Chukwudi Nweje
As pressure of inadequate bed space for COVID-19 patients mounts on the Nigeria Centre of Disease Control (NCDC), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “urgently instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abukabar Malami, to work with appropriate ministries and agencies to identify, publish and use confiscated stolen assets as isolation centres.”
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire had last week reportedly begged Nigerians to donate and temporarily make their buildings available as isolation centres. According to him, more buildings would be needed, as the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) aims to test two million people in the next three months.
In an open letter dated 2 May, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said confiscated buildings should rather be used as isolation centres as “asking Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres would be counter-productive, as it would put them at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.”
Copied in the appeal are: Mr Abukabar Malami, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General, NCDC; Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), and Ibrahim Magu, acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC.),
SERAP noted that asking Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres would be counter-productive, even as it would also put the owners at a greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
It said: “Using confiscated assets as isolation centres would provide safe and enabling environments for the treatment and care of people, improve the authorities’ ability to respond to COVID-19, reduce the risks to Nigerians and to public health.
“Rather than begging Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres, the authorities should identify, publish and use confiscated assets as isolation centres, as a temporary measure. Using confiscated assets as isolation centres would be proportionate, necessary, and serve a legitimate objective, namely to protect public health and public order (ordre public).Using the confiscated assets as proposed would neither violate the accused’s right to property nor entail a duty to compensate. The proposal by the Minister of Health would pose unnecessary risks to public health.”
SERAP also asked the Federal Government to publish the list of the confiscated assets in line with the judgement of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari had in July 2017 ordered the Federal Government to tell Nigerians about the stolen assets it allegedly recovered.
The judgment was delivered following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/CS/964/2016 brought by SERAP. The government is, however, yet to comply with the judgment, despite the promise of the Minister of Justice to do so.