Govt directs ministries to implement constituency projects

[TGD]

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday rose from its weekly meeting with a directive to all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government responsible for the execution of constituency projects as captured in the 2013 budgets to immediately implement same.

  The FEC also raised a special committee under the leadership of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), to work out Nigeria's position to the four-year second Nigeria's adoption of United Nations Universal Human Rights Report review.

Information Minister, Labaran Maku, while briefing State House Correspondents after the meeting, also submitted that before the commencement of the meeting, the Governing Council of the Banjul-based West African Insurance Institute conferred on President Goodluck Jonathan a special honour as the grand patron of the organisation.

  Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Bai-Koroma, who led the delegation of other members of the Governing Board of the Institute, which was originally based in Liberia, but had to be relocated to The Gambia, as a result of the crisis in the West African country, said the recognition for Jonathan was in appreciation of the leadership role Nigeria has played in the sub-region, especially in promoting economic development of the region.

  Maku, who briefed the media, said the Council deliberated on the progress recorded by Nigeria in the upholding of fundamental rights of her citizens since 2009, when the last review of the UN Rights reports took place. For instance, he said, the county had recorded tremendous progress, especially in the area of enforcement of the rights of women, especially concerning appointive and elective positions in the country.

  According to him, out of the 32 human rights issues raised about Nigeria in 2009, the country has successfully addressed 30, an indication that it has recorded tremendous success.

  "For instance, there is a lot of progress in dealing with gender issues. In the last four years, issues of women representation have been greatly enhanced. At the federal level, there have been deliberate efforts to improve the rights of women to participate in public affairs."

  He, however, admitted that there had been fundamental differences between Nigeria and the UN Rights Reports on issues pertaining to death penalty and same-intercourse marriage, saying since the critical stakeholders within Nigerian society, such as religious, traditional and other opinion leaders, the country was yet to take any position on the matters.

  Maku said the directive on the MDAs to implement the constituency projects was aimed at enhancing the living conditions of Nigerians.

  Consequently, all the MDAs involved in the execution of constituency projects in the country should commence the immediate implementation, with the Ministry of Special Duties as the coordinating ministry for effective and approved certification of the projects.

The Guardian