Television Nigerian

… urge agency to uphold transparency

No fewer than 21 civil society organisations have adopted the resolution of the House of Representatives on the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

The CSOs under the auspices of the Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors, therefore, urged the commission to sustainin its mantra of accountability and transparency.

The group, which made this known at a press conference on Monday in Abuja, said it came to this conclusion after a systematic appraisal of the activities of the agency.

In a report co-signed by convener, Comrade Bassey Ukpong, secretary, Barr Joy Gonzwak alongside the heads of other groups, the CSOs hailed the NEDC for its strategic interventions, urging international partners to maintain their relationship with the agency.

According to the report, the NEDC under the leadership of its MD/CEO, Mohammed G. Alkali, has been outstanding in the areas of accountability/ transparency, project implementation, organisational structure among others.

The group said after it embarked on an assessment tour of the region, it discovered an overwhelming presence of the agency in most communities, especially in terms of infrastructures.

On the report of corruption, the CSOs said the allegations was sponsored by some disgruntled politicians given Alkali’s tough stance with regards to the finances of the agency.

As part of its recommendation, the group however, urged the NEDC to constantly engage critical media constituency in carrying out of its various interventions in North-East Nigeria.

Read Full Report Below

The Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors is a coalition of 21 civil Iociety organisations devoted to the preservation of human rights, which includes but not limited to scrutinizing the efforts of government and her institutions in the conservation of the rights of its citizens as enshrined in the Constitution, as well as the actions of the government in the rendering of humanitarian assistance to communities in need across the country.

In fulfilment of one of its strategic mandates, the Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors undertook a systematic appraisal of the North East Development Commission in its efforts to address the developmental challenges in North-East Nigeria, occasioned by several years of Boko Haram insurgency.

Its strategic importance informed the choice of North East Development Commission in addressing the humanitarian challenges in North-East Nigeria and also to put issues in proper perspective for the general public to form their opinion on the journey so far in the NEDC through its various intervention in addressing the myriad of developmental challenges in North-East Nigeria.

For the records, The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) is the focal organisation charged with the responsibility to assess, coordinate, harmonise and report on all intervention programs and initiatives by the Federal Government or any of its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programs and initiatives for the North East states; Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, respectively.

Key Governance Indices:

In assessing the impact of the NEDC since inception, the Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors scrutinised the NEDC using the following governance indices:

Organisational Structure

The act establishing the NEDC was explicit in its organisational structure, which was designed to ensure productivity and ensure checks and balances amongst the various departments in the organisation. After a detailed scrutiny of the organisation l s operations, it was realised that the various departments operate under an open policy that emphasizes accountability and transparency.

The Managing Director of the NEDC though the administrative head of the organisation, is also subjected to scrutiny and supervision by the board that constitutes Nigerians with impeccable personalities that have distinguished themselves in their various careers. The management team also consists of three executive directors and representatives of each geopolitical zones in the country.

From our findings, it was observed that there had been an excellent relationship between the management staff and the generality of the staffers. Duties are well spelt out, and the various checks and balances mechanism in place ensures strict adherence to the rules.

Project Implementation:

It was also observed that the NEDC has in place a robust project conception and implementation policy that ensures that projects embarked on achieve the desired objectives. This is indeed a plus for the organisation in the sense that white elephant projects are not undertaken, which would lead to a waste of the resources of the organisation.

The organisation also has in place a project monitoring team that consists of staffers from all the departments. It was designed to ensure that the project monitoring team must certify such before monies are disbursed for projects that reach completion. It is instructive to state that the managing director is not a part of the project monitoring team. In his capacity as the managing director, he only relies on the judgement of the project monitoring team.

Accountability and Transparency:

From our findings, the NEDC is a bastion of accountability and transparency. This much was evident in the way and manner the resources of the agency are judiciously utilized. This much was gathered after extensive interaction with contractors, staffers, religious and community leaders in communities in North-East states, and other relevant stakeholders.

It is not business as usual in the agency due to the robust institutional framework that ensures that processes are adhered to. All staffers are constantly reminded of the overarching objective of the agency, which is bringing succour to the people of North-East Nigeria that have suffered years of hardship and socio-economic losses as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Commendable Feats:

In the appraisal of the activities of the NEDC since inception, the Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors undertook an on the spot visit to select communities in North-East Nigeria, and the result was overwhelmingly positive. The impact of the NEDC in North-East Nigeria within a short period was very commendable as its presence was felt in almost all communities straddling the states in North-East Nigeria.

The provision of critical infrastructures topped the list of projects embarked on by the NEDC. The educational and health sectors were also not left out. It was recorded that the NEDC has been proactive in the areas mentioned above. Our findings also revealed that the NEDC has continually engaged the host communities in their various projects. It was discovered that it put in place to accommodate inputs from beneficiary communities. In most instances, this methodology has given them a sense of belonging, which is mainly responsible for the successes recorded in achieving the agency’s mandate.

Stories of Corruption at the NEDC:

The Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors also took out time to investigate some of the allegations of corrupt practices at the agency. It was realised that the allegations were of mischief purposes. The generality of the allegations was not based on any substantial evidence but rather insinuations, given the tough stance of the managing director with regards to the finances of the agency. It was also observed that some politicians with ulterior motives were responsible for the news making the rounds as it appears it is not business as usual, a prevalent practice in most government agencies.

Recommendations:

As a result of the appraisal of the operations of the NEDC with regards fulfilling its mandate, e herby make the following recommendations:

That the NEDC should constantly engage the critical media constituency in the carrying out of its various interventions in North-East Nigeria.

That the NEDC should convoke a periodic town hall meeting with critical stakeholders to keep them abreast of its activities.

The NEDC should strengthen its public relations unit through training to strengthen its capacity for strategic communication.

The NEDC should set up advocacy units to drum support from international partners for its activities in North-East Nigeria.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Coalition of Human Rights Groups and Independent Monitors gives the management of the NEDC a pass mark for its strategic interventions in North-East Nigeria. We are also calling on international partners to continue to have confidence in the activities of the NEDC as one of the best and most accountable intervention agencies in Nigeria, given the above mentioned.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has cautioned Amnesty International and other non-governmental organisations in the country against attempts to distract and undermine the troops on the frontline.

According to the centre, the allegation of excessive use of force by security agents in the South-East is another scheme targeted at dampening the morale of security personnel helping to restore sanity across the country .

The group made this known at a press conference on Monday in Abuja to address the systematic attack on the Armed Forces’ efforts in addressing the security challenges in the country.

Comrade Paul Ikyado, the Executive Director of the SHAC, said that the rights group have consistently displayed deep-seated anger against the security agencies in Nigeria for inexplicable reasons.

Ikyado noted that in the past, this has given insurgents and other criminal elements the impetus to further carry out deadly attacks on innocent Nigerians, including women and children in the North-East

The group wondered why the heinous crimes committed by the Eastern Security Network, the militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has been overlooked by the rights group.

The SHAC, therefore, warned Amnesty International that any more act of sabotage against troops will not be tolerated.

It further charged the leadership of the various security agencies in the country to continue to give their best in this critical point by not succumbing to the cheap blackmail perpetrated by Amnesty

The centre, however, advised Amnesty International to be circumspect in its public outings and retrace its steps, calling a spade a spade and not taking sides with terrorists and criminal groups under the guise of human rights advocates

Read the full statement below:

The leadership of the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre warmly welcomes you all to this press conference put together to put issues in proper perspectives with regards to the recent press statement credited to Amnesty International on the excessive use of force by security operatives in South-East Nigeria.

Amnesty International has consistently displayed deep-seated anger against the security agencies in Nigeria for inexplicable reasons. It is on record that Amnesty International, over the years, have engaged in acts that undermine national security in Nigeria and the efforts of the security agencies in addressing the security challenges in the country.
This act is worrisome because whenever the security agencies are recording gains in the fight against insurgency and other acts of criminalities, Amnesty International would come up with trumped-up allegations that aim to cause a distraction for the security agencies.

The recent press statement alleged that the security agencies employed excessive force in South-East Nigeria. This is an example of the ignoble role of Amnesty International in festering conflict in Nigeria.

This trend has in times past given insurgents and other criminal elements the impetus to further carry out deadly attacks on innocent Nigerians, including women and children in North-East Nigeria and other parts of the country.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre frowns at such disposition from an organization that claims to be advocating for respect for human rights across the globe, whereas it has been covertly providing intellectual support for terrorist groups and fueling conflict in countries where they operate.

This recent case is indeed an assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians and a systematic attack on the Armed Forces’ efforts in addressing the security challenges in the country. This is indeed condemnable and an act of terrorism in itself.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre is indeed alarmed that Amnesty International could issue such a statement accusing the Armed Forces of using excessive force in its operations to rid South-East Nigeria of criminal elements.

The tactic support for the Eastern Security Network by Amnesty International leaves a lot to the imagination in the sense that they have either by commission or omission refused to condemn the atrocities perpetrated by this group of an armed militia group, whose activities have resulted in arson, looting, and destruction of government infrastructures in some states in South-East Nigeria.

Amnesty International has also feigned ignorance to the heinous crimes committed by the Eastern Security Network, the militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and tactically given their support for the rise of militancy and insurrection in Nigeria.

Amnesty International is quick to assert “human rights violations and crimes under international law in Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Abia state from January 2021”, but it is blind to the burning down of police stations, courts, killing of security agents, and attack on government properties by members of the Eastern Security Network.

This is indeed conceivable and a reason for the generality of Nigerians to see through the veiled deceit in the activities of Amnesty International in Nigeria over the years.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre views the statement of Amnesty International as deliberate and too much of a coincidence in its constant criticism of the Armed Forces, especially in times where gains are recorded in the prosecution of the war against crime and criminalities in Nigeria. It is thus succinct to state that enough is enough for Amnesty International and their conspirators in Nigeria, for we shall no longer tolerate acts of sabotage.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre indeed stands with the renewed efforts of the security agencies in addressing the security challenges in South-East and Nigeria at large, especially when the terrorist, bandits and other criminal elements are already feeling the heat.

We consequently charge the leadership of the various security agencies in the country to continue to give their best in this critical point of our existence by not succumbing to the cheap blackmail perpetrated by Amnesty International and their sponsors.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre also encourages those patriotic and dedicated security operatives in the line of duty to continue to render selfless service to the country by not been distracted by the disjointed narrative of Amnesty International that aims to give support to terrorists and militant groups in the country.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre wishes to use this medium to advise Amnesty International to be circumspect in its public outings and retrace its steps by calling a spade a spade and not taking sides with terrorists and criminal groups under the guise of human rights advocates. The era of masquerading as human rights advocates is gone as Nigerians are now aware of their antics and more committed to resisting their shenanigans.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre extends its appreciation to all present. It wishes to pledge its unalloyed support to the security agencies in their noble effort at the riding country of terrorist and criminal elements.
Thank you all, and God bless Nigeria.