By Emmanuel Onwubiko<\/p>\n
Nigeria is battling two monsters simultaneously namely Mass poverty
\nand pervasive corruption.<\/p>\n
These battles have been on for a generation.<\/p>\n
POVERTY and Corruption are social afflictions inflicted on the
\nNigerian citizens by Governments of successive epochs including both
\nmilitary dictators and the few civilian administrations we have had in
\njust over half a century of Independence.<\/p>\n
In 1999 when democracy returned, the civilian government then unfolded
\nprogrammes for fighting corruption but it was not until in 2003 that
\nthe first institutional effort to battle corruption took a life of its
\nown with the setting up of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other
\nrelated offences commission (ICPC) and followed up by the Economic and
\nFinancial Crimes Commission (EFCC).<\/p>\n
Sadly, corruption and mass poverty are debilitating social menace that
\nhave become deeply entrenched added to the somehow cosmetic approaches
\nthese two institutions have adopted in fighting off Corruption which
\ncauses mass poverty.<\/p>\n
It was for the overwhelming desires of the greatest percentage of
\nNigerian Citizens that in the 2015 general elections, the candidate
\nthat appeared to have showcased a better programme on how to fight and
\neliminate these twin social evils of poverty and corruption that the
\nthen Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Major
\nGeneral Muhammadu Buhari(rtd) came on top of the election exercise
\nthat was not challenged by the Peoples Democratic party and the
\nIncumbent president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.<\/p>\n
However, after five years, which is four years making up the first
\ntenure of office of President Muhammadu Buhari and another year after
\nthe second and final tenure which he won through a Pyrrhic victory
\nover the People’s Democratic party ‘s Presidential candidate in the
\n2019 poll, Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria has
\nfallen deeper into widespread poverty and the widening spectre of
\ncorruption amongst public office holders has become tragically
\nhumiliating for decent Nigerians all around the globe.<\/p>\n
Public Corruption which is the genesis of the widespread discontent
\nand mass poverty has continued to be a recurring decimal in the public
\nconducts of officials charged with specific objectives of ameliorating
\nmass hunger especially amongst the youngest populations of Nigeria who
\nare mostly in the primary school system all around the Country.<\/p>\n
The school feeding programme is a component of the Social investment
\nprogramme of the current administration.<\/p>\n
But this major plank of the programme of the government is deeply
\nentrenched in corruption and massive financial abuses by officials
\ncharged with running the programme aimed at providing some forms of
\nreliefs for the children of the poorest of the poor who are enrolled
\nin the heavily dilapidated public schools across the Country.<\/p>\n
Tons of billions of public fund voted and released for the
\nimplementation of the school feeding programmes have disappeared into
\nprivate pockets of officials.<\/p>\n
The most annoying aspect of this is that currently, Nigeria does not
\nrun a healthy democracy because the executive arm of government has
\npocketed both the Legislative and judicial arms of government making
\nthe demands for transparency and accountability extremely difficult to
\nachieve.<\/p>\n
The National Assembly that is charged by the Supreme law with the
\npowers of oversights(Section 4) over the manners the government
\nofficials spend public funds including the implementation of the
\ncorruption ridden School Feeding PROGRAMME has been unable to exercise
\nstrong enough independent authority to compel the relevant agencies
\nand officials of the Federal Government to render public accounts.<\/p>\n
Writing on the theme: “Oversight functions of the legislature: An
\ninstrument for nation building”, Grace Ayodele Arowolo stated thus:
\n“The legislature is an institution which represents the common and
\ncollective interests of the citizens through the enactment of laws and
\nthe exercise of oversight functions on the activities of the executive
\narm of government”.<\/p>\n
The academic researcher further submitted that: “The legislature in a
\ndemocracy exists as an independent institution which deepens democracy
\nand ultimately strengthens the polity. Nation building that will be
\nlikely to contribute to stable and sustainable international peace
\nrequires building the society, economy and polity so as to meet the
\nbasic needs of the people. It means not only producing the formal
\ninstitutions of democracy but building a common identity for the
\npeople. It means development of education, human rights, (political,
\ncivil, economic, social and the rule of law).”<\/p>\n
The researcher continued thus: “It allows participation of the civil
\nsociety in developing democratic state institutions that promote
\nwelfare. In the quest for nation building in a democratic set up like
\nNigeria, the exercise of effective legislative oversight function
\nremains crucial. Its purpose is to provide a powerful check on the
\nexecutive authority, enhancing accountability where a dominant
\nexecutive branch might operate with impunity. It also aims at ensuring
\nthat all relevant societal groups are included in and benefit from the
\nnation building and development exercise and that government policies
\nand budgets are implemented in an effective, efficient, transparent
\nand accountable manner.”<\/p>\n
The power of oversight, the researcher argues, is conferred on the
\nNigerian legislature by the Constitution to enable the National
\nAssembly to expose corruption, inefficiency, or waste in the execution
\nor administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the
\ndisbursement and administration of funds appropriated by the Acts.<\/p>\n
Nigeria, being a developing country, the legislature\u2019s capacity to
\ncarry out its oversight functions remains weak because legislative
\nrole and culture is at its infancy6 and therefore often confronted by
\nmany challenges, the researcher affirmed.<\/p>\n
As i had previously observed, something intriguing has been happening
\nwith the efforts of the Federal House of Representatives to invite the
\nminister in charge of the Humanitarian Affairs to provide information
\nto clarify on certain issues with the school feeding programme which
\nis encumbered by massive and pervasive corruption.<\/p>\n
The minister as a member of the Executive arm of government that has
\npocketed the Legislative arm of government has reportedly rejected the
\ninvitations of the parliamentary Commission on the alleged corruption
\nafflicting the school feeding programme.<\/p>\n
As reported in the media, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs,
\nDisaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk,
\nrejected for the fourth time, the invitation of the House of
\nRepresentatives Ad hoc Committee investigating her ministry\u2019s
\ndisbursement of funds, allocated for palliatives, to cushion the
\neffect of the coronavirus pandemic on less-privileged Nigerians.<\/p>\n
Her refusal to cooperate with the enquiry is in violation of sections
\n4, 81, and 88 of the 1999 Constitution. These sections, give the House
\nof Representatives power over the Public purse and investigative
\npowers over even the President of the Federation, his Ministers and
\nheads of agencies of government, as far as public funds are concerned.<\/p>\n
The parliament also enjoys quasi-judicial powers under the
\nConstitution and the Legislative Powers Act, to summon, cause
\nappearance and even effect the arrest of anyone under the federation.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the panel, Rep. Wole Oke (PDP-Osun), and other members
\nof the Committee, were visibly piqued by the Minister\u2019s contempt of
\nthe House.<\/p>\n
This show of shame is the reason the civil society community in the
\nCountry have always campaigned for the practice of genuine democracy
\nin which the three arms of government are guaranteed their
\nconstitutional power of checks and balances or what is termed the
\nPrinciple of Separation of powers as espoused in sections 4, 5 and 6
\nof the Nigerian Constitution.<\/p>\n
This current National Assembly through a compromised hierarchy has
\nsold their birthright to the despotic regime in the Executive arm of
\ngovernment. Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila have become political
\nslaves to the Executive arm of government and therefore are not truly
\nserving public interests.<\/p>\n
This write up is to draw the attention of Nigerians to what goes on
\nelsewhere whereby the government carries on with feeding of School
\nchildren in an environment of transparency, openness and
\naccountability.<\/p>\n
This example we intend to bring to the attention of the readers is
\nthat of Great Britain. This is a Country whereby 95% of the Nigerian
\npoliticians have some forms of financial or housing assets and
\ntherefore are very conversant with the terrains. President Muhammadu
\nBuhari for instance had once told us that the reason he visits a
\ndoctor in London is because his medical records have been in the
\nUnited Kingdom since 1979. So Great Britain is a place the President
\nMuhammadu Buhari knows like the back of his fingers.<\/p>\n
As the Nigerian President can testify, In Great Britain there is no
\nlong story of contractors getting involved in cooking or distributing
\nfoods to school children which we do in Nigeria and thereby creating
\nmultiple bureaucratic bottlenecks and unnecessary loopholes for
\nthieves both within and outside of government to capitalise upon
\nthese criminal loopholes to massively rob the Country of billions of
\nPublic fund in the name of school feeding programme.<\/p>\n
In the United Kingdom, credible vouchers are issued to the
\nbeneficiaries and there are institutional checks and balances to
\nensure that those children are fed with nutritious foods in line with
\nthe payments that are made transparently by the British government.
\nThe opposite is the case here whereby children are fed with rotten
\neggs and badly prepared foods and the government turns up to inform us
\nthat billions of Naira were spent. The Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo,
\na professor of law of evidence, once told us the huge quantity of
\ncows that are slaughtered weekly to feed these school children but
\nthis claim lacks believability because Nigerians are yet to see this
\nbody of evidence.<\/p>\n
Let us even look at the current trending news on how a footballer
\nsucceeded in convincing the UK government to extend the school feeding
\nprogramme to benefit thousands of children from struggling
\nbackgrounds in the summer.<\/p>\n
Sky Sports reports that Marcus Rashford says he feels proud after he
\nsuccessfully campaigned for the government to change its mind and
\nextend its free school meals voucher scheme over the summer holidays.<\/p>\n
Food vouchers – for \u00a315 a week – will be made available to around
\n1.3m children in England who are currently eligible for the scheme,
\nand will last for six weeks in what has been called a “Covid Summer
\nFood Fund”.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, Prime
\nMinister Boris Johnson said: “I talked to Marcus Rashford today and
\ncongratulated him on his campaign which to be honest I only became
\naware of very recently, today – and I thank him for what he’s done.<\/p>\n
“I think he is right to draw attention to this issue.”<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly congratulated Manchester
\nUnited striker Marcus Rashford for his campaign to get the government
\nto provide free school meals to children over the summer holidays
\n‘I don’t even know what to say’<\/p>\n
The Department for Education had initially said it would not extend
\nthe voucher scheme despite an emotional letter to MPs written by
\nRashford, in which he said “the system isn’t built for families like
\nmine to succeed”.<\/p>\n
But the government has changed tact after Manchester United striker
\nRashford kept up his campaign.<\/p>\n
Responding to the news, the 22-year-old tweeted: “I don’t even know
\nwhat to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS
\nis England in 2020.”<\/p>\n
He later posted a longer tweet directed at MPs which read: “This was
\nnever about me or you, this was never about politics, this was a cry
\nout for help from vulnerable parents all over the country and I simply
\nprovided a platform for their voices to be heard.<\/p>\n
“I stand proud today knowing that we have listened, and we have done
\nwhat is right. There is still a long way to go but I am thankful to
\nyou all that we have given these families just one less thing to worry
\nabout tonight.<\/p>\n
“The wellbeing of our children should ALWAYS be a priority.”<\/p>\n
According to Sky Sports, Rashford’s letter to MPs was retweeted more
\nthan 140,000 times on Twitter.<\/p>\n
The media stated that after initial pushback, he kept up the pressure
\nfor a second day – sparking a tetchy exchange with Work and Pensions
\nSecretary Therese Coffey on the social media site.<\/p>\n
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has encouraged players
\nto continue pushing social issues
\nRashford had already won the backing of Labour and two senior Tory MPs
\n– Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons’ education select committee, and
\nGeorge Freeman, a former head of the Downing Street policy unit.<\/p>\n
Downing Street claimed the extra support will cost around \u00a3120m – in
\naddition to \u00a363m already pledged for councils to help families and
\nkids over the summer holidays.<\/p>\n
Labour called it a welcome move and “victory for the 1.3m children who
\nwere at risk of going hungry this summer”.<\/p>\n
Shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: “It is thanks to
\nthe amazing work of Marcus Rashford and campaigners that the
\ngovernment has had no choice but to reverse their decision.<\/p>\n
“The government must now confirm that this new money will be for the
\ndirect provision of free school meals to all eligible children.”<\/p>\n
This writer deliberately took his time to follow through the reports
\nfiled by Sky Sports to demonstrate to the Nigerian government that
\nofficials must not have to steal the resources meant to feed SCHOOL
\nchildren just as it is imperative to let the Nigerian President
\nMuhammadu Buhari to know that School Feeding PROGRAMME is not rocket
\nscience that is too complex that the minister of Humanitarian Affairs
\nwould fail to tell Nigerians why there is so much corruption in the
\nimplementation of the Nigerian side of the public school feeding
\nprogramme. Nigerian people must keep their eyes wide opened and
\ndemand accountability.<\/p>\n
Why is the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari behaving
\nas if feeding school children is a big magic? Why can’t Nigeria do the
\nsame thing that those transparent and accountable governments all
\naround the World are doing? Give out vouchers to the beneficiaries and
\nthen work out the modalities with qualified Restaurants so these
\nChildren are served qualitative meals? Why does government steal in
\nthe name of School Feeding PROGRAMME? Why are government officials
\nbereft of good conscience?<\/p>\n
*Emmanuel Onwubiko is the Head of HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF
\nNIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs @www. emmanuelonwubiko.com
\n[1],www.thenigerianinsidernews.com
\n[2],www.huriwa@blogspots.com,www.huriwanigeria.com [3].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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