Buhari’s Unfulfilled Promises: Life solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, short for Nigerians-SERAP

In spite of the plethora of promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari to better the lives of Nigerians, their conditions have grown from bad to worse due to nonfulfillment of these   promises by the present  administration which came  to power in 2015.

In his campaign promises, Buhari had declared that insecurity, poor economy, corruption, weak naira amongst other nation’s difficulties would be successfully tackled if he won. Thus, on May 29, expectations were high as most Nigerians expected the incoming government to wave a magic wand and make all their problems disappear.

But less than five months to the end of his second-term in office, these promises remain unfulfilled as  life has become solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short for Nigerians as attested to by The World Poverty Clock, which declared , recently ,that Nigeria has become  the poverty of the world , surpassing India.

This is the position of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a non-governmental organisation that aims to use human rights law to encourage the government and others to address developmental and human rights challenges such as corruption, poverty, inequality and discrimination in Nigeria.

SERAP said on Wednesday, at a media briefing titled “Failed Promises: Corruption in the Water, Health and Education Sectors in Nigeria” that Buhari’s administration has failed to fulfil the promises he made to Nigerians in 2015, dashing their expectations and hopes  as exemplified by the spate of insecurity, extreme poverty and lacks, joblessness  that now assail  the country.

 Said SERAP: “In his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari stated that ‘Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. He then made a clear promise that his government would “tackle these challenges head on’.

“He (Buhari) also promised to “ensure that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country. The Federal Government would not fold its arms and close its eyes to what is going on in the states and local governments.

“In 2019, President Buhari once again promised that his government would “intensify efforts in improving security, the Economy and Fighting Corruption.

“Unfortunately, President Buhari’s government has made little to no progress in fulfilling the promises made to Nigerians to fight grand corruption, end impunity of perpetrators, respect the rule of law, and ensure access of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians to basic public goods and services.”

According to SERAP, “the government’s promise to fight corruption and end impunity imposes a moral and legal responsibility to protect the rule of law, ensure sustainable development and full respect for Nigerians’ constitutionally and internationally guaranteed human rights, as well as to obey court judgments.

The promises, said the organisation, also impose a responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels of government, and mean that government and public officials should timely and consistently respond to Freedom of Information requests from Nigerians.

Nigeria has maintained the infamous position as the poverty capital of the world, with 93.9 people in the country currently living below the poverty line. Seven million Nigerians fell into extreme poverty in 2020. Virtually all sectors have been affected  by  the near misrule the country has been witnessing since 2015.

“SERAP is seriously concerned about the rising rate of poverty and socio-economic inequality in Nigeria. The recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) contained damning revelations that some 133 million Nigerians are poor, despite the government reportedly spending N500 billion yearly on social investment programmes.

“The rising poverty is an obvious result of many years of corruption and mismanagement of the country’s commonwealth and neglect of the socio-economic rights of the people. Corruption, the bane of Nigeria’s development is flourishing with impunity, and appears to be winning.

“In spite of the growing deficit in our national budget and increasing national debt profile, access to basic public goods and services such as quality education, affordable healthcare and regular and uninterrupted water supply has become almost non-existent due primarily to systemic and widespread corruption in these sectors.”

 SERAP said many “unresolved allegations of corruption in public institutions like the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) continue to undermine public confidence in the education sector, lead to the erosion of access to education, and if not urgently addressed will lead to an increase in out-of-school children, and exacerbate educational inequalities in the country. Due to government’s inability to meet the demands of ASUU, academic activities were suspended for more than eight (8) months across public institutions in Nigeria.

“Investigating the allegations of corruption and mismanagement of Nigeria’s resources, prosecuting suspected perpetrators and recovering any missing public funds would contribute to addressing the systemic and widespread corruption, which has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable and marginalized, and entrenched inequality. This is in spite of alarming revelations by the Auditor General of the Federation in the 2018 and 2019 Auditor General’s report.

“The fight against corruption is also part and parcel of the 2030 Development Agenda. Goal 16.5 calls upon Member States to substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms and goal 16.4 requires them to significantly reduce illicit financial flows and to strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets. In addition, goal 16.6 calls upon Member States to develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The Nigerian government is yet to account for several millions of dollars of Abacha loot recovered from 2015 till date.

“Lack of progress in the fight against grand corruption and the promise to obey the rule of law is further buttressed by the fact that many high-ranking officials suspected of corruption rarely end up in jail, as suspects continue to exploit the flaws in the justice system to the point where individuals are profiting from their crimes.

“In 2022, the National Council of State endorsed the pardon of Mr. Dariye, Mr. Nyame and 157 others serving jail terms following the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. Mr. Dariye and Mr. Nyame were jailed for stealing N1.16bn and N1.6bn, respectively.

“SERAP challenged President Buhari’s exercise of prerogative of mercy in favor of the two convicted politicians. We are concerned that impunity for corruption will continue as long as influential politicians escape justice for their crimes. The constitutional power of prerogative of mercy ought not to be an instrument of impunity.

“The government’s disdain for the rule of law is also illustrated by the tendency to pick and choose which court orders it complies with. This selective application of the rule of law invariably undermines the independence and integrity of the judiciary, and is counter-productive to the government’s own fight against corruption.