Economic policies of IMF, World Bank promoting poverty in Nigeria, says Falana

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has stressed that the Federal Government was hiding the fact that Nigeria “has been captured” by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), insisting that the “neoliberal economic policies” of the Bretton Woods Institutions were fostering poverty in the country.

Falana spoke in Lagos on Thursday at the launch of a report by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The report is titled “Something to Hide?: Media Freedom Under Siege in Nigeria”.

He also said the Federal Government was determined to silence the media so as to hide information about corruption and insecurity from the citizens.

“Why is the government desperate to silence us? It is to hide from Nigeria information about misgovernance, information about corruption, wanton corruption, information regarding the reckless killings of our people, unwarranted abductions of our people including schoolchildren, undergraduates, secondary school students and even primary school pupils,” he said.

“Government is also determined to hide from us the fact that our country has been captured by the IMF and the World Bank whose neoliberal economic policies have continued to promote poverty in our country.”

Falana also condemned the N5 million fine imposed on Channels Television for interviewing the spokesperson of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on ‘Politics Today’.

The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) did not allow for fair hearing, as stipulated in the broadcasting act, before imposing the fine on the TV station and suspending the programme.

“The NBC became the judge, the witness and sole prosecutor in its own court, tried the channel in absentia, convicted the media organisation” he said.

“This is very alien; the conduct of NBC cannot be justified under the provision of the Nigerian constitution and African charter.”

Falana added that the fine imposed on Channels Television by the NBC is illegal, adding that the money should be refunded.