The importance of inclusiveness in governance and other decision-making levels was further emphasised when the national coordinator/chief executive officer, African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Princess Gloria Akobundu, brought together women, youth and others at the 2nd peer review of the federal republic of Nigeria which held recently. Nigeria has already domiciled NEPAD in the country; but has it exercised the mandate of the organisation in line with the present administration’s quest for good governance, elimination of corruption, job creation, security, wealth creation, diversification of economy among others? ENE OSANG was there and writes
Background
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a NEPAD programme of action initiated in 2002 and established in 2003 by the African Union in the framework of the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
APRM is an instrument voluntarily acceded to by member- states of the African Union as an African self-monitoring mechanism. It is an innovative and bold attempt by Africans to improve governance and the well-being of all citizens. It is an initiative that places the citizens at the centre of the development discourse.
Following the severe socio-economic and political under-development ravaging Africa continent, the Heads of States of Africa established NEPAD in 2001, with the mandate of enhancing good governance, wealth creation, food security, job creation, security, and elimination of corruption, among others, in the various countries. The members were enjoined to domicile AUDA-NEPAD in their various States for easy implementation and monitoring as well as peer review of the mandates among the countries.
APRM has been one of NEPAD’s most successful programmes in encouraging good governance and democratisation in Africa. It is a unique accountability method for African countries to review each other’s governance and hold each other to account.
The first peer review of Nigeria was done in 2008. 2020 earmarks another year for a second review process which includes the review of policies and practices on the four thematic areas of Democracy and political governance, Economic management and governance; corporate governance; and socio-economic development aims at assessing progress made in governance and socio-economic development in member states in the period since the first review.
Gender inclusion
What makes this second review of Nigeria unique is the consideration of gender, youth, persons with disabilities and the need for inclusiveness at every level of governance and other decision-making levels in Nigeria and the entire Africa.
Akobundu disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari approved for the second peer review of the country since the last peer review in 2008, to enable every citizen to do an assessment of the country and proffer solutions on what to do in order to develop the country.
“This second peer review allows every citizen to come up with their input and ideas like an assessment report of where we are now, and where we want to be by helping to formulate a development policy that can serve as advisory support to leadership in Nigeria, which is inclusiveness.
“That is why under the review guideline we are making wider consultations by involving the state, the local government and organising town hall meetings across the six geo-political zones so as to get everyone’s view: gender, people with disabilities, youth, on the state of the nation as well as proffer solutions,” she said.
She further called on Nigerians, especially women, to not only think political leadership, but diversification of the economy, stressing the importance of all to unite in order to build the nation to the desired level.
According to her, “Objectives of the APRM are primarily to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration through experience sharing and reinforcement of successful and best practices, including identifying deficiencies and assessment of requirements for capacity building.
“As we also talk gender inclusiveness, we should talk about the private sector, industrialisation, job creation, cottage industries and a lot more. For instance in China every family has a business, a cottage industry; so let’s not talk of only politics, but diversification of economy.”
Participants’ views
The gender officer at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Blessing Obidiegwu, in her remarks, lauded NEPAD for considering gender in the second review cycle, noting the importance of having men and women on decision-making tables.
Also, the president, Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), Ebere Ifendu, said the peer review of Nigeria couldn’t have come at a better time, stressing that it was important for women’s voices to be heard at all decision-making levels.
Communiqué
At the end of the consultative forum, suggestions on how to address various issues affecting women and girls in the society including democracy and politics, economic management and governance, were drafted into a communiqué.
According to the communiqué, the president of Medical Women Association International, Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, stressed the need for public health issues to be addressed, adding that an electoral offence commission policy should be put in place in order to sustain the democratic process.
“It is a crucial part of governance to address the greatest human rights and public health issues affecting women and girls. One in three women and girls is affected by violence on our women and girls and subsequently our economy and development. We need more /good accountability, monitoring and evaluations policy to be put in checks. During election, the military should not be included. Voter cards should be given two to three months before election. Issues of card reader should be tackled and there should be flexibility of voting in any part of the world.
The communiqué also called for the amendment of Charta Act Inclusive Gender, adding that the government has been diversifying in agriculture and fashion but not in industrialisation due to lack of infrastructural development and power.
“We need to go beyond political will to constitutional will (gender parity). Inclusion of political will on the part of government, and promotion of disability governance. A bill is useless when it is not implemented.”
The communiqué noted further the Lack of an operational child protection system in Nigeria which provides for the welfare, care and support of vulnerable children and especially indigents children.
“The Child Rights Act needs to be domesticated by all states in the country.
Family courts should be provided to add legal and criminal issues regarding children in Nigeria, and full operationalisation of the family courts in all states in Nigeria even at high court level and not just the magistrate level. NAPTIP should be strengthened to implement the violence against Persons Prohibition Act.
“There are the National Education Policy and National Inclusive Education Policy; these policies how are they fully implemented in the area of people of disabilities. This has not fully be implemented. Systems should be put in place for the people with disability and they should be treated rightly cross-cutting issue across all social-economic right.”
The communiqué also noted that several challenges hinder the effectiveness of corporate governance in Nigeria – from corrupt practices, ownership structure, slow and inefficient judicial process to lack of enforcement mechanisms by regulatory bodies. It faulted the discrimination of Women/youths and persons with special abilities in the areas of employment, promotion and leadership, stressing that employment should be based on merit.
“Employment should be made open and should be based on merit. There should be the implementation of some policies such as the five per cent quota for persons with disabilities during employment, review of the welfare of female staff, maternity leave and day care centers for nursing mothers. There should be gender equity, youth and disability inclusivity in all sphere of programme in the companies, especially in leadership, board members, committee members and management teams.”
In all of this, the question that remains unanswered is, what really NEPAD in Nigeria has done justify its establishment in Nigeria.
