Political Economist

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About us
  • Contact us

Main Menu

  • Local News
  • World News
  • Business & Economy
  • Sports
  • Commentaries
  • Home
  • About us
  • Contact us

logo



Political Economist

  • Local News
  • World News
  • Business & Economy
  • Sports
  • Commentaries
  • Power transmission hits peak of 5,615.40MW; no improvement in supply – consumers

  • Oil industry losing investments to non-passage of PIB – Okowa

  • Osinbajo commends UBA, First Bank, Sterling, Fidelity Bank for leading off-grid financing in Nigeria

  • New Dawn as Sarki Auwalu Stirs Transparency at DPR

  • NAF Plane Crash: Safety Of Nigerian Airspace Remains A Priority – Buhari Mourns Victims

Breaking NewsLocal News
Home›Breaking News›SERAP urges FG to convert stolen assets into isolation facilities

SERAP urges FG to convert stolen assets into isolation facilities

By Admin
May 3, 2020
175
0
SERAP

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the conversion of seized stolen assets into facilities to isolate COVID-19 cases in the country.

It made the call in an ‘urgent appeal’ to the President, dated May 2 and signed by SERAP deputy director in Nigeria, Kolawole Oluwadare.

The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abukabar Malami, to work with appropriate ministries and agencies to identify, publish and use confiscated stolen assets as isolation centres.

It explained that this would provide safe and enabling environments for the treatment and care of infected people, as well as improve the government’s ability to respond to COVID-19 and reduce the threat posed by the disease.

SERAP noted that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, was said to have begged Nigerians to donate and temporarily make their buildings available as isolation centres.

It stressed that making such donation would be counter-productive, as it would put the donors at a greater risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus.

“Rather than begging Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres, the authorities should identify, publish, and use confiscated assets as isolation centres, as a temporary measure.

“Using confiscated assets as isolation centres would be proportionate, necessary, and serve a legitimate objective, namely to protect public health and public order,” the group said.

It added, “The proposed measure would be lawful, and more effective, as it would be in the public interest.

“Using the confiscated assets as proposed would neither violate the accused’s right to property nor entail a duty to compensate. The proposal by the Minister of Health would pose unnecessary risks to public health.”

The statement reads in part:

SERAP urges you to ask Mr Malami to urgently work out the details and modalities for implementing these recommendations with the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

SERAP urges you to ask the Minister of Health to drop the idea of begging Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres, and to move swiftly to focus on implementing these recommendations as a step towards effectively reducing the spread of COVID-19, treating and caring for people, and fulfilling the right to health, in line with Nigeria’s human rights obligations and the sustainable development goals.

Our recommendations, apart from being entirely compatible with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations including the UN Convention against Corruption, which has been ratified, would also enhance the ability of the authorities to effectively and satisfactorily respond to COVID-19.

Reducing health risks associated with Nigerians donating their buildings as isolation centres would complement the authorities’ objectives of ending COVID-19.

As the right to health is closely related to and dependent upon the realization of other human rights, including the right to private and family life, asking Nigerians to donate their buildings as isolation centres may also violate this fundamental human right.

The recommendations would also enhance the ability of the authorities to effectively implement the country’s international human rights obligations particularly regarding to take effective steps to prevent, treat, and combat epidemic, endemic and other diseases, such as COVID-19.

SERAP’s request is also in line with the repeated public commitment by your government to provide details and locations of all recovered stolen public funds.

Publishing confiscated assets would also be entirely consistent with the judgment by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which ordered your government to tell Nigerians about the stolen assets it allegedly recovered.

The judgment was delivered in July 2017 following a Freedom of Information suit number:  FHC/CS/964/2016 brought by SERAP. Your government has refused to obey the judgment, despite Mr Malami publicly promising to do so.

We hope that the aspects highlighted will help guide your actions in acting to ensure enabling environments as isolation centres to treat and care for Nigerians, as the NCDC takes steps to ramp up testing for COVID-19.

TagsEFCCHadiza Rabiu ShagariICPCKolawole OluwadareNCDCSERAP
Previous Article

COVID-19: Zamfara Emir dies in isolation Centre

Next Article

COVID-19: Tinubu urges FG, banks to reduce ...

Related articles More from author

  • Local News

    N735m subsidy scam: Absence of defence counsel stalls hearing 

    July 2, 2019
    By Admin
  • Maina
    Local News

    Court refuses to grant Abdurasheed Maina bail

    February 25, 2021
    By Admin
  • Local News

    Court adjourns until Jan. 27, 2020 for Metuh’s defence

    November 20, 2019
    By Admin
  • Nigeria
    Breaking NewsLocal News

     NCDC raises concern over inadequate bed spaces in Lagos, says we may start treating some patients at home

    April 30, 2020
    By Admin
  • Local News

    Alleged $9.8m fraud: Court declines halting ex-NNPC GMD’s trial

    June 24, 2020
    By Admin
  • Enugu schools
    Breaking NewsLocal News

    COVID-19: Couple deceives officials to evade quarantine – Enugu Govt

    May 10, 2020
    By Admin

You may be interested

  • Local News

    Gunmen Abduct Winners Chapel Pastor in Calabar, Insiders Suspected

  • Local News

    I Receive Average of Four In-traffic Alerts Daily—Lagos Commissioner of Police, Owoseni

  • Local News

    Ogunleye Appointed New FCTA Chief Press Secretary

logo

Political Economist is a liberal news magazine with global affiliations.

We promote free enterprise and act as a catalyst for the growth of knowledge economy. We are proudly pan-Nigeria yet richly spiced with African and global news. We offer a fair and balanced news reportage presented by our team of well-heeled professional journalists...

About us

  • 5 Olutosin Ajayi Street, By CPM Church, Ajao Estate, Lagos State, Nigeria
  • +234 805 680 1124
  • info@politicaleconomistng.com
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Congo

    Boko Haram ‘Directly Targeted’ Aid Facilities In Borno – UN

    By Admin
    March 2, 2021
  • e-Commerce

    e-Commerce: Call to rescue SMEs’ data genocide; role of Konga, others

    By Admin
    March 2, 2021
  • Buhari

    Rising Insecurity: Buhari Declares Zamfara State ‘No-Fly Zone’, Bans Mining Activities 

    By Admin
    March 2, 2021
  • DSO

    Content, key to success of DSO – Lai Mohammed

    By Admin
    March 2, 2021
  • Jonathan Sacks IGP Abba, Appoints Arase

    By Admin
    April 21, 2015
  • Zinox iPower Inverter Claws to Market Dominance

    By Admin
    November 24, 2014
  • Police foil another suicide bomb attempt in Borno, kill three bombers

    By Admin
    April 24, 2017
  • Your Kidney is Your Life, Watch Your Lifestyle, Counsels Dr. Amira

    By Admin
    February 27, 2015
  • Justopec
    on
    April 24, 2017

    Police foil another suicide bomb attempt in Borno, kill three bombers

    Good one for the ...
  • Justice Shedrack
    on
    April 24, 2017

    Police foil another suicide bomb attempt in Borno, kill three bombers

    Nice
  • Anonymouse
    on
    February 8, 2017

    Qatar Airways makes history, completes first longest non-stop flight of 16 hours from Doha to New ...

    This is nice...
  • Justice Shedrack
    on
    January 19, 2017

    Confusion in Gambia, Jammeh stays put, Barrow to be sworn in at Gambia embassy in Senegal

    Na wa ooooo

Find us on Facebook

Follow us

  • Home
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
© Copyright Political Economist. All rights reserved.