|
CSO
Roundtable on Safety and Security in Nigeria Abuja
8,September 2011
Newsdiaryonline Tue Sep
13,2011
Dr Hussaini Abdu(Action Aid Nigeria)
CONCLUSIONS AND COMMUNIQUE
Introduction
Representatives of over 30 Civil Society Organisations met in
Abuja, the
Federal Capital Territory,
on Thursday, 8 September, 2011 to review the state of protection
of public safety and security in Nigeria. The meeting was
inspired by recent attacks involving the use of improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) on the Police Headquarters and the
United Nations House, both in Abuja and other security
challenges affecting the country. Accordingly, the participants
also examined other incidents of insecurity in different parts
of Nigeria, including the deteriorating situation of safety,
security and community relations in Jos (Plateau State) and
Maiduguri
(Borno State); post-election violence in different parts of
northern Nigeria; commercial kidnapping in South-Eastern
Nigeria; the rise in gun-related crimes, including armed
robbery; sexual violence against women, and political violence;
as well as the impunity of unaccountable law enforcement abuses.
The participants unequivocally condemned these attacks and
conveyed condolences and solidarity to all affected persons,
families and institutions.
Causes of Persisting Security Challenges
In examining the causes of the rise in these threats, the
participants acknowledged that threats to public safety and
security in Nigeria have grown largely because of the failure
and unpreparedness of successive governments at all levels to
provide effective leadership and take effective measures to
manage these threats and ensure accountability for them. The
capacity of public institutions to deal with these threats has
also been compromised over the years by many factors including
corruption and a culture of capturing power by any means.
Co-ordination among the responsible institutions is poor. And
the chain of command, control and responsibility for preventing
and managing these threats is unclear. The criminal justice
system has been corrupted and rendered irrelevant in the defence
and protection of public safety and security.
All these have combined to create a climate of impunity that is
now conducive to domestic terror operations. Across the country,
people now widely question whether there is the capacity and
will in government to fulfill its responsibilities to protect
all who live in Nigeria.
Security as First Responsibility of Government
Participants reaffirmed that the safety and security of all
inhabitants of Nigeria is the first responsibility Government.
Government has a duty to provide effective leadership,
demonstrate that it has the will to address these growing
threats to public safety and security, and reassure Nigerians,
visitors and investors in Nigeria and friends of Nigeria
everywhere that it can muster the capacity to do so.
Participants emphasized that mobilising effective response to
the increased threats to safety and security in Nigeria requires
partnership between government, public institutions, the private
sector, community, voluntary, civic and faith actors as well as
international co-operation.
Recommendations on Way Forward
In this connection, the participants urged government to
prioritize access to information, analyses, and institutional
renewal for better accountability, remedies and care. In the
immediate to medium terms, these will require government to pay
attention to improving law enforcement and security sector
management and capabilities, including intelligence and
forensics; better border and identity management; enhanced
management and documentation of controlled substances;
professionalization of incident management, including attention
to adequate care, trauma management and counseling for affected
persons and victims; and enhanced attention to planning to avert
further attacks to strategic locations in Nigeria, especially
Abuja and
Lagos.
As longer term measures, the participants called for greater
attention to questions of political equity and social inclusion
in Nigeria. An effective partnership of government and the
private sector is needed to accord priority to investment in
skills and jobs to the youths. With respect to political
exclusion participants urged that government to examine
mechanisms for ensuring de-centralization of responsibility for
safety and security under an accountable and capable management
and command structure.
All this requires effective political leadership. Participants
called attention to the fact that the National Assembly was on
recess when the attacks on both the Police Headquarters and the
UN House happened and deplored the failure of the National
Assembly, as the legitimate representative of the Nigerian
people, to suspend its recess to urgently address these
incidents.
They also called on the President and Commander-in-Chief to
speak clearly to Nigerians and friends of Nigeria and articulate
lucidly the nature of these threats, what he proposes to do
about them, where he needs the help in doing so and the
political values that underpin his response.
In doing so, it is important to ensure respect for the
principles of legality, proportionality and equality.
Participants cautioned against the risks of using these threats
as excuses for open-ended law enforcement abuses, deepening the
corruption of governance, unjustifiable or overbroad limitations
on constitutional rights and liberties or the encouragement of
sectarian persecution or xenophobia.
Establishment of Civil Society Dialogue on Safety and Security
in Nigeria
As immediate measures to ensure continuing attention to these
issues, the participants agreed to constitute and establish a
Civil Society Dialogue on Safety and Security in Nigeria. A
civil society coalition effort under the leadership of a
steering committee of representatives of civic and community
actors in the country, the Dialogue will convene at least once
monthly anywhere in Nigeria. As a complement to the Dialogue,
the participants also agreed to establish a robust,
multi-platform outreach on safety and security in Nigeria,
including an electronic Portal.
The participants reaffirmed the readiness of civil society to
offer effective partnership to the government and all actors in
ensuring a more secure and safer country and equal protection of
all rights under Nigeria’s Constitution.
Signed (For the CSOs)
Dr Hussaini Abdu
Ene Ede
ActionAid Nigeria
Equity Advocates
Awal Musa Rafsanjani
Ezenwa Nwagwu
CISLAC
Transparency In Nigeria
|
