Nation
SERAP Seeks Policies To Prioritise Social Amenities In Communities
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Government to initiate policies that will place priority on water, health and education in communities.
The Lead Researcher at SERAP, Dr Elijah Okebukola, made the call yesterday during a town hall meeting in Lagos.
The theme of the meeting was: “The ignored pandemic: How Corruption in the Water, Health and Education Sectors is plunging Nigerians into Poverty”.
Okebukola urged government to initiate a constitutional amendment to make access to social amenties a fundamental right of Nigerians.
He expressed worry that some communities did not have access to public water, education and health.
He said that a national survey by SERAP shows that only 19 per cent got water from governmental sources, while more than 2.9 million people were denied access to medical treatment.
He said that the survey further indicated that none of the states surveyed in the six geo-political zones had any policy relating to access of poor people to water.
Okebukola further said that while the national policies generally recognised the needs of the general population in terms of access to water, they did not take into account the peculiar needs of people living in poor neighborhoods.
He, therefore, urged the government to intensify efforts in ensuring that every poor community had basic needs.
He said: “Government can support people in communities through short and long term programmes.
“While the government tries to intensify effort in providing basic needs for communities, it is essential to create awareness programmes to educate them on how to better harness the resources around them.”
Okebukola said that it was necessary for the government to be transparent, accountable and ensure proper documentation of social interventions in order to solve the issues of poverty and corruption.
He charged the government to do proper investigation and mete out punishment to those responsible for corruption in the management of public funds meant to provide access to quality education, healthcare and water to poor Nigerians.
The highlight of the meeting was the inauguration of SERAP Accountability Club (SAC).
The club comprises undergraduates, who are to function as watchdogs in their institutions.
Some of the aims and objectives of SAC include to enable effective involvement and participation of young Nigerians in the promotion of transparency and accountability.
They are also expected to create a national unified voice network for advocacy, information sharing and capacity building for young Nigerians, amongst others.
Nation
Rumuaholu Community Denies Land Grabbing Allegations, Accuses Obio/Akpor Chairman of Interference in Land Dispute
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has commended the orderly conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in the state and urged schools to sustain the standard.
Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.