Insecurity: Forum seeks effective monitoring of security votes

The federal government has been urged to evolve mechanism to publicly monitor security votes of state governors and others concerned to tackle insecurity in the country.

This is contained in a communique of a one-day workshop on “Reforming the Nigerian Defence and Security Sector through Strengthening Mechanisms Fundamental for Effective Oversight Functions” in Abuja.

The event was organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International in Nigeria (TI-Nigeria), in collaboration with the Transparency InternationalDefence and Security Project (TI-DSP), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

The workshop is aimed at initiating a national discourse on defence and security oversight, equipping stakeholders with tools for effective understanding, interrogation, and conduct of oversight activities, also called for active participation of women in the nation’s top security architecture to bring positive dynamics and boost security.

Stakeholders from various institutions, including the Ministry of Defence, Federal House of

Representatives, Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Code of Conduct, Office of the Auditor General, Office of the Accountant General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Human Rights Commission, and Civil Society Organisations, among others, attended the workshop.

The forum noted the tendency to marginalise women, including in the defence and security sector, apart from the prevalence of corruption within the defence and security sector, which was identified as a significant challenge, compounding the existing security issues in the country.