The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has urged Director of Land Administration in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr Chijioke Nwankoeze, to [...]
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has urged Director of Land Administration in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr Chijioke Nwankoeze, to remain focused in discharge of his duties.
COSEYL, in a statement signed by its President General, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Okey Nwaoru, said it supported legitimate scrutiny of public officials but rejected what it described as attempts to use accountability mechanisms to intimidate, vilify or unfairly target a professional. Blueprint reports
The group questioned what it described as the sudden intensity of criticism surrounding the office of the Director of Lands since Nwankoeze assumed the position.
It argued that officials from different ethnic backgrounds had previously occupied sensitive positions within the FCT land administration system, raising concerns over whether the current campaign was focused more on the person occupying the office than on the policies and procedures guiding its operations.
According to COSEYL, accountability must be applied fairly and should not be influenced by ethnic considerations.
The group also expressed concern over what it described as efforts to create an impression of guilt against Nwankoeze before any competent authority had established wrongdoing.
COSEYL stressed that the existence of a petition, allegation or request for investigation does not amount to proof of misconduct, insisting that Nwankoeze, like every Nigerian citizen, was entitled to the presumption of innocence, due process and a fair opportunity to respond to any allegation against him.
The organisation acknowledged the sensitive nature of land administration in Abuja, noting that the sector involves competing interests, property transactions, planning regulations and compliance with the Abuja Master Plan.
It said decisions taken by officials in enforcing regulations could sometimes affect powerful interests, stressing that disagreement with an administrative decision should not automatically translate into personal attacks against the official responsible for implementing it.
COSEYL said information available to it suggested that Nwankoeze had conducted himself as a professional public servant and had sought to discharge his responsibilities within the framework of applicable regulations and the Abuja Master Plan.
It advised individuals or interests dissatisfied with decisions of the FCT land administration authorities to use established institutional and legal channels to challenge such decisions rather than resort to what it described as personal vilification.
The group further called on relevant authorities to resist pressure from activists, political interests or ethnic sentiments in dealing with issues concerning public officers.
COSEYL also challenged civil society organisations involved in the campaign to ensure that their activities reflected the principles of justice, accountability and fairness they professed to uphold.
The group accused some actors of selective outrage and double standards, arguing that accountability should not be pursued with varying intensity depending on the ethnic identity of the official involved.
“You cannot preach justice while practising selective outrage,” the group stated, urging civil society organisations to apply the same standards of scrutiny to all public officials.
COSEYL said it would not remain silent if it believed an Igbo professional was being subjected to disproportionate scrutiny because of his ethnic background.
It maintained that its objection was not to investigation or accountability but to what it described as selective accountability, ethnic prejudice and persecution disguised as legitimate investigation.
The group further argued that Nigerian professionals should be able to occupy sensitive public positions anywhere in the country without being subjected to discriminatory treatment because of their ethnic identity.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. Abuja belongs to all Nigerians,” COSEYL said, stressing that public office should be governed by competence, law and due process rather than ethnicity or intimidation.
Efforts to obtain response from FCTA remains unsuccessful.
COSEYL urged Nwankoeze to remain focused and professional in the discharge of his duties, assuring him of its support in what it described as the defence of fairness, due process and equal treatment before the law.
The organisation also passed a vote of confidence in the FCT Director of Land Administration, commending what it described as the positive things he had been doing in the FCTA and urging him to sustain his efforts.
The group warned that it would continue to speak out whenever it believed the rights, dignity and legitimate interests of people from the South-East were being threatened anywhere in Nigeria.
It, however, reiterated that its position should not be interpreted as opposition to accountability, saying it supported scrutiny of public officials where such scrutiny was based on facts, due process and equal application of the law.
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