The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to have a rethink on his decision to seek $1 Billion USD foreign credit facility to prosecute the ongoing counter-insurgency war. It rather wants the President to look inwards and draw up a quick-win strategy for making Nigerians to own the process of the counter-terror war by contributing to a War Trust Fund (WTF).

HURIWA said in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko that it is wrong to seek external loan to prosecute a war largely created by insurgents and expect generations yet unborn to bear the burden of repayment.

The group meanwhile demanded a forensic probe of the alleged N76 Billion CCTV Scam. It wants government to also introduce death penalty for the crime of theft of defence and police budgets.

Besides, the rights group asked for the introduction of a general war tax of at least N1,000 per working individual (in private and public sectors) and N5,000 per registered company to help set up a War Trust Fund meant for procurement of state-of-the-art information technology-driven facilities and combat weapons for the prosecution of the ongoing counter insurgency war.

HURIWA also suggested that political office holders at all levels be asked to give 25% of their monthly salary (for two months only) towards the setting up of the counter-insurgency war fund to be managed by a five-member team made up of Nigerians of unimpeachable integrity with representations from ministries of finance, defence and the civil society community.

On the alleged collapse of the $470 Million USD (N76 Billion) National Public Security Communications System (NPSCS) project in Abuja, the rights group tasked the federal government to hire “tested and trusted foreign forensic investigators to unravel the whereabouts of the huge public funds deployed for this critical security infrastructure which as evidently made manifest was not effectively delivered.”

HURIWA recalled that the contract for the NPSCS project was awarded by the federal government to provide a secure an independent multimedia communications system for the police and other security agencies in the country.

“We urge President Jonathan to ensure that all those that sabotaged these critical security facilities are brought before the court of law to face the full weight of the law. We use this opportunity to repeat our call for the death penalty to be imposed for crimes of diversion of defence and police budgets henceforth,” said HURIWA.

•Photo shows HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko.

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