President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been charged to adopt a comprehensive development agenda as a piecemeal approach to deal with the challenges facing the country.
The charge was contained in a
Communique issued at the end of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Leaders Intervention meeting on Petrol Subsidy Removal and Palliatives by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) held on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 1 & 2, 2023 at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja.
The CSO discussions which centred on the recent removal of fuel subsidy also urged the Federal Government to implement a Comprehensive Social Protection Programme that will truly capture the poor and vulnerable, saying Social Protection has been acknowledged across the world as a veritable way to get people out of poverty.
Parts of the communique reads : The procedure for filtering policy ideas should not be left only for the political class alone, the FGN should consider setting up a Presidential think tank to provide policy analysis to the government.
“A process for increasing the minimum wage should commence immediately by governments at the federal, state, and local levels and by private sector employers as the current minimum wage no longer reflects the new realities.
“Governments at Federal, State and Local levels should increase investments in basic education, and primary health care for poor Nigerians to create increased access to and quality of social services.
“Reform of the Anti-Corruption Agencies and Public Procurement system should be genuinely pursued by the FGN to drastically reduce the haemorrhaging of public coffers and shut down corruption in MDAs.
“Civil Society should strengthen its engagement with key institutions like Federal Executive Council (FEC), National Economic Council (NEC), Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and National Assembly to demand accountability and transparency in government processes.
“The neoliberal economic policies of Bretton Wood institutions should be challenged by Nigerians to give room for the advancement of state-led economic models that will create entrepreneurs and promote national development.
“The Federal and State Governments should partner with Development Partners and CSOs working on Social Protection as there is sufficient experience across the world and in Nigeria to learn from in the implementation of social protection measures in Nigeria.
“Civil society organisations at the local, State and National level should take appropriate measures to monitor, evaluate and demand for transparency in the articulation, and implementation of social protection measures to ensure that the citizens are not short changed.
“Federal Government should ensure that the four refineries are functional as soon as possible and efforts should be made to have policies in place to deal with trauma associate with the hardship citizens have gone through as a result of subsidy removal”
Participants at the CSO’s meeting in Abuja are :
1. David Ugolor – African Network for Environment and Economic Justice
2. Abiola Akiode – Women Advocates, Research and Documentation Centre
3. Monday Osasah – African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development
4. Ene Ede – Equity Advocates
5. Funmi Akinyele – Food Basket Nigeria
6. Rommy Mom – Lawyers Alert
7. Otive Igbuzor – African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development
8. Nelson Nwafor – Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development
9. Tijani Abdulkareem – Socio-Economic Rights and Development Centre
10. David Anyaele – Centre for Citizens with Disabilities
11. Y. Z Ya’U – Centre for Technology and Development
12. Dr. Udy Okon – Youth Alive Foundation
13. Emmanuel Ushie – Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre
14. Faith Nwadishi – Centre for Transparency Advocacy
15. Egedegbe Edewor -Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative
16. Idris Miliki – Centre for Human Rights Conflict Rersolution
17. Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele – Meluibe Foundation
