The presidency has asked the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Venture (SERAP) to desist from striking out its “divisive, irresponsible, and naked-faced publicity stunts”.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu made the resolution on Wednesday in an announcement titled, ‘SERAP must conclude the publicity stunt and render beget accountability.’
The fragment, in step with Mr Shehu, became aimed at addressing the repeated ridiculous claims from SERAP “that it’s bringing appropriate action in opposition to the Government and/or President of Nigeria”.
Deepening his argument, the spokesman argued that “little or no is acknowledged about SERAP, or who funds them – regardless of their claims of being an organisation that champions transparency and accountability”.
In maintaining with him, “to date, SERAP has launched on repeated occasions – on every occasion by approach of a effectively-funded media campaign – that it’s suing the government or President over a unfold of points from alleged human rights abuses to alleged corruption. To this point, SERAP has now no longer taken their retinue of appropriate actions to a logical conclusion. They don’t explain by.
“But these headline-grabbing publicity stunts, on the other hand baseless, attain painting an wrong characterize of life and governance in Nigeria and – more seriously – in sowing division amongst the Nigerian of us proper by a time of heightened international financial volatility and hardship”.
Mr Shehu extra said that Nigeria is pleased that its narrative as Africa’s leading democracy and greatest economy speaks for itself.
“Nigeria is amongst the tip 5 countries in Africa for quality of life, and our rating within the Human Type Index has step by step risen for a decade,” he declared, including that: “This success is testomony to the rights, rule of law and sturdy, self sustaining institutions loved by all Nigerian citizens and others who’re living there. Certainly, it’s a proven reality that self sustaining, non-governmental organisations can thrive there – especially these that explore accountability from govt.
“Build merely, right here lies SERAP’s paradox: in a nation with out human rights, no rule of law, restricted freedom of expression, and used democratic institutions the conditions and cacophony that SERAP causes – even the group itself – merely would now no longer be accredited.
“It is, sadly, the case that our modern, as a lot as date, and liberal appropriate system is open to manipulation by cynical actors who explore nothing nonetheless to sow division amongst Nigerians and exact publicity for themselves. With the international pandemic exacerbating poverty across the continent, of us that have continuously sought to divide Nigerians along cultural, racial and political lines for political or financial waste are more dangerous than before”.
The president’s special media aide challenged SERAP to explain by on its most modern spurious appropriate dispute in a Nigerian court of law.
He urged the organisation to peril the government publicly, legally and transparently, including that while they tell out so, they must display cloak in pudgy look of the nation who they are, and who is funding them.
