Author Archives: cislac

BAGA MASSACRE: CISLAC CONDEMNS MILITARY BRUTALITY ON INNOCENT CIVILIANS

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BAGA MASSACRE: CISLAC CONDEMNS MILITARY BRUTALITY ON INNOCENT CIVILIANS

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) is worried about the continued violent violation of human rights by the security agencies on innocent Nigerians. The failure of this government to sincerely handle the insecurity and protect Nigerians from violence orchestrated by merchants of violence through Bombings, Armed robbery, kidnapping, communal clashes, political violence, ethno-religious violence  and rape,  helps to escalate impunity in Nigeria. This is in spite of the huge resources allocated for security sector in Nigeria which runs into trillions of naira, but yet Nigerians face more security challenges.

The recent development of mass massacre in Baga Town of Borno State is very unfortunate and in particular the alleged blocking access of relief materials to the affected victims days after the mayhem is inhumane and amount to siege. Relief workers are yet to be allowed access to Baga town days after the start of the military operations that left at least 200 people dead and so many homes burnt down. The residents said troops fired indiscriminately and set fires at homes in an apparent retaliation over the death of an officer.

CISLAC is of the opinion that there should be a better mutual understanding of cultures and systems between humanitarian aid workers and troops, so as to develop mutual respect. To do this, it would be useful to put in place a programme of strategic and operational discussions at all levels. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Red Cross have raised alarm over its inability to administer humanitarian response to victims which is a total contradiction to the United Nation Protocol on options for responding to such crises. Even in war situations, relief materials are distributed to alleviate the sufferings of the people. It is considered very unprofessional not to accept the opportunity to play a more dynamic role on how to coordinate and respond to emergencies which was created by it (the Army) in the first place.

CISLAC considers this a coercive military intervention, even though a military component of some kind has become increasingly necessary in most crises situation; it must not eclipse and violate rights of civilians. Major humanitarian actors from both within and outside Borno, and its aim at facilitating inter-agency analysis and decision making in response to humanitarian emergencies should not be an issue for negotiation considering that access to food is part of civilian protection.

It must be understood that continuous refusal to provide access humanitarian officials to the victims would further create an outbreak of diseases, hunger and deaths of women and children. We consider this siege an impunity which is unacceptable and a contradiction to the rules of engagement in such situation. We condemn this and call for investigation into the Baga saga.

CISLAC calls on relevant authorities to refrain from the current faceoff in Baga, not as an argument about the ‘right to intervene’ but about the ‘responsibility to protect’ and put in place a proper coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the community to safeguard the lives of people.

CISLAC calls on the authorities to investigate these Army and Police officers involved in this heinous act and ensure that they are not allowed participating in any peacekeeping operations forthwith. These sorts of violations are parts of the image challenges that the nation had suffered over the years from the international community when some Nigerian Army officers were sent for international peace mission.

CISLAC therefore calls on the National Assembly to investigate the trillions of Naira allocated to the executives in the name of security votes, from all indications, insecurity is proving to be a lucrative business which financial appropriation is unaccounted for. This menace has gone on too long and needs to seriously be challenged.

Signed by

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani

Executive Director

CISLAC

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT A ONE DAY EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATIVE-CSOs/MEDIA DIALOGUE SESSION HELD AT ROYAL TROPICANA HOTELS LIMITED, KANO STATE ON THE 3RD MAY, 2013.

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COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT A ONE DAY EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATIVE-CSOs/MEDIA DIALOGUE SESSION HELD AT ROYAL TROPICANA HOTELS LIMITED, KANO STATE ON THE 3RD MAY, 2013.

PREAMBLE:

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) organized a one day Dialogue Session for Executive – Legislature – CSOs in Kano State on the Millennium Development Goals with support from United Nation Millennium Campaign (UNMC). The meeting was chaired by the Special Adviser to the Governor on NGOs, Hajia Rabi Isma. The one-day dialogue session drew participants from relevant State House of Assembly committees on MDGs, Ministries, Departments and Agencies relevant to MDGs, CSOs, CBOs, FBO and the media. The meeting attracted up to 35 participants as against the number earmarked for the meeting owing to the crucial nature of the meeting. After exhaustive deliberations on the issues, the following observations and recommendations were made:

OBSERVATIONS:

·       There is adequate progress recorded on reducing child mortality and increasing maternal health in the state

·       There is an existing implementation gap between the CSOs and legislature on MDG related issues in Kano State thereby creating a monitoring and evaluation challenge and data disparity on score card.

·       The absence of stakeholders’ coordination of MDGs in Kano state has created serious information gap. It was considered a threat to the attainment of MDGs in 2015.

·       There is ownership gap of MDG projects as the people consider it as government project rather than collective responsibility.

·       There is still serious gender inequality gap in Kano State.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

·       The Government should put in place an MDG coordination committee in the state to monitor, evaluate and harmonize data on implementation.

·       There should be better synergy between the stakeholders, particularly between the CSOs and legislature as the key representatives of the people.

·       There is need for government to develop an implementation manual that would strengthen public service capacity on MDGs.

·       The Government, CSOs, media and community leaders to strongly be involved in community sensitization and mobilization for the people to take ownership of the MDG projects.

·       Government should ensure that adequate infrastructure/facilities are in place to increase the processing, marketing and value addition to farm produce and curtail rural/urban migration

CONCLUSION:

Participants expressed their appreciation to CISLAC for organizing and UNMC for providing support to this important dialogue session for Executive, Legislators, NGOs, CBOs and Media to effectively engage policy issues. CSOs/CBOs in Kano State are fully committed to collaborating with all stakeholders on issues of MDGs and sustain the engagement with the aim of moving the State forward.

 

Signed:

Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)

Executive Director

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre

Abuja

Mallam Y.Z Ya’u

Executive Director

CITAD

Kano

Hajia Rabi Isma

Special Adviser to the Governor on NGOs

Kano State Government

Kano State

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT A ONE DAY CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR LEGISLATORS HELD AT ROYAL TROPICANA HOTELS LIMITED, KANO STATE ON THE 2ND MAY, 2013.

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COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT A ONE DAY CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR LEGISLATORS HELD AT ROYAL TROPICANA HOTELS LIMITED, KANO STATE ON THE 2ND   MAY, 2013.

PREAMBLE:

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) organized a one day Capacity Building workshop for legislators in the Kano State House of Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals with support from United Nation Millennium Campaign (UNMC). Legislators and legislative Staff (Clerk and Deputy Clerk and Directors of the relevant MDGs committees within the State House of Assembly) were in attendance. The meeting had 24 participants in all with only 2 representing the feminine gender.  After exhaustive deliberations on the issues, the following observations and recommendations were made:

OBSERVATIONS:

·       There is limitation of quality of skilled labor which has consequently affected the output of MDG service delivery.

·       There is budgetary inconsistency in the proportion allocation to key development sectors.

·       There is fragile security situation which has consistently created setbacks in the course of MDGs projects implementation.

·       Some MDG projects are located in areas that are almost not accessible making it a challenge to monitor implementation progress.

·       Between 2009/2011, the State did not implement any MDG related project(s) owing to the previous administrations low commitment to developmental issues.

·       Bureaucracy associated with due process has formed a major challenge in receiving timely approvals by the executive to implement MDG projects.

·       Delay in adopting the MDGs in the State: Kano State set up MDG office in year 2007 as against year 2005 when the MDGs became operationalized in Nigeria.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

·       There is need for the Government to sustain and improve on the existing implementation of MDG programs in the state.

·       Government should ensure that its 50 – 50 counterparts funding of the Conditional Grant Scheme is be sustained.

·       The government should put in place policy that is bottom–top in its approach to capture various interest groups and their needs in the sustenance of MDG projects in the state.

·       There is need for government and CSOs to develop adequate human capital that would help implement very effective, MDG related projects.

·       The legislature should support the executive more in sustainable budgetary allocations to key development sectors.

·       In order to bridge the gap created by the time lapse, every stakeholder within the state should participate fully in bringing about sustainable implementation of the MDGs, state government should collaborate with the local government for proper implementation, CSOs and the citizen should monitor implementation.

CONCLUSION:

Participants expressed their appreciation to CISLAC for organizing and UNMC for providing support to this important workshop which has scaled up the capacities of Legislators in the State. They renewed full committed to collaborating on MDGs and sustain the engagement with the aim of moving the State forward.

Signed:

Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)

Executive Director

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre

Abuja

Alh. Mukhtar Umar

Special Adviser to the Governor on MDG

Kano State Government

Kano State

Mallam Y.Z Ya’u

Executive Director

CITAD

Kano

OVERSIGHT: TRAINING ON ROLE OF THE LEGISLATURE IN NEITI AUDIT PROCESS

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TRAINING ON ROLE OF THE LEGISLATURE IN NEITI AUDIT PROCESSOVERSIGHT: TRAINING ON ROLE OF THE LEGISLATURE IN NEITI AUDIT PROCESS ISBN: 978-978-48297-4-8

Chapter One is a report of Two-Day training for Legislature on enhancing the oversight role of the legislature on NEITI Audit Process. The training session comprised of an overview on the NEITI and the Act; an industry perspective; an overview of financial/physical flows; the role of legislators for an effective oversight on the NEITI; federation accounts and financial flows; and a summary of 1999-2004 audit report. Chapter Two is a communiqué of the two-day CISLAC training workshop for members of the House Committee onPetroleum (upstream) under the topic, “Enhancing the Oversight Role of The Legislature on the NEITI Audit Process”. The first day involved a lucid overview on the NEITI and the Act and the second day involved an insightful summary of the 1999-2004 NEITI Audit report.

The third chapter is an overview of NEITI implementation in Nigeria. Chapter four is an overview of the financial and physical flows audit. The fifth chapter concerns the federation account and financial flows. Chapter 6 is a summary of the 1999-2004 NEITI audit report. Continue reading →

TOWARDS A FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY REGIME IN NIGERIA THE CIVIL SOCIETY MASS MEDIA INTERVENTION

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TOWARDS A FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY REGIME IN NIGERIATOWARDS A FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY REGIME IN NIGERIATHE CIVIL SOCIETY MASS MEDIA INTERVENTION                                                ISBN: 978-078-069-6

 
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre with funding from USIAD through a grant from PACT-Nigeria organized series of Roundtable meetings on the Fiscal Responsibility Regime. In pursuant to the creation of more accountable and transparent processes where the resources of the state are channelled towards the general good of the citizens and governance is strengthened. The publication comprises reports from the various meetings that were held over that period with relevant stakeholders including members of State Houses of Assembly and Civil Society Organizations.
The opening chapter was on a One Day Stakeholder’s meeting that was held on April 26th 2006 organized by CISLAC with support from PACT-Nigeria at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja. It entailed a very thought provoking forum with the objective of articulating civil society input into the debate surrounding the Bill-Fiscal responsibility Bill.   
Chapter two on the other hand is a detailed report of a similar Roundtable, but this time of the National Assembly.
Chapter three is a continuation of the engagement: a Media Roundtable on the fiscal responsibility regime debate.
Chapter Four looked at The Mass Media and the Fiscal Responsibility Bill in Nigeria.
Chapter Five of this publication is on The Imperative of Media Input in the Fiscal Responsibility Bill by Edetaen Ojo. In it he spoke of the need for media involvement in ensuring public participation in governance, the media’s role in ensuring good governance and a brief look at the Fiscal Responsibility Bill.
Chapter Six delves into Civil Society perspective on fiscal responsibility issues in a paper by ChibuzoEkwekwuo of Public and Private Rights Watch titled “Further Insight into Civil Society Perspective on the Fiscal Responsibility Bill”. The paper looked at certain fundamental questions around fiscal regime legislation.
Towards the end of the book are annexures of papers presented during the media round table.  Continue reading →

BASELINE STUDY ON TAX, TAX GAPS ANALYSIS AND TAXATION IN NIGERIA

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baseline study on TaxBASELINE STUDY ON TAX, TAX GAPS ANALYSIS AND TAXATION IN NIGERIA      CISLAC                                                                ISBN: 978-978-50222-1-6

 
The importance of an effective tax system cannot be overemphasised especially as it is linked to improved governance and overall development. This report is an attempt to provide a baseline which seeks to promote country, research-based policy advocacy that will be allied to media strategies, popular mobilisation and encouraging international pressure to stimulate policy and regulatory reforms which make tax systems more accountable, transparent, fair and pro-poor.
This study offers an opportunity to its readers to understand citizens’ perception of taxation and the gaps that can inform collective action in supporting the necessary reforms of tax policies and administration in Nigeria and shore up the nation’s capacity to mobilise more domestic resources from non oil taxes for the purpose of development while ensuring that the interests of the poor are adequately protected and service delivery commensurate to tax collected for efficient delivery and justice for all Nigerians irrespective of social status . Continue reading →

Oteh: Presidency, House rift deepens over SEC. Lawmakers insist on enforcing zero budget resolution

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Oteh: Presidency, House rift deepens over SEC. Lawmakers insist on enforcing zero budget resolution

There seems to be no end to the muscle-flexing between the legislature and executive on the 2013 budget as the House of Representatives, yesterday moved to enforce its zero budget resolution on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Thisday, 29th March, Page 9

Oteh: Reps warn Jonathan on SEC

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 Oteh: Reps warn Jonathan on SEC

The House of Representatives said yesterday President Jonathan has no right to finance the operations of SEC from public coffers or even private sources. This was born out of the issues arising from the failure of the president to remove Ms. Arunma Oteh as the head of Sec as recommended by the House.
Daily Trust, 29th March, 13. Page 4