MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Nigeria
27.4.2015 - (2015/2520(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Ignazio Corrao, Piernicola Pedicini, Rolandas Paksas, Valentinas Mazuronis on behalf of the EFDD Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0370/2015
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Nigeria and in particular to its most recent plenary debate on the matter on Wednesday, 14 January 2015,
– having regard to the statements by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, including the statements of 8 January, 19 January, 31 March, 14 and 15 April 2015,
– having regard to the Council Conclusions of 9 February 2015,
– having regard to the fifth Nigeria-EU ministerial dialogue held in Abuja on 27 November 2014,
– having regard to the preliminary conclusions of the EU and EP Election Observation Missions,
– having regard to the statements made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon,
– having regard to the statements by the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights on the possibility that members of Boko Haram could be accused of war crimes,
– having regard to the UN Declaration of 1981 on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief,
– having regard to ILO Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention of 1948 and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention of 1949,
– having regard to ILO Minimum Age Convention of 1973 and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of 1999,
– having regard to the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992,
– having regard to the African Charter on Human Rights and Peoples of 1981, ratified by Nigeria on 22 June 1983,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil Rights of 1966, ratified by Nigeria on 29 October 1993,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Nigeria is the most populated and most ethnically diverse country in Africa and whereas over 60% of its population is less than 24 years old;
B. whereas Nigeria is the 23rd biggest economy in the world and the first one in Africa and is endowed with abundant natural resources while at the same time unemployment amongst under-25s is estimated at more than 75 percent; whereas, despite low oil prices, government revenues are still largely derived from sales of hydrocarbons; whereas the EU is one of the largest trading partners of Nigeria;
C. whereas according to the World Bank, Nigeria has lost about USD 400 billion in oil revenue as a result of corruption since 1960 and a further USD 20 billion in oil money has disappeared from Nigeria’s treasury in the past two years;
D. whereas Nigeria is characterized by social and economic inequality with around 60% of the population living in absolute poverty, yet at the same time, Nigeria has nearly 16 000 millionaires; whereas the country is characterized by economic and social imbalances between the North and the South;
E. whereas Nigerian presidential and National Assembly elections were held on 28 March 2015 and then extended to 29 of March due to technical problems, after an initial postponement of six weeks from 14 February 2015; whereas elections for governors and local assemblies were held on 11 April 2015;
F. whereas election observation missions were deployed by the African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, ECOWAS and the European Union;
G. whereas the campaign was conducted in a tense environment with increasing violent incidents occurring across all parts of the country with more than 82 persons killed; whereas both PDP and APC were accused of intimidating opponents and attacking party rallies; whereas there was an escalation in the use of inflammatory language and in the use of religious, ethnic and sectional sentiments;
H. whereas, despite a disordered and prolonged voting process, with escalating incidents of violence and intimidation, observers saw no evidence of systematic manipulation and thus the elections could be said to meet the continental and regional principles of democratic elections;
I. whereas the 11 April local elections process appeared to be more efficient than that of 28 February and once again observers saw no evidence of centralised systematic fraud although some attempts at manipulation were observed and there was an increase in security incidents, with at least 30 people killed;
J. whereas on 31 March 2015 Muhammadu Buhari, from the All Progressive Congress party (APC), was declared the winner; whereas elections were won for the first time by an opposition’s candidate since the transition from military rule in 1999 and whereas the incumbent president peacefully conceded the election;
K. whereas furthering the negative trend of 2011 only eight women won a seat in the Senate, no more than 20 could win a seat in the House of Representatives and no woman was elected as a governor;
L. whereas Amnesty International estimates Boko Haram killed at least 4 000 civilians in 2014 and at least 1 500 in the first three months of 2015 while more than 1.2 million people were forced from their homes; whereas on Monday 6 April 2015 Boko Haram militants disguised as preachers killed at least 24 people and wounded several others in an attack near a mosque in the village of Kwajafa;
M. whereas on the 16 of April Boko Haram attacked Bia and Diana villages in Cameroon, killing 12; whereas Boko Haram attacks are not confined to a single country highlighting the necessity of a regional response to the problem;
N. whereas Boko Haram revenues comes principally from kidnappings, both in the form of ransoms and incomes from selling prisoners as slaves, human trafficking, collaborations with drug cartels, robbery, financing from other terror groups like Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab and tax revenues from the occupied territories; whereas the group employs an Islamic model of money transfer called ‘hawala’, based on an honour system and a global network of agents that leaves no trace;
O. whereas child labour remains a major source of concern in Nigeria, in spite of legislative measures, whereas according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the number of working children under the age of 14 in Nigeria is estimated at 15 million;
P. whereas 43% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday and 17% are married before they turn 15 with figures as high as 76% in the North West region;
Q. whereas Nigeria has the highest absolute number of female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide, accounting for about one-quarter of the estimated 115–130 million circumcised women in the world;
R. whereas Nigeria is richly endowed with diverse flora and fauna but these vital resources are presently threatened by increased population pressure, intensified human development activities and unsustainable utilization of biodiversity;
S. whereas the Niger Delta is home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups and is one of the area of the planet with the most biodiversity; whereas an UNEP (United nation Environment Program) report concluded that communities in the area are exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in outdoor air and drinking water and that public safety issue exists; whereas the remediation management system adopted by companies still do not meet local regulatory requirements or international best practices; whereas Nigerian’s government agencies lack qualified technical expertise and resources to contrast the phenomenon; whereas the study concludes that the environmental restoration of the region is possible but may take 25 to 30 years;
1. Commends first and foremost the maturity of Nigerian people and their extensive participation in the elections despite the on-going and increasing violence in the country and the thousands of dead and displaced;
2. Strongly condemns the senseless killings of innocent people, the use of children in the conflict, including as human bombs, the selling of girls as sex slaves and the use of sexual violence as a torture tool as heinous crimes which may amount to crimes against humanity;
3. Welcomes the putting in place of a Multinational Joint Task force in January 2015 and its endorsement by the African Union on 6 March; commends the decision of Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Benin to cooperate with the mandate to ‘prevent the expansion of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups’ activities and eliminate their presence’; reminds that the mandate has to be carried out in full compliance of international law and of relevant U.N. resolutions;
4. Insists that as terrorism is a cross-boundary menace a coordinated regional approach is necessary to fight it; asks the African Union to take its responsibility in coordinating a comprehensive response to terrorism in the Sahel in coordination with the involved countries; reminds that while the use of force may be necessary it’s mandatory to recognize and deal with the root causes of terrorism in the region;
5. Compliments Muhammadu Buhari for its election as president of Nigeria and expects him to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency as promised during the campaign while at the same time keeping the respect of human rights at the forefront of its action;
6. Commends the incumbent president and presidential candidate Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat in a timely way thus paving the way for a peaceful handover of power; notes however that PDP party refused to sign the official INEC results, stating it would judicially challenge the outcome of the presidential election;
7. Takes note of the decreasing number of women elected, with a proportion well below the 30% of Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action target and the 35% National Gender Policy target; reminds once again the critical role of women in both the public and private sectors as agents of development and the positive effects of their empowerment for the societies they live in; asks the Nigerian Government to find ways to empower women, especially in politics, and to involve them in the decision-making process;
8. Commends the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for continuing to perform impartially in challenging circumstances and in an increasingly pressured environment as well as for its receptiveness towards people with disabilities for example by stipulating that ‘physically challenged persons’ would have priority during the votes and by providing sign language during information spot and announcements;
9. Reminds the newly elected president that Boko Haram cannot be defeated only through military means but it is essential to understand and contrast the root causes of the problem which lie, among others, in social exclusion and poverty; asks the European Union and its Members States to provide the financial and technical help needed to develop policies that aim to improve the life of Nigerian people knowing that in doing so they are also contrasting Boko Haram;
10. Recognises that Muhammadu Buhari will face the challenges of widespread corruption, broken institutions, a corrupted, inefficient and disorganized army, a socio-economic crisis and severe inequalities between the south and the north of the country; invites the newly elected president to put in place ambitious and inclusive socio-economic policies geared towards sustainable development, to rationalize and reorganize the public administration and the army and to fight corruption at all levels; believes that the incomes coming from the vast resources of the country should be used for the wellness of its population;
11. Asks the Nigerian authorities to put special efforts on reducing inequality and develop the northern part of the country as this also represent a valid mean to contrast Boko Haram’s strategy of recruiting people, also using economic incentives, who live in poverty and at the edge of society and especially youngsters who lack access to school and employment;
12. Asks the Nigerian authorities to launch a thorough investigation on the allegations of human rights violations during the fight to Boko Haram and reminds that the first task of a government is the protection of its own people and the respect of human rights and the rule of law regardless of the circumstances;
13. Believes that the best way to cripple Boko Haram is to cut off its funding; asks the Nigerian authorities to step up cooperation and intelligence sharing with its neighbours and with other international players in order to stop human trafficking activities and contrast drug networks as well as to find ways to track financial flaws going to Boko Haram and to stop them;
14. Reminds that one year passed since the abduction of 276 girls at a school outside Chibok and that according to human rights groups at least another 2000 girls and women have been taken; asks the government and the international community to make everything in their power to find the abductees and free them;
15. Asks to Nigeria’s religious authorities and leaders to actively cooperate with civil society and public authorities in order to contrast extremism and radicalization;
16. Calls for the implementation of legislation to bridge the gap between current Nigerian workers condition and the standard provided by the International Labour Organisation, in particular in the fields of membership of trade unions, the promotion of free and voluntary collective bargaining and the right to take industrial action;
17. Notes the inconsistence of Nigeria’s laws regarding child labour especially regarding minimum age for work; urges to amend Article 59 of the Labour act to bring it in line with ILO conventions ratified by Nigeria and urges each Nigerian’s State to ratify the Federal 2003 Child Rights Act; commends Nigeria for launching a National Policy on Child Labour and a National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour in 2013 but urges the authorities to put more efforts in their implementation and enforcement;
18. Takes note of the decline in the prevalence of child marriage since 2003 but believes that actions are still needed to contrast the phenomenon, as UNFPA estimates that more than 4 million girls will be married as children by 2030; asks the Nigerian government to uphold his responsibilities to protect the children and urges the states that have not done so to pass the Children Rights Act of 2003 and to those who have passed it to implement it as a matter of urgency;
19. Calls the federal government and the Nigerian states to implement legislative provisions and stern measures to contrast the practice of Female Genital Mutilation including working with the media on information, education and communication campaigns that have an impact on the public’s understanding of Female Genital Mutilation;
20. Asks the Nigerian authorities to take emergency measures in the Niger Delta including actions to end illegal oil-related activities, and to provide adequate sources of unpolluted drinking water, to mount a public awareness campaign to inform people of what may damage their health, and to provide a comprehensive medical examination to those who have been exposed to the pollution; asks the European Union and the Member States to provide technical expertise and resources to restore the area; asks to all international companies operating in the region to operate at the highest international standards and to refrain from any actions that may take a toll on the environment and on the local communities and, in cases they are found guilty of damaging the environment, to take their responsibilities and offer compensation to damaged parties;
21. Asks Nigerian authorities to keep working to protect biodiversity in the country and to constantly monitor the respect of the international conventions and protocols signed including the Convention on Biological Diversity of 1992;
22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the government and parliament of Nigeria, the Representatives of ECOWAS and the African Union.