A group under the auspices of Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) has decried the growing culture of impunity, saying that the tendency was destroying the fabric of Nigeria and plunging the country into a state of anarchy.
The group, which converged in Port Harcourt recently at the instance of the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHR), observed that the culture of political impunity and apparent abuse of due process has put Nigeria democracy under threat.
The group, which conveyed their resolution in a communiqué referred to as the Port Harcourt Declaration, called for a proactive measure to curb the culture of impunity through proper awareness and staff resistance towards the abuse of due process and lack of transparency in governance.
Some salient issues raised in the communiqué include “That all elected representatives of the people and political office holders should stop the impunity culture which manifest in personalization of state power.”
“That the government at all levels should stop using regulatory agencies to settle score.
That government agencies should be transparent and accountable in the management of tax payers money.”
The communiqué also condemned “the glorification of violence, through rewards and offers at the expense of non-violent Nigerians,” and also recommended that the Police Service Commission should be autonomous to oversee and regulate the activities of the police.
The group condemned bickering among politicians over the 2015 general elections, and pointed out that the 2015 general elections should be based on merit and not on self endorsement.
The coalition also drew attention to the deplorable state of the East West road, and called for the review of the interventionist agencies in the Niger Delta Development Commission, and the Niger Dela Ministry, which they scored low in performance.