A strongly worded petition by front line civic group, the Resource Centre for Human Rights&Civic Education (CHRICED) culminated in yesterday’s sack of the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Mustapha Maihaja. The Explainer can authoritatively report that the petition dated April 10, 2020, and signed by CHRICED Executive Director Comrade Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, chronicled a number of infractions including lack of transparency in the distribution of Federal Government’s COVID-19 palliatives to poor and vulnerable Nigerians. The petitioner also prodded the President to dismiss the NEMA Chief over corruption allegations dating back to 2018, when the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee indicted the NEMA chief, and recommended him for prosecution.
CHRICED in its reaction to the axing of Maihaja commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minster of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq for what it described as a good move to reposition the emergency agency. In a statement, the group said by moving to change the leadership of the agency, the government has shown that it heard the loud cries of vulnerable citizens who were left stranded because NEMA as a critical institution in the COVID-19 palliatives distribution process failed to show competence, inclusiveness and transparency in carrying out the exercise.
The group said it was moved to petition for the removal of the NEMA DG because many vulnerable Nigerians complained to it that they did not get the palliative items, which were released for distribution by the Federal Government.
“CHRICED also drew attention to the litany of controversies, which had dogged the palliatives distribution in some states, and called on the Minister, being the supervisor of NEMA to quickly overhaul and reposition the agency. In the said petition, CHRICED condemned the NEMA’s dismal approach to the palliative process, and its lack of accountability and transparency in the implementation of the government’s emergency response to cushion the effects of the pandemic on the most affected citizens of our country.”
The group warned that if NEMA’s “unbelievable incompetence and unbridled corruption,” under the sacked DG were allowed to continue, the government would continue to be falter in delivering palliatives to citizens who need it the most.
However, the group noted that despite the long delay before the sacking of Maihaja, it was commendable that the government eventually took action in line with the need to reposition the agency.
“It is now time for the newly appointed Director-General, Air Vice Marshall (AVM) Muhammadu Alhaji Muhammed to clean up the mess in NEMA. The new DG’s immediate task would be to urgently design an effective mechanism to ensure inclusive, participatory and transparent processes in redirecting the agency’s response to the needs of vulnerable citizens seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other emergencies.”
