By Ijeoma UKAZU
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, has called on political leaders to enforce effective oversight of the defence and security sector in the country while seeking the amendment of procurement laws to include soldiers to ensure transparency and accountability.
In a communique issued by CISLAC/Transparency International in Nigeria, TI-NIGERIA, at the end of a one-day workshop on “Reforming the Nigerian Defence and Security Sector through Strengthening Mechanisms Fundamental for Effective Oversight Functions”, held in Keffi, Nasarawa State, stressed the need for transparency and accountability in defence and security budgeting and procurement.
The workshop which was organised with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands pointed out that despite substantial public resources invested in the defence and security sector since the return of democratic governance in 1999, Nigeria continues to experience worsening insecurity.
CISLAC noted that there is a need to implement regular oversight functions by relevant institutions, such as the Ministry of Finance and Budget Office, Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly, civil society organizations, and the media as these measures will help avoid wasteful spending and ensure stable security in Nigeria.
Some factors limiting oversight in the defence and security sector, CISLAC said, include; inadequate funding, lack of capacity, corrupt budgeting and implementation, politicization, negative public image, and overall lack of transparency and accountability.
The Centre adds that the primary challenge lies in the sector’s general lack of capacity in fund management, budgeting, implementation, and the sector’s inherent political nature.
The communique which was signed by Musa Ibrahim from the Code of Conduct Bureau; Alicho Ogbu under the Civil Society Organisation’s, Youth Initiatives against Violence and Human Rights Abuse; and Abdullahi Ahmad representing the Legislators, House Committee on Army agreed that “ There is need to strengthen the capacity of oversight agencies to act and fight corruption by amending relevant establishment acts, if necessary, and providing adequate funding for their oversight functions.
“The National Assembly should develop specific security reforms aimed at systematically curbing the root causes of corruption within the defence and security institutions in Nigeria.
“There should be involvement of civil society organizations in the budgeting and monitoring processes to hold the MDAs accountable for the non-execution of approved projects and also mainstream anti-corruption into security sector reforms.”
