Nigerians Must Not Vote for Corrupt Leaders - Enwelum

Executive Director of Divine Era Development and Social Rights Initiative (DEDASRI), Ogechukwu Enwelum, has advised Nigerians not to vote for corrupt leaders if they want to break the circle of corruption in the country.
Enwelum stated this in Enugu at the 2nd Enugu South Governance and Security Forum, organized by CLEEN Foundation with the support of Ford Foundation.
She noted that by depriving the nation of legitimate revenues needed to provide public services, corruption can affect the capacity of the public sector to carry out its constitutional responsibilities and service delivery, such as education, water and good transportation system.
According to Enwelum, when these services are not provided, the result will be underdevelopment.
She further described corruption as a social problem that impedes national development and robs the people of opportunities for any meaningful economic and social advancement, even as it leads to undermining of public trust in public institutions, which disproportionately affects the poor who cannot afford the payment of bribes to obtain services.
“Through the distortion of government decision-making, it leads to wasteful investment projects, non competitive and uneconomic allocation of public funds.
“Again, corruption has the potential and capacity to restrict investments, slow down economic, social and political developments as well as endanger democratic values and increases distrust among the citizenry and investors” she said.
Enwelum stated corruption increases the chances of instability in the society and increases income inequality since it permits particular individuals or groups of individuals to take advantage of state activities at the cost of the rest of the population.
On the way forward, Enwelum explained that breaking the circle of corruption in the society means ‘seeing something, saying something and doing something’.
“It means that we all in our little spheres of influence should eschew corruption and fight against its spread. It means enlightenment of the masses on the hideous consequences on our nation, both locally and internationally.
“It means refusing to vote in or idolize leaders who are corrupt. It means we the populace taking part in recreating our own history bearing in mind that nation building is a tortuous but rewarding exercise by demanding accountability from our elected leaders,” Enwelum said.
Also, one of the participants and State Coordinator of Justice for all Programme, Evans Ezeugwu, noted that CLEEN Foundation had organized programmes for them in policing skills, resolving conflict and organizational management, which culminated in the marriage between the police and Neighbourhood Watch.
Ezeugwu added that every month, meetings are held between the police and Neighbouurhood Watch where reports are given on happenings in the communities with respect to security.

Also, Programme Officer of CLEEN Foundation, Ifeanyi Anyanwu, recalled that the first Forum was held in August and it was agreed that the second forum would be held in November.
Anyanwu, who also made a presentation on “Conflict Prevention and Management,” said that the objective of the forum was to teach the participants including representatives of Neighbourhood Watch Organisations, Town Union leaders and security agencies, how to hold elected leaders accountable, promote good governance and security.
He stressed the need for the participants to think out how to sustain the project on their own if they want to contribute their quota to good governance and security.

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/11/nigerians-must-not-vote-for-corrupt-leaders-says-enwelum/

Shun undemocratic pre-election activities, group tells politicians

http://theadvocatengr.com/shun-undemocratic-pre-election-activities-group-tells-politicians/

The South East Governance Network (SEGON), a non-governmental group based in South East Nigeria, has raised an alarm over what it described as unwholesome pre-election activities being carried out by some political stakeholders in the zone.
SEGON made this known in a statement signed by Hope Okoye and Ogechukwu Enwelum, Acting President and Acting Secretary of the group respectively.
The group listed such illegal activities to include the destruction of party/candidate’s posters, billboards, vehicles and offices in Owerri (Imo state) and Aba (Abia state);  and the dumping of large numbers of Permanent Voter’s Cards in ESWAMA refuse dumpster in Enugu East, Enugu state.
Others are marketing of party candidates’ campaign materials like wristbands, etc in Secondary schools in Owerri under the guise of supporting free Education and attacks on party faithful and property by suspected thugs of opposing parties in Abia State.
The group said: “Our attention has been drawn to the recent unwholesome pre-election activities among key stakeholders in the South East zone. This ugly trend as seen and reported recently in the media has contributed to the upsurge of certain undemocratic practices.
“SEGON having taken cognizance of all these unethical acts believes that they are not good for our democracy and therefore condemns in strong terms all undemocratic and violence-related acts and urges the appropriate authorities to urgently fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book.”
It urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that its personnel do not sabotage the Permanent Voters Card, PVC distribution or disenfranchise any registered voter in the South East just as it called on political parties not to involve under aged children or interrupt the peace in the secondary schools.
While advising registered voters in the South East to collect their PVCs and vote wisely during election as their civic responsibility to uphold democracy in Nigeria; SEGON also admonished  all political parties and actors in the South East to respect the  electoral code of conduct elaborated by the INEC.
“SEGON reiterates its call for immediate beef-up of security personnel in the South East by the Nigerian Police Force and other relevant stakeholders’ before, during and after elections for the safety of citizens’ lives and property for which the Federal Government of Nigeria bears the primary responsibility.
“SEGON thereby urges the good people of South East and Nigerians in general to remain peaceful during elections and faithful to the National unity of our great country,” the statement said.

Gender Stereotypes limits children and youths' development: Support Gender and Equal opportunities Bill

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Bill of Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (African Union Protocol) affirm the principle of non-discrimination and proclaim that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that everyone is entitled to all the rights set out without distinction of any kind including distinction based on sex. The Affirmative Action Initiative for Women (NCAA) recognizes this need and remains unwavering in its aspiration to ensure the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex and gender in private and public spaces.
NCAA recognizes the fact that the first step to achieving this in Nigeria is to put in place the legal framework to support the aspiration. In pursuance of this agenda, the NCAA put together the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB) which seeks to incorporate into national and state laws the provisions of the CEDAW, the African Union Protocol on the Rights of women in Africa and National Gender Policy (NGP).
The Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB) sets out to achieve the following:
1.      Prohibition of discrimination against any person on the ground of gender, age or disability or by any law, regulation, custom and practice.
2.      Promotion of the equality, full development and advancement of all persons.
3.      Adoption of temporary special measures to eliminate discrimination such as the reservation of a minimum of 35% of seats in elected and appointive positions for women; in the case of educational placement and school enrollment, including award of scholarships, bursaries, reservation of a minimum of 50% for women.
4.      Modification of socio-cultural practices with a view to eliminate gender stereotyping, prejudices, and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of sexes, or the roles for men and women.
5.      Elimination of discrimination in political and public life.
6.      Elimination of discrimination in the fields of education, employment and health.
7.      Elimination of discrimination on ground of marital status and economic grounds.
8.      Promotion of rights of persons in rural communities; rights to confer citizenship and choose indigeneship and identity.
9.      Prohibition of violence against women and promotion of equality in matters relating to marriage and family relations.
Over the years, NCAA in collaboration with the Global Fund for Women, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Ipas has made remarkable progress in this direction. The bill has been passed in Imo, Anambra (not yet assented to), Kogi, Ekiti and Plateau states.
The Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB) is still pending in Lagos, Edo, Ebonyi, Rivers, Enugu and Kaduna states. It is also pending at the National Assembly.
This petition is a clarion call on all stakeholders - Religious and Traditional Leaders, women’s groups, CSOs, Legislators and other policy makers to support the GEO bill.

Please add your voice to the campaign for the passage of the GEO bill.

Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum with NCAA Coordinator and FIDA Chair, Barr. Nkiru Nwabueze presenting the GEOB to the Enugu State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Ubochi

Members of NCAA in Enugu State

Members of NCAA, Enugu with Hon. Ezeugwu, Enugu State Majority leader 2015 during an advocacy visit

Participatory Governance and Security will contribute to the development and rights of children, youths and vulnerable groups.

DEDASRI partners with CLEEN Foundation with support from Ford Foundation to promote Inclusion and participatory governance and security in Enugu state

ECSDPP PLANNING WORKSHOP FOR THE PASSAGE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS LAW

DEDASRI contributes to the passage of the Disability rights Bill

South East Replication Workshop

 DEDASRI advocates for replication of Enugu state Inclusive Education policy process strategy in other developmental issues