The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (SR) held a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, 8th May 2014 to review the State of the Nigerian Nation. The SR comprising more than Sixty Nigerian Civil Society groups reached the following decisions:
1. ABDUCTION OF 276 GIRLS IN CHIBOK AND THE INSECURITY SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY:
The SR is appalled at the deteriorating insecurity in Nigeria and the failure of the government of Nigeria to show seriousness in dealing with the problem. Of particular concern is the abduction of 276 school girls in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
SR calls on the Federal Government to outline its strategies for apprehending the insurgents who abducted the school girls and how it intends to free our girls. We further recommend that the national approach to security issues should be citizens based.
SR is also worried about the growing economic crisis of Nigeria especially unprecedented levels of unemployment, poverty, collapse of infrastructure and unparalled corruption of the country, and calls on the government to take steps to curtail corruption.
There is also a strong need for rural communities to be better protected all over the country due to the high migration of people seeking refuge from terrorist torn areas. Communities also have to take precaution by community monitoring of strangers/visitors in their communities. This is a common practice in Damataru, Yobe State. Members of the community also have to register their presence.
The State and Federal Governments also need to invest in rebuilding the communities in the North that have been ravaged by terrorism.
SR further calls on immigration and security agencies to secure our borders to prevent insurgents from Mali, Niger and other volatile Countries from encroaching into Nigerian villages. There should be cooperation and collaboration between the FG and the State government in tackling security challenges as opposed to blame shifting.
2. ELECTIONS, POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE:
SR is concerned that political parties have no respect for the Election Management Body, INEC. INEC on its part needs to have more will and capacity to hold political parties accountable. The legal provisions limiting campaign fund expenditure needs to be invoked to compel political parties and individuals to restrain from obscene expenditure as we are witnessing already.
The National Assembly should hasten the final decision on the amendments to the Electoral Act before the 2015 general elections. SR calls on the National Assembly to quickly conclude work on the Electoral Act and the Constitution.