SAN Advocates Abolition Of Security Votes, Says It Breeds Corruption

Awka – A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Professor Ilochi Okafor has advocated the abolition of security votes from Nigeria’s governance system, insisting that no political office holder enjoying the perquisites, truly means to fight corruption.

Okafor, who is a Professor of Law gave the view in Awka, at a ceremony to mark the commencement of the 2021/2022 Legal Year in Anambra State.

Security vote is a monthly allowance, secretly allocated to office holders for the sole purpose of funding security services, which runs into billions of naira and vary based on the level of security required by the individual state.

According to Professor Okafor, security votes spending is not subject to any oversight or audit and is largely channeled into personal pockets of the public officials.

He insisted that the nation cannot be rid of corruption unless judges of courage, rise to the challenge of one of the ‘outcrop of corruption centres on the horrendous security cotes’.

“On the average, a governor takes N1.5 billion every month.

“Transacted mostly in cash, security votes are never audited whether legislatively or independently.

“Transparency International estimated that security votes add up to over$670 million (N335 billion) annually.

“Analysis of 29 state budgets reveals that these states spend an average of $580 million, (approximately N251 billion) in total, each year on security votes.

“Federal Government security vote average $50 million (N25 billion) annually.
“Assuming each local government chairperson receives an average of $55,000 (N27.5 million) in security votes funding every year, then local government security votes would amount to another $42.6 million (N21.3 billion),” he revealed.

The SAN noted that security votes spending exceeds 70% of the annual budget of the Nigeria Police Force, more than the Nigeria Army’s annual budget and more than the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Airforce’s annual budgets combined.

This he noted, is worrisome, considering that every government whether Federal or state, keeps increasing the amount of security votes.

“None has ever lowered it.

“Yet we endure misery everywhere.

“The judiciary, education, health sectors etc, are grossly under-funded,” he lamented.

Noting that security votes lack any legal or constitutional basis, the Professor of Law argued that retaining the security votes, whether with chacks and balances and monitoring through legislative oversight, is no panacea, as according to him, “a thief cannot monitor a thief.”

“Why is security budgets kept secret from the public?

“If security votes are to be retained at all, they must be made public, specifically open in the budget, and its use, thoroughly audited by the judiciary,” he suggested.

Professor Okafor, who regretted that the courts are no longer the last hope of the common man, expressed worry that more often than not, justice is delayed.

According to him, the society especially the rural areas, has as a result, ceased to rely on orthodox system of justice.

In his words, “rather, they are running to the traditional system.

“Disputes are today taken to shrines/juju priests where they are settled in a twinkling.
“The traders go to their guild or union to recover a debt owed or for some other trade complaints.

“In all these cases, these disputes are very speedily and in most cases, fairly and justly resolved to the satisfaction of the parties.
“Unfortunately in our courts, these disputes drag into years or even decades, destroying the confidence of the common man in our justice delivery system.”

The legal luminary called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders in the justice administration system, towards enthroning a system that guarantees speedy justice to the common man.

 

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