Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Monday, accused Ministers serving under President Muhammadu Buhari of destroying the country’s economy.
The rights group in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko tasked Buhari on the importance of deploying the best ideas to revive what is left of the economy.
”In the first four years, under the watch of President Buhari, Nigeria overtook India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty. About 87 million Nigerians, or half the population, live on less than US$1.90 per day.
”Economic growth has been lacklustre since his election in 2015 and has continued since his re-election in 2019. The country went into recession in 2016, with a negative 1.6% growth rate. There was a rebound in the economic growth of about 2% in 2018. Still, the IMF forecasts that growth will remain anaemic at an annual average of about 1.9% from 2019 – 2023.
The group further stated that the recent accusations against the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Ibrahim Magu, and the alleged scale of corruption issues with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the supervision of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Godswill Akpabio are testaments of how the devastated effect of continuous corrupt practices in Nigeria has gone so bad.
It queried if the Buhari was foot-dragging the necessity of rescuing the waning anti-corruption war if indeed the government is not just playing hide and seek with Nigerians noting that the Buhari-led administration has not shown patriotism in the war against corruption especially in the economic sector.
”The economy cannot grow fast without zero tolerance to corruption. We recommend that the activities or programmes of the anti-graft agency; the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) should be reorganized and strengthened without much ado by appointing competent professional outside of the Nigerian Police to lead that law based fight against economic crimes which are destroying the local economy and exposing Nigeria to global disrepute.
”The current economic policies marred by the scale of corruptions are not delivering desirable outcomes and this is why the administration of President Buhari has to fashion out more robust and effective fiscal and monetary strategies to save the day. ”
HURIWA urged Buhari to task Ministers especially the Finance, Power, Humanitarian Affairs and such vital revenue-generating agencies such as the NNPC, the Federal Inland Revenue Services, The Nigerian Customs Services, Nigerian Immigration Services, NIS, the Nigerian Ports Authority to be transparent and accountable because there are too many leakages and corruption going.
It also called on Buhari to stop the mass hunger, mass joblessness, insecurity and instability that are tearing Nigeria apart.
” Mr President must stop his cabinet-level appointees from working at cross purposes and committing outrageous economic crimes against the Nigerian people and above all.
”Mr. President should stop mortgaging Nigeria into servitude through dubious debts from China which plans to take over Africa by hook or crook. President Buhari must search for ‘a black goat now that it is still daylight and make hay whilst the sun shines.”
