By Okhide Em’ya David
Conference of non-governmental Organization (CONGOS) has tasked the Federal Government of Nigeria and other key partners to urgently address poor human capital development in the Nation by strengthening basic institutions for social regeneration.
CONGOS Chairman, Dr. Daisy Abiola, made the call while addressing guests and members of the body at a lecture to mark its tenth anniversary in Benin City.
He said a social order which Nigeria prides itself with unrealistic data on its human development index is in self-deception and can never be competitive at the octave of development.
Abiola disclosed that in the last ten years, CONGOS has engaged in intervention to strengthen government’s commitment to a pro-people delivery, adding that to that effect, the organization has given priority to socioeconomic actions that focus on rehabilitating the debased, dispossessed, abused and abandoned members of the society.
“Guided by the truism that human beings are primary to managing all processes in development, a country that neglects the educational sector , forecloses itself to a hopeless and regressive future” noting that to that effect, they aver that the neglect of the education of children and youth does not only under-develop but d-develop.”
“Our children and wards school in water logged classroom environments among others. Most appalling is the recourse to examination malpractices rather than teaching and learning: a developing factor that has become the indulgence of our parents, teachers and students. Put succinctly, on a 2012 report of the UNDP, Nigeria was classified as number one in the world examination malpractices index.”
Abiola further said that Nigerians, whether youths and adults, are underpaid and underemployed remarking that fundamentally, in a knowledge-driven environment like the world is today, qualitative education is critical to preventing crime and promoting the rule of law.
CONGOS Chairman observed that anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria becomes a contradiction as the nation cannot be talking of citizens refraining from corruption when what an average worker earns a month is just enough for a week’s survival, insisting that the minimum wage of N30,000 per month is unrealistic and amounts to self-deception.
She said CONGOS will continue to advance the course of the Nigerian people in their agitation for a living wage adding that clearly, “the dimension of the ENDSARS protest reveals the level of poverty in our country presently. The accompanying looting of government and personal properties reveals the desperation of our people to be able to have a meal a day.”
Dr. Abiola said Nigeria, amongst others has the worst mortality rate in the world quoting the health Minister, Dr. Ehanire as confirming in a statement in August that a maternal mortality rate of about 512 per 1000 births presently exist.
She said that “the World Health Organisation has recently described Nigeria as the country where nearly 20% of all global maternal deaths happen every single day and losses about 2,300 under five children and 145 women of child bearing age to death while in a recent global index report, Nigeria rates first in open defecation in the world.”
She said a recent report of the National Bureau of Statistics informs that Nigeria is presently in deep recession adding that when juxtaposed with 14.23% inflationary trend, published by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, civil society organisations are expected to rise up to its combative role towards ensuring that governance becomes more responsive.”
Dr. Abiola said the essence of the discourse for their tenth anniversary is to re-position Nigeria Civil Society organs beyond grant seeking for self-enrichment or as path to escaping the poverty scale individually.
She said consequently CONGOs is providing the rudder for re-positioning the civil society division as an ideologically-driven development department of the social order while civil society must be re-positioned to reflect an organ of social influence that articulates, presents, and defend the yearnings and aspiration of the people in a dialectical manner that balance theory and context.
The Chairman of CONGOS’ Board of Trustees, and tenth anniversary lecture as well as Executive Director, Environmental Right Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, while welcoming guests asked all civil society members to be united in the task of liberating the masses from the shackles of the oppressors instead of unnecessarily hobnobbing with those in the corridors of power for pecuniary benefits.
Dr. Uyi Ojo said the activities of those few highly jeopardize the mandate of the civil society to make the country a better place.
In a message to the event, the member representing Owan Federal Constituency, at the House of Representatives, Dr. Julius Ihonvbere who was represented by chief Taiwo Akerele, immediate past Chief of Staff to Edo State governor, said advocacy for social order is now more needed in the country especially as democracy thrives better in an inclusive component where government and the electorate remain progressively on the same Page.
The Minister of State for Budget ,Mr. Clement Agba who was represented by former Chief Medical Director, CMD, Central Hospital Benin, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, emphasized the overall importance of civil societies to nation building through community development initiatives, poverty alleviation programs, emergency assistance during disasters and sustainable system development.
The Minister said by involving beneficiaries directly and acting as catalyst in the attainment of sustainable economic growth and development, there is this crucial need for more collaboration between government and NGO’s to ” organize our People, create awareness in them and make them development.
Mr. Clement Agba said in an era where philanthropy, compassion, love and care for the less privileged no longer command attention of many in the society, the decade long activities of CONGOS is worth commending.
He announced that he and his wife had in 2014 founded the Clem Agba Foundation, tasked with creating awareness about Hepatitis, a silent and neglected killer as well as offering free screening and vaccination to individuals.
He disclosed that his Ministry is responsible for the registration and coordination of NGO’s as well as International Nongovernmental Organizations INGO’s, and cautioned CONGOS to liaise with the Department of International corporation to ensure that their individual Organizations are listed and well documented with the Ministry.
Agba said their Program could not have come at a more auspicious time than now as the Federal Government is in the process of developing a medium term national development plan for 2021 to 2025 and 2026 to 2030 as well as a long-term plan from 2021 to 2050.
He stated that the plans which are meant to cover all the sectors of the Nigerian Economy and address critical aspects of global, continental, and sub regional agenda, namely sustainable development goals (SDG’s), AU Agenda 2063 and ECOWAS Vision will ensure economic stability, national development and good governance in the Country.
Agba said the plan’s preparation process has been participatory, consultative and inclusive, covering all the stakeholders such as federal and subnational levels of government, private sector, non-governmental and civil societies, youth based groups and persons with disabilities adding this “is because they do not see the plans as Federal Government of Nigeria Plan but a Nigerian Nation’s Development Plan.”
The Father of the day and Iyasere of Benin, Chief. Sam Igbe, in his remarks, asked CONGOS to be more structurally organized to ensure speedy achievement of set goals.
In a lecture titled, Social Order and Development, Civil Society and the National Question, Comrade Olarewaju Adeleke observed in clear terms, that there can never be a meaningful development without social order, and no social order is enduring without having a good system of social structures, balanced institutions that ensure fairness in political and economic power.
His words: “The system we run is weak and not pro-people. It has become so bad that everyone takes advantage of the institutions for personal enrichment
“We have become placid to institutional decay which is now a cankerworm”.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Civil Defence Corps (NCDC), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), were adequately represented at the Lecture.
