As Nigeria slips into recession following a contracted Gross Domestic Product, GDP, an advocacy organization advises the government to review cost of governance
OpenLife Nigeria reports that a nonprofit and advocacy organization, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has told President Muhammadu Buhari to review cost of running government to avoid administrative gallops.
This admonition follows the Africa’s biggest economy slipping into a recession a second time in four years
In a statement signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP Deputy Director and made available to OpenLife, the organization is alarmed on the high cost of governance and called on government to review cost. They offered this advice on the basis of the country drifting into recession as a result of GDP’s negative growth of 3.62 per cent in the third quarter of 2020.
This online medium learned from the National Bureau of Statistics that that country had earlier recorded a 6.10 per cent contraction in the second quarter.
As a remedy, the organization, in a letter dated November 21 said:
“This economic crisis provides an opportunity to prioritise access of poor and vulnerable Nigerians to basic socio-economic rights, and to genuinely recommit to the fight against corruption. The country cannot afford getting back to business as usual.
“Implementing human rights, transparency and accountability measures would save money, address projected adverse human rights impacts of the recession, and fast-track the economic recovery process. It is not too late to take urgent measures that would put the country’s wealth and resources to work for the common good of all Nigerians.”
OpenLife Nigeria noted in the SERAP’s statement that government extravagant spending and unjustifiable lifestyle of public office holders are some of the reasons government is unable to meet its responsibilities to deserving areas in the country. SERAP said:
“The paltry resources Nigeria invests in essential public goods and services that would benefit ordinary Nigerians can be partly explained by the high spending of public funds to finance a life of luxury for members of the National Assembly, state governors, and other powerful politicians.
“The country’s resources appear to have been used almost exclusively for the benefit of the political elites rather than on projects that would ensure the right to an adequate standard of living, the maximum welfare, prosperity, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality.
“SERAP is seriously concerned about the adverse consequences of the economic crisis on the human rights of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, including denying them access to essential public goods and services such as healthcare, education, clean water, and regular electricity supply.”
Further, OpenLife Nigeria gathered from the statement that the organization issued a 14 days ultimatum for the government to either take action on its demands or the organization will be left with no option than to seek court action. They opined that over time, SERAP had obtained judgments that would provoke government taking the right steps in the right direction. But the deliberate attempts to ignore the enforcement of the judgments have landed the country in economic jeopardy.
Accordingly, the organization said:
“We would be grateful if your government begins to implement the recommended action and measures within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then as to the steps being taken in this direction, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to implement these recommendations for the sake of human rights, transparency and accountability.
“Huge budgetary allocations to fund security votes, renovate the National Assembly complex, pay jumbo salaries and allowances to members of the National Assembly, and life pensions to former governors and their deputies, as well as massive corruption in ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs] contribute to low provisions for health, education and other essential public goods and services.”
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