If we don’t take care, CIA’s prediction on disintegration of Nigeria will come to pass – TheNigerialawyer

Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), says if care is not taken, the
prediction of US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on the
disintegration of Nigeria will come to pass.

Jega said this on Wednesday while speaking at Tell Magazine’s 20
years of democracy conference in Abuja.

In the buildup to the 2015 election, the CIA had predicted that
Nigeria would disintegrate.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan accepted his loss to
President Muhammadu Buhari, a move many said averted anarchy.

Speaking at the conference, the former INEC chairman said the
country has witnessed some “reversals” in the progress it made
during the 2015 elections.

Jega said more work needed to be done to protect the integrity
of the country’s electoral process before 2023.

“The CIA thought that 2015 was the do or die period for Nigeria,
that there would not be a Nigeria in the way you know after the
2015 general election – that has come to pass, but I think if we do
not take care, a lot of these predictions will come to pass that is
why we need to do quite a lot, much more than we have ever done in
order to protect the integrity of the electoral process before
2023,” he said.

Jega said there is “remarkable” trust deficit by the electorate
in the electoral process.

“The clearest evidence of this loss of trust and confidence is
declining voter turnout in elections since 1999,” he said.

“For example, people have argued that in 2015 the generalised
insecurity was a result of the activities of Boko Haram have been
responsible for the low voter turnout regardless of the improvement
in the electoral process.

“The postponement of elections both in 2015 and 2019 may be some
explanations as to why there was voter turnout.”

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!

2020 Budget: NASS tasks MDAs to provide measurable
targets

The National Assembly has tasked the Federal Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to provide achievable targets that
are measurable with timelines for the implementation of the 2020
Budget.

President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly,
Ahmad Lawan, said the ninth Assembly is not only concerned about
the timely passage of the budget but also deeply concerned about
its implementation.

Lawan, flanked by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and principal officers of both chambers,
spoke at the National Budget Hearing on the 2020 Federal Government
Budget which began on Wednesday at the National Assembly.

The Senate President said: “We have mandated our Committees to
engage with the MDAs. We want the MDAs to give us roadmaps on how
they intend to achieve their targets.

“If you are taken 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in 2020,
in ten years it will be one hundred million. We want to see the
plans by the relevant or responsible Ministries, Departments and
Agencies of government on how the 2020 budget will be able to take
10 million Nigerians out of poverty.

“We want these to be measurable targets. We are not going to be
asking for stories. We are going to be asking for facts.

“So, we are going to task the MDAs that in this year budget we
will not wait until 2021, give us targets that are measurable which
we can evaluate after every quarter.”

The Senate President also cautioned on the continued reliance on
borrowing to fund the infrastructure needs of the country but
instead suggested a Public Private Partnership (PPP) option.

“If we have to borrow, we should borrow. Where we can avoid
borrowing because there is another opportunity, we should take that
opportunity that has a lesser burden,” Lawan said.

Lawan is also in agreement with the suggestion for the
resuscitation of the long term national planning programme.

“I agree that the long term national economic programme is
useful. We had it before, it worked for us better. We stopped it
and we have seen the consequences.

“So now that we have a minister that thinks that we should go
back to that process and we have a National Assembly that is
prepared to ensure that this country does better. We should hit the
ground running.

“I am not aware of any request for legislation but if it is the
desire or necessity that we legislate, this National Assembly will
work with the government to ensure that we legislate on the
national economic development plans,” Lawan said.

Signed:
Ola Awoniyi
Special Adviser (Media)
to President of the Senate