#EndSARS: Government urges states to submit progress reports on judicial panels

*Vice-President (Prof.) Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has advised the 36 states in the Nigerian Federation where the judicial panels are still sitting to send in their interim reports on last year’s #EndSARS Protests in order to measure progress

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

In determining the progress being recorded on the issue, Nigeria’s National Economic Council (NEC) is has updated its focus on the reports of the State Judicial Panels set up across the country after the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

ConsumerConnect reports Vice-President (Prof.) Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, urged states in the Federation where the panels are still sitting to also send interim reports in order to  measure progress.

Mr. Laolu Akande in a statement noted Vice-President Osinbajo said the reports are now being received ahead of a Council meeting where presentations would be made on them, both for states where the panels have concluded their work and those that are still sitting.

The Council comprises the 36 State Governors, Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other senior Federal Government officials.

Accordingly, as plans for next year’s budget begins to gather pace, the NEC was reported to have endorsed the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) which was presented to it at an emergency meeting of the Council Saturday, July 3, 2021.

Apart from the MTEF presentation, the Council also updated its focus on the reports of the State Judicial Panels set up across the country after last year’s #EndSARS protests in Nigeria.

The statement said these were some of the major highlights of the emergency meeting of the Council which held virtually and was presided over by the Vice-President, with several State Governors, FCT Minister, Finance Minister, Central Bank Governor, and other government officials in attendance.

Earlier in her presentation of the MTEF to the Council, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, Honourable   Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, stated that the draft of the 2022-2024 MTEF/FSP was prepared against the backdrop of global economic recovery, amid improved vaccination outlook and lower incidence of (COVID-19) infection.

The Minster said the Nigerian economy sustained a tepid recovery in first quarter of 2021 posting a Year-on-Year (YoY) GDP growth of 0.51%, consolidating the exit from recession in Q4 2020, reflecting the easing of COVID-19 induced restrictions.

Ahmed recalled that the economy, which lapsed into recession in Q3 2020, after two successive quarters of negative GDP growth, promptly emerged from the recession with a positive 0.11% GDP growth in Q4 2020.

The Medium Term Fiscal Framework indicated that there are continuing global challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19, according to her.

The presentation to the Council by the Minister followed the public presentation of the paper Friday, and a forthcoming presentation to the Federal Executive Council.

It is recalled that the Council recommended the establishment of judicial panels nationwide to address complaints of police brutality after President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved the Police SARS unit last year.

Almost all States in the Federation set up the panels, including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

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