage parties.
George-Hill Anthony,
Regional Accountability Center:
Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG)
Port Harcourt-Nigeria
Dated in Port Harcourt 17th September 2008.