From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), has decried the spate of killings and kidnapping that have engulfed the political, economic and social space, stating that the Federal Government must, as a matter of urgency, take critical decisions to nib the crisis in the bud.
CHRICED’s Executive Director, Dr Ibrahim Zikirullahi, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, noted that the call became expedient because, according to him, bandits operate with reckless abandon bearing in mind that the government lacked the political will tame their excesses.
“CHRICED believes that the current half-hearted approach of dropping a few bombs on terrorists’ hideouts and then leaving them to continue their rampage on communities is not far-reaching e, especially given the current scale of the problem.
“Given the enormity of the situation, the only way out is for the government to arrest and expose the backers, and sponsors of terrorist gangs, whom the government claimed it knows. Government should also take a critical look at all the recruitments into the military, police and Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to be sure right people are in charge of running Nigeria’s security architecture,” he said.
In addition, Zikirullahi frowned at the high inflation rate, stating that the situation has plunged millions of Nigerians into poverty.
He called on government to put measures in place to arrest the looming famine so as not to worsen the insecurity rate in the country.
He said, “The skyrocketing inflation rate explains the high price of several commodities. It is so bad that a bag of rice now sell for between N30,000 and N32,000. The price of a bag cement now hovers around N5000 with the likelihood of further increase, especially around the yuletide.
“12kg of cooking gas , which used to sell for between N3,800 to N4,000 , now sell for between N9,600 and N10,000. The prices of many other basic commodities are up , and the government is also talking of hiking the pump price of premium motor spirit, also known as petrol.
“CHRICED believes that the starting point is to put as many Nigerians as possible back to work. Government needs to stop being aloof, while its citizens suffer. This it can achieve by drastically cutting down on wastage in government due to corruption and mismanagement.
“Government should also respond to the astronomical cost of basic commodities by mandating its economic team to come up with measures, which could stabilize the prices of essentials like cooking gas, foodstuffs, healthcare and building materials.”
In conclusion, he implored President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill so as to prod Nigerians into believing the electoral system as their votes would count.
“Notwithstanding the myriad of challenges in the polity, 2022 presents another important opportunity for Nigerians to work towards overhauling the polity, using the instrumentality of the 2023 elections. Given the fact that the off-cycle elections conducted so far have been blighted by voter apathy and low participations of the electorate, it is important to reform Nigeria’s electoral process before 2023.
“As such, President Muhammadu Buhari must rise to the occasion by assenting to the Electoral Act amendment, which the National Assembly has passed and transmitted to him.
“CHRICED is not unaware of pressures from political cliques within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to shoot down some provisions of the amendment.
“Specifically, the surreptitious moves of the the so-called Progressives Governors’ Forum to take out provisions relating to direct primaries in the amendment, are undemocratic and do not represent the interest of the electorate,” he said.