The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International in Nigeria has expressed deep concern over the lingering socio-economic challenges that plagued the nation throughout 2024.
Therefore, the organisation called on the current administration to implement rapid and holistic measures by 2025 to address citizens’ plights and meet their expectations.
Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, executive director of CISLAC and head of Transparency International Nigeria, stated this in a statement: „Throughout 2024, the current administration‘s series of macroeconomic decisions negatively impacted Nigerians‘ standard of living, financial capacity, and purchasing power.”
Rafsanjani said CISLAC/TI-Nigeria felt duty-bound to draw the government‘s attention to several unresolved critical challenges, stressing that those issues require urgent policy intervention in 2025 to ensure sustainable development.
Lamenting the rising cost of governance, he said: „Amid widespread poverty and inequality exacerbated by harsh policies, Nigeria continues to grapple with an excessively high cost of governance. This has led to wasteful expenditures and unnecessary duplications despite the recommendations of the Orosanye Report on cost reduction.
„High governance costs have constrained resources that could be directed towards critical sectors capable of driving national development. Furthermore, troubling reports at the sub-national level reveal that many states are engaging in unproductive projects and ventures that fail to contribute meaningfully to economic growth.“
On the lingering insecurity, Rafsanjani said the government must prioritise the security of lives and property in 2025 and beyond, adding that this required adopting international best practices in intelligence gathering, research, sabotage, espionage, and psychological operation.
He said enhanced inter-agency cooperation among defence and security agencies is essential to complement ongoing reforms and improve tactical implementation.
The civil society doyen said: „While CISLAC/TI-Nigeria welcomes the focus on national security reforms in the 2025 Appropriation Bill, the government must allocate adequate resources to the defence and security sectors to achieve meaningful results.
„Given the intensity of ongoing attacks, kidnappings, and other security threats, the administration must double its efforts to restore safety and stability, encourage investments, and reclaim unlivable communities.
„Radical reforms are urgently needed, including implementing Early Warning/Early Response systems, sanctioning human rights abuses by security personnel, and reviewing recruitment and deployment processes. Enhanced remuneration for police and civil defence personnel is also critical for motivation and performance.“
Rafsanjani noted that comprehensive constitutional amendments, political party reforms, and electoral system overhauls are urgently needed to safeguard Nigeria‘s democratic progress and ensure sustainable governance.
„These reforms will address systemic flaws perpetuating inefficiency, injustice, and political instability. Equally, judicial reform must take centre stage to restore faith in the rule of law.
„A judiciary that lacks focus and independence undermines the very foundation of democracy. By implementing these critical reforms, the government can strengthen institutions, foster accountability, and create a more inclusive and transparent political framework that reflects the aspirations of all Nigerians,“ he added.
While calling for strengthening of the financial sector and border security, the CISLAC/TI-Nigeria boss said the growing issue of terrorism financing has placed Nigeria among the top ten countries most affected by terrorism, according to the 2024 Global Terrorism Index.
„Weak border security has allowed terrorists, small arms, and illicit funds to flow into the country unchecked. Reports indicate that 137 out of 261 borders in the North-East and North-West remain unguarded, further enabling terrorist activities.
„To combat this, Nigeria must strengthen financial regulations and enhance the capacity of anti-corruption and regulatory agencies. The banking sector and other financial platforms must be closely monitored to curb terrorism financing, money laundering, and illicit financial flows.“
He called for sustained anti-corruption efforts, saying transparency and accountability remain critical for democratic governance, but 2024 saw attempts to undermine anti-corruption agencies through legal and political manoeuvres.
„The Federal Government must reaffirm its commitment to the operational and financial independence of agencies like the EFCC, ICPC, and CCB.
„In 2025, the government must fully implement anti-corruption laws such as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, and Beneficial Ownership Registry to tackle corruption and remove Nigeria from international grey lists,“ Rafsanjani.
The public affairs analyst commended the 2024 Supreme Court judgment barring state governors from mismanaging funds meant for local governments but insisted that constitutional reforms are needed to ensure financial and administrative autonomy for regional governments, enabling them to deliver grassroots development effectively.
He emphasised that the executive and legislature must adopt a holistic economic blueprint to address Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges, saying economic diversification through targeted public-private partnerships in agriculture and industry was crucial for sustainable growth.
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