Northern Group Faults Tinubu’s Loan Request, Calls Judiciary Reforms

By Daniel Maduka

A coalition of Civil Society Groups from the 19 Northern States of Nigeria under the aegis of Conference Of Northern Nigeria Civil Society Networks, has raised the alarm over what it termed an unbridled quest for loans by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, noting that the regime should rather look in wards to raise funds for governance, instead of mortgaging the future of up- coming generations

This is just as it has raised concerns over the spate of conflicting and controversial judicial pronouncements emanating from the country’s Judiciary ,in the aftermath of the 2023 polls. It warned that unless the National Judicial Council NJC wades in to halt the drift, the nation’s evolving democracy may be truncated.

The Source News Magazine reports that the President, in his 2024 budget proposed, a whopping $ 7.83 trillion loan, a development that has raised astronomically the debt profile of the country .

In a communique issued on Sunday, January, 7, 2023, and signed by the duo of Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya and Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf Chairman and Secretary respectively, the Northern Group called on President Tinubu to urgently convene a national economic summit for citizens to deliberate and proffer solutions to the current harsh economic situation in the country.

They lamented that millions of Nigerians have been plunged into unmitigated poverty owing to some unfriendly economic policies of the present administration, warning that the army of deprived citizens particularly from the Northern Region may prove to be handy in any destabilizing scenario.

“Before the advent of the present administration, there were over 130 million Nigerians living in multi- dimensional poverty .This terrifying situation should be seen and considered as a national emergency  going by the potent dangers it portend ,which to us is a national security risk.

“Another 30 million Nigerians have since the inception of the present regime been added to the poverty club.

Therefore, igniting any politically motivated conflicts in any parts of the country especially in some opposition States in the North is an open invitation to the destruction of our dear country which we must collectively work to avert.” the group noted.

Consequently, they have appealed to the Presidency and all other political actors in the country to refrain from manipulating the  country’s Judicial system ,adding that  integrity, fairness and equity are some of the essential ingredients that guarantee an effective judicial system.

“We believe that the NJC has the responsibility to effect the necessary reforms to restore faith in the judiciary.

The conflicting judgments being issued by various courts of the same jurisdiction have created a sense of confusion and frustration among the citizenry, leading to loss of public confidence in the Judiciary.” the Northern Group stated.

The Coalition further expressed its concern about the declining fortunes of democracy in the country owing to manipulative tendencies of the of the political class.

” Some members of the conference in different states of the North participated actively in the the last elections and closely monitored activities and we regret to state that what took place in most states like Imo, Kano, Zamfara, Plateau, and the presidential election were not elections.

“The will of the people which remains the pillar of democracy the world over was suppressed during the last elections ”  the group lamented.