By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Civil Rights Council (CRC), has called on the federal and state governments to make adequate budgetary allocations to solve Nigeria’s humanitarian and gender-based violence problems.
The CRC noted that with United States President, Donald Trump, cutting 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.
The council maintained 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.
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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, Why can’t the Nigerian government provide money for interventions with all the monies gotten from our natural and mineral resources?,” She queried.
“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.”
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. END
