By Jaye Gaskia & David Ugolor
‘END
IMPUNITY NOW’ is a nationwide campaign initiated in May 2012 as a network of
civil society organisations in Nigeria alarmed by the dangerous scale
corruption has assumed in the country and the impunity with which people in
position of authority and responsibility harass our collective sensibility with
their ill-gotten wealth. Of particular
concern is the rot in the oil industry which is unarguably the proverbial
chicken laying the golden revenue eggs for the Nation. The Campaign is committed to waging an
effective war against and putting an end to this era of unabated corruption and
flagrant impunity.
The
area of national resources management system which basically involves budgeting
and procurement services was identified as the main holes through which the
nation’s resources are mercilessly looted. Budgets are neither properly planned
nor effectively implemented. Implementation never exceeds 60% while the level
of corruption averages 40 to 45% of annual federal budget which accounts for
the unpreparedness of government to attend to unforeseen challenges like
natural disasters (flood, erosion, etc) because of the mismanagement of the
over 400 billion naira in ecological funds over the last decade.
The
Campaign identified the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, its Ministers
and all parastatals under the Ministry as being responsible for the monumental
fraud in the oil industry. In its opinion, the lack of political will and
courage to tackle the problem leaves room for speculations and the assumption
that perhaps the government is both unwilling and incapable of fighting the
menace. According to the Campaign, in the last 10 years and going by the recent
Ribadu
Committee Report, the country has lost approximately $29bn to price
fixing and contract sums involving oil and gas firms. In addition, the
government is being owed billions of dollars in royalty arrears by oil
companies. One can imagine how far the country would have gone in providing
basic amenities, infrastructure and services, in employment generation and in poverty
eradication had all these stolen billion been committed to these areas.
In
view of these maladies, the Campaign demanded that Government should take these
steps, among others: sacking, investigation and prosecution of indicted
officials, agencies and operators in the oil industry; immediate determination
of the actual Daily Consumption Rate (DCR) as well as the combined Daily
Production Rate (DPR) for PMS in the country; the resignation and subsequent
prosecution of the Minister of Petroleum Resources for her ignoble roles in the
whole oil industry corruption saga! Should these demands remain unmet and
should there be no convincing sign of fighting corruption, the Campaign said it
would be compelled to call for nationwide mass actions towards the end of
November, 2012.
The EIN statement
hereby urges all movements, people’s organisations, civil society groups and
all concerned citizens to join the campaign.
Being extract from the text of a World
Press Conference jointly addressed by Rev. David Ugolor of Africa Network for
Environmental and Economic Justice and Jaye Gaskia, National Convener, United
Action for democracy and Spokesperson of the ‘End Impunity Now’ Campaign.
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