INEC urges CSOs to scrutinise party primaries to deepen democracy - ITREALMS

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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has tasked Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to extend their scrutiny to activities of Political Parties and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), in order to deepen democracy and enhance the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

He made the call when a coalition of civil society organisations, under the aegis of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room led by its convener, Mr. Yinusa Z Ya’u paid a visit to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday 4th September 2024.

Odeh advises CSOs on navigating grant landscape in Nigeria - ITREALMS

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The Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mr. Odeh Friday Odeh has outlined steps to effectively navigate grant landscape by civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking at the Peer Learning Session organised by the Open Alliance Nigeria, where he dwelt on “Navigating the Grant Landscape in Nigeria: Grant sources, Grant Access & Resource Mobilization.”

Bashir Kehinde Soliu passage: CSOs, Kwara Govt mourn late activist for impactful life - ITREALMS

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The Civil Society Organisations' (CSO) stakeholders in Nigeria are currently in pains due to the untimely death of one of their advocates, Mr. Bashir Kehinde Soliu, of the Ilorin-based Meadows Community Development Outreach (MCDO), describing him as someone who led an impactful life, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has commiserated with the civil society community on the death of Mr. Soliu, describing it as shocking and painful.

EU, British Council train CSOs on tax compliance - ITREALMS

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The European Union and the British Council in conjunction with the Nigerian regulatory agencies have trained Edo-based Civil Society Organizations on tax compliance and the roles of regulatory agencies.

The two days Agencies Citizenship Driven Transformation (ACT) programme drew facilitators from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Services( FIRS) and Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC) who engaged civil society and non-governmental organizations in capacity-building, roles of regulatory agencies and tax compliance.

Twitter ban ruling against FG: ISOC Nigeria applauds ECOWAS court, CSOs - ITREALMS

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The Internet Society (ISOC) Nigeria chapter, has commended the ECOWAS Court of Justice on its ruling over the ban on Twitter and warned the Federal Government never to repeat such action against the citizenry, reports ITREALMS.

President, ISOC Nigeria, Mr. Caleb Ogundale gave this commendation in a reaction to the court judgment on Friday, July 14, 2022,
with ITREALMS.

EU-ACT advocates robust framework for CSOs, government operations - ITREALMS

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The European Union Agent for Citizens-Driven Transformation(EU ACT) has stressed the need to provide a guiding operating platform that will harmonize the procedures between Civil society organisations and government agencies at the state and local government levels in the country.

Edem Udoekong, Component 2 Manager of the EU-ACT, while speaking at the "National Consultative Forum as key for MDAs and CSOs network" organised by British Council in Abuja, said the forum is a capacity-building discussion on how to improve the regulatory environment for CSOs operations in Nigeria.

EU urges CSOs to curb money laundering, promote governance - ITREALMS

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The European Union (EU) is strengthening the capacity of over 200 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across Nigeria, in a bid to curtail the trend of money laundering and promote corporate governance in the country.

The EU-funded initiative under the Agents for Citizens-driven Transformation (ACT) programme is targeted at enhancing the capacity of CSOs on regulatory framework relating to their corporate activities.

British Council, EU-ACT train 40 CSOs, lament low compliance with regulatory framework - ITREALMS

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The European Union and the British Council have trained about 40 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Rivers State on compliance requirements on regulatory frameworks to make them more efficient in monitoring ills in society.

Lead Facilitator of the training, Prof Adedeji Adekunle, said the training would make CSOs good corporate citizens, better equipped to comply with the law, thereby positioning them to challenge wrongs in the society.

CSOs demand account of huge NURTW revenue in Lagos - ITREALMS

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Foremost Anti-Corruption and accountability Civil Society Organizations, the Human & Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), Enough is Enough (EIE), PLAYYA, Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership (CACOL) and Campaign Coalition against Bad Governance (CACOBAG) have condemned the recent appointment of Mr. Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as M.C Oluomo, as the chairman of the newly constituted Parks and Garages Management Committee of Lagos State by the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to manage and oversee the commercial Motor Parks and garages in the state.

The appointment of Oluomo was contained in a statement delivered by the State's Commissioner for information and strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso.

The groups in a statement signed by their Directors said the appointment was illegal on the ground that there is currently no known law in Lagos State backing this appointment. Moreso, according to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) the management of all parks, garages and bus-stops within the State falls under the purview of the Local government Councils, and not the state government.

The groups referred to Section 1(e) of the fourth Schedule to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) which provides thus: “The main functions of the local government council are as follows: (e)Establish maintenance and Regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, Markets, “Motor Parks” and Public conveniences (emphasizes ours).

Recall that Oluomo who was the Chairman of NURTW (Lagos Chapter) was sacked by the national body of NURTW, earlier in the week, for not showing remorse after his initial suspension for insubordination, abuse of office and incitement.

The appointment of MC Olomo as the Chairman; Alh. Sulyman Ojora, as Deputy Chairman; erstwhile AIG of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, as the government liaison officer in the committee; Taiwo Olufemi salaam, as secretary and 21 other members has takeneffect. They are to report to the State ministry of transportation.

Though the groups commended the motive behind the committee of the state government “To Ensure that activities and events of NURTW are not allowed to threaten the law and order in the state, however, the civil society organizations pointed that the Lagos State Parking Authority Law provides for a Chairman and a six (6) members only, of the Authority; therefore, constituting a 25 - member committee contradicts the State Parking Authority Law.

“The state Parking Authority Law is clear, Section 2 (a & b) has spelt out unambiguously the composition of the Authority. More so, the position of liaison officer is unknown to the law.

“However, section 12 (1&2) of the Parking Authority law provides for a general manager who shall be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and who shall be in charge of the general administration of the Authority and transaction of its day- to- day business.”

Recall that HEDA wrote to the Lagos State lawmakers through the Speaker, just recently asking them to repeal this same law on the ground that the role of managing parks, garages and bus-stops falls exclusively on the shoulders of local government councils as enshrined in Section 1 (e) of the Fourth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered).

It's on these grounds that our groups calling on the Lagos State government to rethink its decision and follow the rule of law as it's appropriate in the interest of Peace and Order that the Governor has promised the people.

We also demand a probe into the collection of multiple taxes and levies imposed on buses, tricycles and motorcycles in Lagos State. It has been investigated and confirmed that N123 billion is being collected per annum. The amount is likely to have increased as the levies collected daily are as follows:


Big Bus - named "LT" b/w N14,000 & N15,000; Small Bus - named "Danfo" b/w N8,500 & N9,000; Tricycle named "Keke" b/w N1,400 & N1700; Motorcycle named "Okada" b/w N800 & N1,200.


We expect the State Governor to expedite actions in this matter, without any delay.

CSOs, Nigerians urge President Buhari to sign digital rights bill - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and digital rights stakeholders, have urged the President, Muhammadu Buhari to sign the digital rights bill, sent to his office on Tuesday, FEbruary 5, this year, reports ITREALMS. 

The National Assembly, ITREALMS recalled had on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, transmitted the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. The Bill, which had been in Parliament since 2016, was passed by both chambers of the Parliament in 2018.

Paradigm Initiative, a social enterprise that has led the advocacy campaign in support of the bill, commended the National Assembly and urged President Buhari to immediately sign the Bill into law. This is according to a statement signed by its Communications Officer, Sodiq Alabi.

According to ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative Executive Director, “We are happy the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill has now been transmitted to President Buhari. Mr President now has a unique opportunity to position Nigeria as a leader in rights-respecting laws in Africa by signing the Bill into law.”

Yemi Adamolekun, the Executive Director of Enough Is Enough Nigeria, said, “It is significant that the gesture is happening on a day globally celebrated as the Safer Internet Day. There is now global attention on Nigeria to finish the important work it started by signing the Bill into law.”

The Africa Regional Coordinator of Web Foundation, Nnenna Nwakanma also added, “As the World Wide Web turns 30, Nigerians can not wait any longer for digital rights, freedoms and opportunities. The President's Assent is urgently needed to secure fundamental rights, to support a stronger digital economy, and to build a more secure internet.”

The President will have 30 days from the day it receives the communication from the National Assembly to assent to the Bill.

Speaking on the development, Paradigm Initiative’s Digital Rights Program Manager, Boye Adegoke said, “To its credit, the Muhammadu Buhari administration has signed some landmark Bills such as the Not too young to run Bill and the Disability Bill.”

“If passed, the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill will add to what appears to be a forward-looking disposition of the administration to policy making. What President Muhammadu Buhari does with the Bill will go a long way to define the administration’s disposition towards technology and its viability in improving the economic base of Nigeria,” Adegoke said.

A digital rights advocate and lawyer, Tomiwa Ilori said, "The bill is a potpourri of protected freedoms in the digital age. Nigeria will be at the cusp of history for being the first country to pass such comprehensive law with respect to securing human rights for the future. We have a golden opportunity of resetting digital policy across the board for human rights, we should take it."

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Centre LSD join forces with CSOs, media to push LG autonomy bill

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The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) in collaboration with the Civil Society Organisations cum Media Roundtable drummed support for Local Government (LG) autonomy, reports ITRealms.

The one-day roundtable was organized in partnership with Christian Aid with funding from UKAID under her Voice to the People (V2P) project, on Thursday September 21, 2017 in Kaduna to galvanize CSOs and media in the North West geopolitical zone to sustain the momentum around the issue of Local Government Autonomy and push for the passage of the bill at the subnational stages leveraging on the current constitution review process.

The Programme Officer of the Centre, Mr. Vincent Dania, said that Local Government Financial Autonomy bill seeks to abolish the state-local government joint allocation which puts enormous finances and control in the hands of state governors.

“The bill, if passed, will have positive implications for development in Nigeria especially at the grassroots level, hence the need for its engagement at all levels is critical,” he said.

Dania, also noted that a financially autonomous local government system that recognizes the place of citizens’ participation in decision-making, will ensure not just the virility of local governments to deliver services at the grassroots level but also bring about widespread development to communities across the country.

He commended the senate for passing the bill on local government financial autonomy amongst others in the ongoing constitution review process, the release enjoined Civil Society Organizations, the media, social media influencers as well as all well-meaning Nigerian citizens to sustain the push at the subnational level  to ensure the bill (s) scales through with their relevant provisions not tinkered with during the review stage by legislators at the State level.

As said by him, this was in the interest of the federalist principles Nigeria has opted for, and for ensuring that the local government, which is the arm of government that is closest to the people, performs her statutory function of being the engine of community and rural development.

He enjoined all well-meaning Nigerian citizens to share their opinions and contribute to the deliberations on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp to name a few.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Playback Nigeria, UNICEF, CSOs to march for children in 12 states

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Playback Nigeria, with the support of UNICEF, is partnering with Civil Society Organizations (CSO) across 12 Nigeria states and the FCT to march for children with hashtag #March4Children, reports ITRealms.

Convener of the iMarch4Children and Executive Director of Playback Nigeria, Oluwadamilola Apotieri-Abdulai, said this culture of silence must be broken.

“At the launch of the Presidential Year of Action to End Violence Against Children on 15^thSeptember 2015, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari called upon every Nigerian to play their part to End Violence Against Children in Nigeria.

The #iMarch4Children, Abdulai said, is a response to raise social awareness of this acute problem facing millions of children and to mobilize communities to take action.”

“The #iMarch4Children art-based project will take place in Lagos, Kaduna, Gombe, Cross River, Plateau, Ebonyi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Delta, Rivers State, Kebbi State and Abuja on the 27^th of May 2016 by 8am, bringing together children and young people of different age groups and backgrounds, religious and cultural leaders, the general public, celebrities and public figures who have been identified as #iMarch4Children Ambassadors,” Abdulai said.

As said by the convener, the  Nigeria  Violence Against Children Survey carried out by the National Population Commission, with the support of UNICEF and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched by Government of Nigeria in September 2015, highlighted the  prevalence of sexual, physical, and emotional violence suffered by children in the country.

The survey, ITRealms gathered, estimates that half of all children in Nigeria experience physical violence, one in four girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence and one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence before they reach the age of 18 years.

Abdulai further said, the majority of children never tell anyone what has happened to them. Less than 4% get the help they need to recover.

All participants, the convener said, will dress in a way that depicts the impact of violence against children, in order to shed a light on the silent suffering of millions of Nigerian children.

“A communique would be delivered to the Government in each state and at the Federal level on behalf of the CSOs after which a Die-In activity would be conducted, a process which will involve participants lay on their back to reflect on millions of children that have died as a result of violence against children. A daily tweet-meet has been launched on social media with different stakeholders tweeting on issues related to VAC on the official social media platform for the march and campaign @iMarch4Children and @end_vac,” Abdulai explained.

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Civil societies urge Obama, Uhuru to end inequalities, poverty

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The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged Presidents Barack Obama of the US and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya on Thursday to lessen growing inequalities and chronic poverty among vulnerable and marginalized populations in Kenya which threaten security, national integration, and sustainable development despite notable gains made under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reports ITRealms.

The Regional Communications Coordinator, Henry Neondo, told ITRealms in a press statement that the CSOs urged the two leaders to ensure delivery of the outcome of their meeting to match the ambition and transformative agenda for the country.

Speaking at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, Kenya, the civil societies and citizens will also ask the two leaders to ensure that no category of population is left behind as their two countries gear up to the UN Summit in New York in September to unveil the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They added that early intervention and investment in people of all ages, gender and abilities is the surest way to create a more just and inclusive society.  The foundation for inclusive societies begins with investment in health, social protection, security, quality of data and its disaggregation by age and gender, and lifelong education for sustained economic growth and shared prosperity.

Current statistics in Kenya show growing inequalities. In ability to access quality essential services and chronic poverty demands that the State invest further in Social protection programs. 

The CSOs urged the two leaders to support calls for effective, efficient and coherent funding modalities for the design, implementation and extension of social protection programs that meets the needs of the citizens. Additionally they also call on the two leaders to assure and promote the rights of women and girls, youth and older persons while safeguarding the needs of people of all ages. 

“What we need are concrete commitments to implement integrated social protection systems,” said Dr. Prafulla Mishra, Regional Director, HelpAge International, East, West, Central Africa.

 “Our country needs to set national and county human development targets within the framework of universal goals to provide the best opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty and ensure that the post-2015 framework reaches all people of all ages and abilities,” urged the CSOs. They cautioned against optimism towards private finance to deliver a broad sustainable development agenda saying such approaches are “misplaced”. 

The CSOs also took issue with the existing regressive tax policies such as indirect taxes which disproportionately harm people living in poverty such as older persons, women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and children.

The CSOs said while International Development Cooperation remain critical for development financing and fulfilling the 0.7 per cent commitment made more than four decades ago remains pivotal, Kenya should begin relying more on domestic resources to finance her development.

“That government must increase domestic resources, institute effective and progressive taxation systems, facilitate accountability mechanism and tax justice,” they said adding that an enabling environment for cross-sector, multi-stakeholder initiatives that deliver on the goals in the best interest of children, older persons, people with disabilities, youths and their families and communities is needed.

The CSOs expressed their gratitude to President Uhuru’s offer of his government to seek partnerships in order to deliver on sustainable development but urged him to cast his net wider to include non-state actors.

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