Seven months after taking over government, the Muhammadu Buhari
administration has succeeded in achieving only one out of the 222
campaign promises made to Nigerians, according to
a report by Buharimetre, a civil society monitoring report tracking the implementation of the president’s campaign promises.
The report, which covers the activities of the All Progressives
Congress-led Federal Government from May 29 to December 31, 2015,
observed in its assessment that the achievement was in the area of the
fight against corruption, even though a lot was still left undone in
that regard.
“PMB has only achieved 1 out of the 222 tracked promises, which constitutes 0.5 percent of the promises,” Buharimetre reported.
“ More so, it reveals that while the government is taking action to
achieving only 27 (12.2 percent approximately) of the tracked promises
thus ongoing, 194 electoral promises are still ‘Not Rated.’
“ The latter constitutes 87.3 percent of the tracked promises.”
The electoral promises not rated, it says, is because there is “no tangible related activities being implemented.”
The 2015 report is the fourth on the series of report on the
assessment of the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari and the
governing party, the APC, on the delivery of its 222 electoral promises.
The report examined and focused on issues around insecurity, the
economy, oil and gas, corruption, agriculture and social sectors, with
emphasis on the environment.
It also provided useful insights into the current state of key sectors as a way of establishing the basis of measuring outcomes.
Assessing the fight against corruption, the report noted that there
had been visible efforts to combat corruption since the inauguration of
the present administration, naming the arrest and prosecution of some
notable persons and the efforts to recover looted funds.
“PMB anti-corruption efforts have been commended as a step in the right direction,” the report noted.
“ Positive opinions in this regard are due to the possible positive
impact of the efforts on development and democracy in the country.
“However, the government has been accused of politics of selection in
the fight against corruption. A delay in the prosecution of the accused
people has been a major criticism of the government. Moreover, while
the government has shown unmatched commitment to curbing corruption,
such effort should be institutionalised.”
The report observed that one of the promises of the current
administration was to strengthen the capacity of anti-graft agencies,
particularly EFCC and ICPC, by guaranteeing their prosecutorial and
financial independence as well as security of tenure.
“Despite the fact that the anti-grant agencies have shown renewed
efforts in the fight against corrupt practices, there has been no effort
by the government to amend relevant laws to guarantee their
independence in these areas,” states the report.
“Moreover, nothing has been done to enact the Whistle Blower Act, as
promised by the administration. We believe that through these
interventions, the performance of anti-graft agencies would not rely on
the personality and political will of President Buhari, but rather the
campaign against corruption would be institutionalised and thereby would
extend beyond the current administration.”
While stating that it was aware of government’s commitment to
fighting corruption and blocking leakages in both the civil service and
the oil and gas sector; and exhibiting a strong political will to fight
corruption irrespective of who is involved, Buharimetre observed that
the fight against corruption must not be devoid of strict adherence to
the rule of law.
“In the last few months, several of the people accused of corruption
have been detained against the law, which stipulates that all accused
must be brought before the court 48 hours after arrest,” it stated.
“Some people granted bail have since been re-arrested and detained.
The fight against corruption must be pursued in line with due process
and never in abuse of the law.
“It is also imperative for the government to acknowledge that the
fight against corruption should not be confused as sufficient to address
all governance challenges in the country.
“Essentially, fighting corruption is and should remain one of the
policy priorities of government but not the only overarching
intervention necessary to strengthen governance, especially in a country
like Nigeria where democracy is still transitioning.
“The campaign against corrupt practices should simultaneously exist
with interventions such as social provisions that could discourage
people from engaging in corrupt practices, and to a large extent,
galvanize support for the campaign. This may also help institutionalise
the anti-corruption process in the country.
“ Allegations of perceived bias continue to be made against the PMB
administration in several parts of the country. For instance, the South
Eastern part of the country continues to claim marginalization on the
part of the government.”
Boko Haram
Although, Buharimetre noted the efforts of the Nigerian military in
the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the north east of Nigeria and
to ensure security in the entire country, it said the rising wave of
violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, militancy in the
Nigeria Delta and the activities of Biafra separatists groups were
posing even greater danger to the security of life in the country.
The report acknowledged the achievements in decimating the
capabilities of Boko Haram insurgents in the North East and the
reorganization of the entire structure in the anti-terrorism project,
but noted that the sect continues to display strong resilience and
shocking adaptability.
“Members of the group, who formerly travelled in armoured personnel
carriers (APCs), now ride horses, motor bikes and bicycles to carry out
their nefarious activities,” said the report.
“ These range from poisoning water when fleeing villages and adopting
soft target attacks using suicide bombing, executed mostly by young
girls.
“The insurgents have also carried out attacks in Nyanya and Kuje, on the outskirts of the capital city, Abuja.”
It faulted the government’s responses to the increasing number of
internally displaced persons whose living conditions had become life
threatening.
The report also underscored government’s failure to officially unveil
its accountability plans for resolving the Boko Haram insurgency.
“This may be partly because the problem is not Boko Haram alone.
Amnesty International recently issued a report titled Stars on Their
Shoulders, Blood on Their Hands indicting the Nigerian military for its
wanton killings in the war against the insurgency,” it said.
“The ICC-OTP has also established eight possible cases of crimes
against humanity in relation to the North East of Nigeria. This includes
six possible cases against Boko Haram and two possible cases against
the Nigerian security forces.”
The report also drew attention to the fact that the remote and
immediate causes of violent extremism are still very much alive in the
polity.
“There are smaller, less popular Islamic radical groups present in several parts of Northern Nigeria,” says the report.
“For instance, Yanlabaiku in Kebbi state is preaching against Western
education and Westernisation, and Niger state is pervaded by different
radical Islamist groups. Most of these groups live in seclusion,
preaching and practicing radical Islam.”
It also cited armed banditry which had continue to terrorise rural
communities, rustling cattle, raping and abducting women and girls,
killing people and committing highway robbery and thus increasing
tension in Northern Nigeria.
Also citing the Biafra struggle, the report noted that the state
approach, and particularly the security sector approach in handling the
conflicts remained a cause for concern across the country.
“There are fears that if the IPOB is not properly managed, it may
degenerate into a low level insurgency, further compounding current
security challenges,” it said.
“Soon after the security agents clampdown on the Biafra separatist
movement, there were reports that the Nigerian Army, in preventing an
alleged attempted assassination on the Chief of Army staff, General
Buratai, killed twenty Shia members in Zaria.
“The Shia are said to have put up barricades and blocked the road to
be used by General Buratai. The Army went to the sect’s enclave
Husainiyyah, the residence of sect leader Ibrahim Zakzaky in Gyallesu,
and the DarurRahma mosque, where many unarmed people were killed.
“Human Rights Watch (HRW), has alleged that no fewer than 300 members
of the Shia sect were killed and secretly buried by members of the
Nigerian army,” the report stated.
