Group Declares massive Mobilization against Impunity in Nigeria, Announces date for the protest

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

By Eric Ojo

Horrified by the spate of impunity in Nigeria, the Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N.) Campaign, a multi-stakeholder project, has reiterated the need for a concerted and massive effort geared towards eradicating impunity at all levels in the country.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan

The anti-impunity project which has been very vociferous lately in public discourse on issues relating to the scourge also called on all Nigerians to observe a proposed day tagged; “National Day of Outrage Against Impunity” which will be held on November 23, this year.

The group said the proposed day, will be used to bring together all pockets of civil society organizations and campaigns working separately in a nationally coordinated strategy and synergy for a series of coordinated critical mass of anti-impunity activities in a way that government and other perpetrators of impunity cannot ignore.

The Campaign Coordinator, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye who disclosed this a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos, explained that in view of the magnitude of the problems in Nigeria, the Day of Outrage Against Impunity will be observed in the country once every quarter, beginning with November 23 this year, which coincides with the International Day to End Impunity, and that each event will spotlight one of the four thematic areas that the S.I.N campaign focuses on.

“The activities will be used not only to raise public awareness about what creates and sustains a culture of impunity, but it is expected to prompt concerned citizens nation-wide to take action, make their voices heard and to demand rule of law, accountability, improved governance, promote justice and democratic ideals”, he said.

He also noted that the theme for the last quarter of 2013 will be public finance management and accountability because, according to him, November 23 falls within the period when the national budget is undergoing consideration at the National Assembly while preparations are also on-going at state levels for state budgets.

Prof. Owasanoye further observed that it would be a good opportunity to highlight the impunity challenges inherent in the budget process and in budgeting in the hope that the various actors will be minded to remedy the situation.

According to him, “It is intended that advocacy activities will focus on budget transparency, accountability and elimination of waste and duplicity that has characterized national budgets since the return to civil rule in 1999. The leakages, fraud and lack of fiscal management in budgets and the budgeting process have escalated corruption”.

While outlining the calendar for future “Days of Outrage Against Impunity” and themes, the Campaign Coordinator said that Impunity within Civil Society has been slated for the first quarter of 2014, Impunity in the Rule of Law in second quarter while that of Impunity in the Management of Elections will come up in the third quarter repectively, adding that the cycle will thereafter be repeated in a sustained multi-year campaign until impunity is drastically curbed in all sectors of the Nigerian society.

He further disclosed that the group had designed detailed and elaborate plans and strategies to prosecute the campaign and was working with like-minded civil society organizations as well as other interest groups and stakeholders around the country to ensure that the Day is observed nationwide.

Prof. Owasanoye added that the proposed actions to be carried out by citizens will be announced in the period leading up to November 23 and called on all well-meaning citizens who disapprove of the culture of impunity in the country’s public finance management to join the actions to express their outrage on that day.