Connected Development (CODE) a Civil Society Organisation, has inaugurated Monthly Security Dossier (MSD) that will serve as security advisory for policy makers and security agencies.
Mr Hamzat Lawal, Founder and Chief Executive of CODE, made this known during a media parley in Abuja .
Lawal said it was necessited by the rise in insecurity in the nation which was a concern for citizens.
According to him, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of terror-related deaths, adding that randomly, bandits attack communities inflicting heavy human casualties, rustling cattle, destroying properties and social installations.
He said that in spite of all these, no one had been punished as a result of these deaths, to shape public behaviour.
“For as Connected Development, here is our response: we are launching monthly security dossiers (MSDs) for policy makers and security agencies but most importantly, also inform citizens on how they can take action.
“We believe that our first edition will help inspire the needed conversation and action and so far, we have recorded that 3120 Nigerians were victims of security breakdown across the nation.
” Furthermore, 465 persons were killed, 355 personnel were kidnapped, 120 persons sustained injuries and 2000 persons were displaced in the country,” he said.
Lawal said that CODE’s plan was to launch the dossier then have a policy dialogue and engage the media to intimate them of the findings.
He said that CODE had over 10,000 people on ground across the 774 local government areas who would collect and document reports of security cases that usually did not make it to social media or the mainstream media.
He expressed hope that the security dossier would inform a National Civil Society Working Group on security and development, partnering with government and security actors to build sustainable peace .
He said that the group would also work with traditional and religious institutions .
Lawal added that CODE was currently tracking both public, private and multilateral resources that had been committed to the COVID-19 pandemic through its COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP).
He said that CODE had so far implemented the project with BudgIT, an NGO in nine countries with the goal to strengthen healthcare accountability and citizens engagement.
“Our team in these counties engage in community outreaches, high level engagement in some of these countries which include Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Cameroon,” he said.
He said that in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic and government clampdown, the group recorded major impacts.
“In Cameroon, we influenced institutional audit processes across the ministry of public health and ministry of justice on the use of funds.
“In Nigeria, our advocacy influenced documentation of COVID-19 fund disbursement by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, providing the public with the breakdown of COVID-19 funds,” he said.
Lawal said that in Malawi, the group collaborated with the Centre For Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) to track a Covid-19 school expansion project in Salima District.
He added that in Ghana, the team’s advocacy, through partnerships with other CSOs and activists, resulted in the formulation of a parliamentary committee to review COVID-19 spending.
He said that in Sierra Leone, the group, with other civil society groups and the media, prompted law enforcement agencies and the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate and prosecute erring officials.
He said that in Liberia, advocacy with other civil society organisations and media institutions, led to the national government accounting for COVID-19 funds.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria