CRC calls for adequate budgetary allocation to solve humanitarian, gender-based issues in Nigeria

By Obiabin Onukwugha

The Civil Rights Council (CRC), has called on governments at all levels to consciously make adequate budgetary allocations geared towards solving Nigeria’s humanitarian and gender-based violence problems.

According to the CRC, with United States President, Donald Trump cutting off foreign aids there was the need for the Nigerian government to utilize monies gotten from its natural resources towards addressing these pressing issues to avoid crisis.

The CRC made the call during a review meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Capital at the weekend. They expressed concern that if conscious efforts were not taken by the Nigerian government, the masses would suffer humanitarian crises as a result of the aid cuts.

Speaking Chairman of CRC Bayelsa State chapter, Amb Elizabeth Egbe, decried that Nigeria has often depended on foreign aids to solve her humanitarian problems despite being a rich country. She regretted the lack of political will by successive government to address Nigeria’s problems. “With the threat that Trump has cut off foreign aids, Nigeria likes depending on aids, most of these aids are provided by governments. Why can’t the Nigerian government provide money for interventions with all the monies gotten from our natural and mineral resources. We have money but the political will to deliberately allocate some of these monies is the problem,” she said.

Egbe, who is a child/human and environmental rights activist and Coordinator, Global Care Rescue Mission, observed that gender-based violence has continued to be on the increase because of lack of funding to address such issues.

She said: “It is a call to Mr. President, our governors and our political leaders. There should be that political will if really they want to minimize gender based violence. Let them increase funding, let there be a budgetary allocation at the national, state and local government levels dedicated for intervention of gender-based violence.

She revealed that the body was currently handling a case of domestic violence involving of a Police Inspector attached to Mopol 30, Yenagoa, Inspector Sunday Ideh who is involved in domestic violence against his wife Mrs. Akpezi Ideh, and their 9-year-old child. She said: “We got a report that this mobile police man is fond of beating up his wife and when he wants to beat her he would sharpen a cutlass and bring other daggers and instruments and he threatens to kill her and the child so that there will be no one to revenge her death.

“There was instance where he locked up the mother and child and lit up gas inside her room and sat down there for more than one hour and he threatened to kill her if she turns off the gas.”

“All of us are witnesses that gender-based violence is on the increase with men killing their wives. Sometimes the police don’t act because the action from the government side for the police to act is not there. So let’s accelerate action, not just saying we are against gender-based violence by the political class, but where is the action.

“What is the amount of money being allocated. In our budget do we have a conscious effort in increase allocation to gender-based violence intervention. We are supposed to have an all-inclusive trauma centre, where we would have taken that women and the child to in the first place. So most times even when you rescue a woman that is being abused there is no place for her to stay so she goes back to the same house a d the beating continues, which is the case of this woman,” she added.

Speaking earlier, the CRC National Chairman, Barr Arochukwu Ogbonna, expressed concern on the effect that the cut on foreign aids will have on Nigerians. He encouraged human rights activists and bodies not to relent on their efforts, especially in the area of collaboration, public awareness and campaigns.