Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an
urgent appeal to three UN special rapporteurs urging them to use their
“mandates to urgently request the Nigerian government and the leadership
of the National Assembly to immediately reverse the unlawful,
disproportionate and discriminatory budget cuts to education and
healthcare, and to stop the authorities from spending N27bn to renovate
the National Assembly complex.”
The special rapporteurs are Ms. Koumbou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur
on the right to education; Mr. Dainius Puras, Special Rapporteur on the
right to health; and Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on
extreme poverty and human rights.
In the revised 2020 budget approved yesterday, the Federal Government
reportedly gave the National Assembly N27bn for the renovation of its
complex and cut health, Universal Basic Education budgets by over 50
percent. While the health budget is reduced from N44.4bn to N25.5bn, the
UBE budget is reduced from N111.7bn to just N51.1bn.
In the urgent appeal dated June 3, 2020, and signed by SERAP deputy
director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Nigerian
authorities are putting politicians’ allowances and comfort before
citizens’ human rights. The budget cuts show a failure to address the
growing economic and social inequality in the country, and to genuinely
address the consequences of COVID-19 on the poor and marginalized
groups.”
According to SERAP: “Nigeria’s budget deficits are caused by excessive
expenditures on politicians’ allowances and mismanagement. Nigerian
authorities would only be able to commit to fiscal discipline if they
prioritize cutting the allowances of lawmakers and the costs of
governance in general, rather than cutting critical funding for
healthcare and education.”
SERAP said: “We believe that alternative policies and measures, such as
reducing the costs of governance, including the excessive allowances for
high-ranking public officials and the lawmakers, would have been a more
appropriate solution to addressing budget deficits, as this would
increase the available resources for healthcare and education, which in
turn would contribute to reducing socio-economic inequality.”
The urgent appeal, read in part: “Nigerian authorities also ought to
show that the budget cuts to healthcare and education are necessary and
proportionate, in that they must be justifiable after the most careful
consideration of all other less restrictive alternatives, for example,
excessive allowances for Nigerian lawmakers, and excessive costs of
governance, in general.”
“According to SERAP’s information, criteria established in international
standards have not been duly justified in the implementation of the
budget cuts to healthcare and education. Instead, the cuts appear to be
discriminatory against those most vulnerable to poverty and exclusion,
and are not protective of the minimum core content of several human
rights.”
“One of the pillars of the protection of the rights to healthcare and
education is the obligation to progressively realize the rights set out
in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
making use of Nigeria’s maximum of available resources.”
“The budget cuts by Nigerian authorities are therefore of special
concern as they directly affect the minimum core content of these
rights, and impact directly or indirectly and disproportionally on those
individuals already discriminated against or living in most vulnerable
situations.”
“The number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty has increased since
May 2015. The reduction in healthcare and education budgets would
exacerbate the prevailing inequalities, poverty, and create a vicious
circle of reduction in spending, and increments in socio-economic
inequalities.”
“Without your urgent intervention, the Nigerian government and National
Assembly would continue to spend the country’s maximum available
resources to satisfy the opulent lifestyles of politicians rather than
complying with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations to
respect, protect, promote and fulfill the rights to healthcare and
education the poor and marginalized groups.”
“In compliance with article 2.2 of the Covenant, and the provision on
the progressive realization of the rights to healthcare and education,
States including Nigeria government and the National Assembly should not
adopt an impermissible retrogressive measure, unless strictly
justifiable.”
“Retrogressive measures, meaning taking steps that would reduce the
enjoyment of the rights to healthcare and education, are only
permissible under certain strict circumstances.”
“SERAP believes that the onus is on the Nigerian government and the
National Assembly to demonstrate that their proposed budget cuts will
meet all their human rights obligations, notably by ensuring that
measures during times of acute economic distress are legitimate, with
the ultimate aim of protecting the totality of human rights.”
“SERAP believes that the budget cuts undermine the minimum core content
of the rights to healthcare and education, and are discriminatory, in so
far as they would increase socio-economic inequalities and undermine the
rights of disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, who
will be disproportionately affected by the cuts.”
“The budget cuts are also inconsistent with Nigeria’s commitments to
implement Sustainable Development Goals.”
SERAP, therefore, urged the special rapporteurs to put pressure on the
Nigerian government and the National Assembly to:
Take immediate action to reverse the budget cuts to healthcare and
education and to redirect the N27bn for the renovation of the National
Assembly complex to increase healthcare and education budgets;
Provide information and details of impact assessments undertaken prior
to cutting the budgets for healthcare and education;
Provide details of initiatives to cut the costs of governance;
Provide information about the government and National Assembly’s plans
to ensure that people will enjoy access to healthcare and quality
education; and the authorities’ plans to maintain progress towards the
achievement of the SDGs, including to ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education for all;
Provide details on specific steps taken to protect the rights of
vulnerable and disenfranchised groups to access quality education, and
to achieve the right to health of women and core-obligations which
encompass maternal health care