As Nigeria ushered in the New Year, 2025, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) have called for urgent reforms to address the socio-economic challenges that plagued the nation throughout 2024.
Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of TI-Nigeria made the call on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement.
Rafsanjani who is also the chairman, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), said the government must implement rapid and holistic measures to address citizens’ plights.
He noted that the excessive cost of governance is a critical barrier to national development.
“High governance costs divert resources from critical sectors. Many states are pursuing unproductive projects despite recommendations from the Steve Orosanye Report aimed at reducing wasteful expenditures,” Rafsanjani said.
He also called for urgent enhanced security measures in 2025, asking the government to allocate adequate resources to security sectors to combat ongoing violence across the country.
He called for adopting international best practices in intelligence gathering and improving inter-agency cooperation among defence forces.
“Radical reforms are needed, including early warning systems and better remuneration for security personnel,” Rafsanjani said.
He also said to safeguard democracy, there must be comprehensive constitutional amendments and reforms in political parties and electoral systems.
He noted that a judiciary lacking focus undermines democracy, urging reforms to restore public faith in the legal system.
CISLAC and TI-Nigeria also highlighted that weak border security has facilitated terrorism financing, with 137 out of 261 borders unguarded.
“We must enhance the capacity of anti-corruption agencies to tackle these issues effectively. There must be stricter financial regulations to combat money laundering and illicit financial flows,” he said.
On local government autonomy, CISLAC and TI-Nigeria commended recent judicial rulings supporting local government autonomy but noted the need for constitutional reforms to ensure effective grassroots development.
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