Benin City – The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has hailed the Nigerian government’s negotiations with the Boko Haram sect leading to the safe return of 82 girls who have been in captivity in three years.
A statement released to the media by ANEEJ executive director, the Rev David Ugolor, said that the unrelenting effort of the Buhari government to secure the release of the girls is worthy of commendation, especially at a time when all hope at the safe return of the girls seemed lost.
‘So that the moment of the celebration of the return of the girls is not lost on the remaining girls, we urge the Federal government to continue to work with the same effort to negotiate the release of the remaining girls in captivity’, Rev Ugolor said in the statement.
He said that if the government pursues issues of corruption in Nigeria with the same resolve with which it has pursued and negotiated the release of the 82 Chibok girls, corruption will be a thing of the past in Nigeria.
‘When the presidential panel set up by Mr. President to look at the case of the suspended Secretary to the government Babachir Lawal, and DIG of the National Intelligence Agency Mr. Ayo Oke, ANEEJ called for an independent body rather than the presidency setting up an investigative panel of inquiry. The initial panel headed by the Attorney General of the Federation, had already carried out an investigation and submitted its report to Mr. President.What we are witnessing now is that the Osinbajo panel report on the erstwhile SGF and DIG is now in limbo because Mr. President is away on medical leave and action cannot be taken’, Ugolor said.
‘We believe that the proper thing must be done by the setting up of an independent panel to investigate the allegations against the SGF and DIG to logical conclusion. ANEEJ suggests that this independent panel can begin their investigations irrespective of the Osinbajo panel, so as to come up with a trusted and credible document which would promote the course of justice and reduce corruption in governance’, the Rev Ugolor stressed in the statement.
