Without Curbing Defence Corruption, Nigeria’s Insecurity ‘ll Persists – CISLAC
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, says Nigeria’s insecurity will persist as long as the federal government and other relevant stakeholders do nothing to curb corruption in the nation’s defence and security sector.
Executive Director of the Centre, Mal. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated this at a ‘One-day Media Workshop on Defence Anti-Corruption Reportage, Civic Space, and Oversight,’ in Lagos.
According to Rafsanjani, though trillions of naira were budgeted by FG between 2015 and date, to enhance national security, Nigerians have been groaning under the yoke of various security threats, in recent years.
“Virtually every part of the country is troubled by insecurity,” he said.
The CISLAC boss observed that defence corruption is not only undermining the safety and security of Nigerian citizens, it is also responsible for the inflow of small arms and light weapons into the country.
Rafsanjani, maintained that citizens must begin to question the actions and in-actions of the government and to demand accountability for budgetary allocations meant for defence and security.
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He argued that the quest for reform in the country’s defence and security institutions must transcend from mere words to an all-inclusive participation, in the formulation and effective implementation of policies for the actualisation of the transformation that citizens desire in Nigeria’s defence and security sector.
“We must not fail to acknowledge the disciplinary actions taken by the leadership of the defence and security sector against erring officers who would rather undermine than uphold the ethics and values of these institutions, as has been aired more frequently by the media lately.
“Nevertheless, there is still so much more to be done structurally, such as wrong and prolonged deployment of personnel in the battlefield, lack of transparency and accountability in fund management, procurement and project implementation, personnel recruitment process, personnel welfare, sub standard kits and equipment, among others.
“CISLAC and its partners will continue to push for greater accountability and integrity in our defence and security sector because it will require a multi-stakeholder engagement in line with the principles of democratic and participatory governance, to achieve the level of reform we desire.
“We will not relent in advocating for an accountable defence and security expenditure, classification and declassification of information for public consumption, increased integrity for personnel and an uninterrupted civilian oversight of the sector in line with international best practices,” the CISLAC Executive Director assured.
By PRNigeria
