Nigeria 'truth commission' broke
An eagerly awaited report by Nigeria's Human Rights Violations Investigations Commission has been delayed because the commission has run out of money, an official said Wednesday.
CNN Online News Report:
Nigeria 'truth commission' broke
January 9, 2002 Posted: 1:33 PM EST (1833 GMT)
ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) -- An eagerly awaited report by Nigeria's
Human Rights Violations Investigations Commission has been delayed
because the commission has run out of money, an official said
Wednesday.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo set up the panel, modeled on
South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to
help heal the trauma left by decades of military rule in Africa's most
populous nation.
"We are operating at a near-zero level in terms of funds," a
commission official told Reuters.
The executive summary of the commission's findings was not published
as scheduled and its eight-volume report will not be ready by the end
of January as expected, the official said.
"President Obasanjo, after meeting with some members of the commission
Monday, has assured that money would be released ... but we cannot
keep to our deadlines," he said.
The writing of the report has stopped until money is available.
"We have not been able to pay the 10 resource persons we engaged to
handle the different aspects of the report," the official added.
More than $195,000 was budgeted for the commission in the past two
years, but there is nothing set aside for it in the coming 2002
budget, according to official figures.
The commission, popularly known as the Oputa Panel after its chairman,
retired Supreme Court Judge Chukwudifu Oputa, finished sitting on
October 18 after a year of criss-crossing the nation investigating
hundreds of the 10,000 petitions it received.
But many Nigerians feel the panel failed its biggest challenge because
it was unable to compel former military rulers Muhammadu Buhari,
Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar to appear and answer
petitions against them.
Obasanjo, himself a former military ruler, testified twice, losing his
temper the second time over his alleged involvement in the 1978 army
raid on the house of late Nigerian music star Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
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