PRESS STATEMENT OFFICIAL LAUNCH/DEPLOYMENT OF STOPTHEBRIBES.NET

Introduction: On behalf of the Nigeria Police Force, Canadian High Commission and the CLEEN Foundation, I warmly welcome you all to this press briefing, which is being organized to publicly launch and deploy stopthebribes.net About stopthebribes.net Stopthebribes.net is an Ushahidi-based user-friendly ICT platform through which cases of lower level bribes and extortion by public officials that come in contact with members of the public on the streets, highways or in the course of business can be monitored and reported by victims and/or witnesses simply by using mobile phones to call, sending text messages, emails or make direct entries on the website, including upload of videos or photographs which provide evidences of such incidences. Interface is also created between the platform and social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, skype, blog, etc., so that messages from them can automatically be converted and integrated on the map showing corruption hotspots in Nigeria. The project is divided into two phases: (i) Development of stopthebribes.net and (ii) launching/deployment of the platform. This phase of the project is being supported by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives managed by the High Commission of Canada. The second phase of the project is aimed at increasing the awareness of members of the public on the use of the platform is being supported by the Justice for All Program of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) For more information on how to use the platform please visit www.stopthebribes.net Appreciation We also use the opportunity to appreciate those that have made the project implementation a reality. The funding support of the Canadian High Commission, the Justice for All Program of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Nigeria Police Force that have made commitment in holding their personnel accountable through the Corruption Tracking Situation Room that is being set up under the project at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. We thank you all for taking out time out of your busy schedules to grace this press briefing, thank you all for coming. ‘Kemi Okenyodo Executive Director CLEEN Foundation

Decaying Police College: Criminologist Calls For Soul-searching

A Nigerian criminologist and member of the Cleen Foundation, Chukwuma Innocent, has said that the deplorable state of the Nigeria Police training center calls for ‘soul searching’ on the part of the Government.

Chukwuma, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, aired his views about President Jonathan’s visit to the Police College, the first of its kind in 70 years.

He stated that the deplorable condition of the infrastructure raises questions about what is made priority in the country.

Mr. Chukwuma who described this period as ‘soul-searching’ for the government advised that the Government should visit its records and retrace its steps to determine where things went wrong. In his words, “this is not a time for witch-hunting … or pointing fingers at imaginary enemies.”

He expressed his hopes about the Government’s attention and said that “this should be a threshold below which we should not fall below again as far as training and preparing critical institutions of state to perform effectively.”

He also mentioned that the shocking state of the institution will have impact on the coming elections and that this is a time for the Jonathan-led administration to deliver on its promises.

Expert says FG not serious in equipping Police to fight Boko Haram

A criminologist and member of the Cleen Foundation, Innocent Chukwuma on Tuesday said the Federal government is not serious in equipping the police with the required arsenal to combat crimes and terrorism in Nigeria.
Mr Chukwuma, who was a guest on Channels Television's breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, wondered why it is taking the Federal government so much time to produce a white paper on the report of the Presidential Committee on the Reorganisation of the Nigeria Police which was submitted on Tuesday August 14, 2012.
He said: "While the committee is sitting to draw up the white paper, we saw last week Wednesday and Thursday, the Minister of Police Affairs brought in Accenture Management group to come up with some fancy slides about road map in reforming the police. 

"We are asking on what basis is this map since the white paper has not come out. Could it be that because the Ministry was recommended for scrapping in the Perry Osayende report that he wanted to come up with a parallel thing?"

The criminologist said this move by the Ministry of Police Affairs gives an hint that there is no coordination and seriousness by the government in fighting crime and terrorism in Nigeria.

CLEEN Foundation Appoints a New Executive Director

Lagos, Nigeria, January 14, 2014 – the Board of Directors of the CLEEN Foundation today announced the appointment of Ms. Kemi Okenyodo as the new Executive Director of the Foundation and to lead the organization in the post founder/director phase of its institutional development and pioneering work.

Ms. Okenyodo has been with the CLEEN Foundation for ten years and her most recent position was the Deputy Executive Director. Within this period she has grown and distinguished herself as a leading advocate and driver of police and criminal justice reform in Nigeria and West African sub-region. Her areas of expertise include police accountability, gender justice, public safety and security, and election observation management. She is also the Africa Regional Representative of Altus, a global alliance of nongovernmental organizations and academic centres working on public safety, security and accessible justice across 5 continents from a multicultural perspective.

Ms. Okenyodo holds a masters degree in Humanitarian and Refugee Studies from the University of Lagos and first degree in law from the same university. She briefly practiced law in the firm of Chike Chigbue & Co. She is widely published and globally renowned publishers such as Routledge and Taylor and Francis Group have published some of her research papers.

“Kemi’s appointment is a good example for young people that commitment and hard work pays”, said Prof. Etannibi Alemika, Chairman Board of Directors of CLEEN Foundation. “We are very delighted to have someone like her who is part of the institutional memory of CLEEN to lead the organization in this interesting and challenging times.

“I am very delighted at the opportunity to lead a great organization like CLEEN in the capacity of Executive Director. I look forward to working with the board and colleagues to take the Foundation to the next level in the years ahead,” Kemi said.

Ms. Okenyodo will resume in her new capacity on February 1, 2013.

CLEEN Foundation is a nongovernmental organization established in 1998 and registered in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon to promote public safety, security and accessible justice through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government and civil society-www.cleen.org.

For more information, contact:

Gabriel Akinremi: +234-0802-3704048

gabriel.akinremi@cleen.org

Vacancy: Programmes Manager-Lagos

The CLEEN Foundation is recruiting a proven professional to lead its programmes work in Lagos. The successful candidate will have at least four years relevant experience in the areas of project development/management, fundraising, public policy advocacy and relationship building/management with government agencies, donor partners, media and civil society organizations. Fluency (written and spoken) in English is required.

Position Profile

Position: Programmes Manager - Lagos

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Reporting to: Executive Director

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Leading the implementation of programmes in the Lagos office.

Developing, fundraise and implement, in collaboration with the executive director and program staff, new projects in pursuance of the mission of CLEEN.

Coordinating public policy advocacy of the Lagos office

Building and managing existing relationship between CLEEN Foundation and government agencies, development partners, media and civil society organizations.

Working in close partnership with program teams in the Abuja and Owerri offices to develop

Candidate Profile

Key Experience:

·         A minimum of four years of relevant professional activity in development work

·         Demonstrable experience in project development, management and fundraising

·         Strong understanding of key concepts, issues and thinking in public safety, security and criminal justice reform in West Africa

·         Experience in building and managing relationships with government agencies, donor partner’s media and civil society organizations.

·         Proven record of team building and cross-group collaboration.

Qualifications

Graduate degree in social sciences, humanities and law or equivalent is strongly preferred.

Excellent written and spoken English.

This description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this position. The actual duties and responsibilities may vary based on strategy or assignment.

Mode of Application

If you think you are the candidate we are looking for, please send a substantive application letter and your resume to cleen@cleen.org within two weeks of publication of this announcement.

Organization Description

CLEEN Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 and registered in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon to promote public safety, security and access to justice. The Foundation’s priorities are pursued through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government, business and civil society. 

The organization is renowned for its work in policing and criminal justice reform in West Africa and has received several awards including the MacArthur Foundation’s Effective and Creative Institutions’ Award in 2006.

CLEEN Foundation is Equal Opportunity Employer and supports workforce diversity.

Niger Delta civil society organisations, ready to fight illegal trade in oil and non-implementation of Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights in Nigeria

ASABA- Civil society organisations in the Niger Delta under the platform of Joint Action against Illegal Trade in Oil and Insecurity have expressed determination to take on the problem  of illegal trade in oil and non-implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights by oil companies in Nigeria. This is coming as part of the outcome of  a consultative meeting  of 18 civil society representatives on the theme, “Oil Theft, Violence and Poverty in the Niger Delta” that held on 5 December 2012 at Hotel Binizia, Asaba, Delta State.

The meeting, which was organised by CLEEN Foundation, explored  workable stakeholder framework of engaging with the problem of oil theft and attendant environmental, security, health, economic and social consequences. Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Innocent Chukwuma explained the aim  of the meeting and urged participants to decide  how best to respond  to the issue.  The discussions were coordinated by Isioma Kemakolam, Programme Officer with CLEEN Foundation.  

Speaking on the topic, “Responding to Oil Theft in the Delta,” Barrister Chima Williams,  on behalf of Environmental Rights Action (ERA) executive director Nnimmo Bassey, argued that civil society organisations should work to discourage environmental damage, poverty and insecurity being promoted by illegal oil trade in the delta.  He proposed a number of ways in which this could be done, including education and mobilisation of locals, as well as exposing forces behind the business which he identified as people in power, military personnel (retired and serving), and multinational oil companies. Given the expensive nature of the business, local youths involved in the business at the level of local refining must depend on those who have money for transporting the product to the point of sales. They are therefore at the bottom of th ladder among those involved in  the business.

Dr Fidelis Allen,  chair of the network, spoke on “Implementing Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.”  He identified three key elements of the principles as: risk assessment, relations with public security providers, and relations with private security providers. Allen argued that security is wrongly conceptualised in the principles. According to him, security is flawed if the emphasis, as it were, is on protecting physical oil facilities alone. Environmental and human security cannot be ignored in any definition of oil related insecurity. “As it stands, the principles do not promote human and environmental security,” he notes. In addition, oil companies currently making various claims of implementation of the principles are in reality merely making efforts to ensure the social licence for continued operation in the context of capitalist drive for profits. Here lies, according to Allen,  the ideological limitation to effective implementation of the principles. In conclusion, Allen called on oil companies to develop comprehensive strategies in response to public complaints against activities of security forces attached to oil companies with respect to human rights. Environmental and human security should be given corresponding attention in the business.

The meeting came to an end with decisions to follow up on these issues one of which is a summit titled “Responding to Oil Theft, poverty and insecurity in the Niger Delta’ planned for 21^st and 22^nd February 2013, where stakeholders will discuss the problem of oil theft, poverty, violence and implementation of the voluntary principles with a view of determining practical ways of addressing the issues for security and development in Nigeria.

Ford Foundation Appoints Innocent Chukwuma to Lead Its West Africa Office

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ford Foundation today announced the appointment of Innocent Chukwuma as representative for West Africa, serving Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Chukwuma will be based in the Ford Foundation's office in Lagos and will oversee all of the foundation's work in the region.

Chukwuma is a globally-renowned advocate for human rights and good governance as well as a leading scholar on police and criminal justice reform in West Africa. Most recently, he founded and led the CLEEN Foundation, a civil society group that promotes public safety, security and accessible justice in West Africa. He has also held various posts with the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), one of Nigeria's first human rights organizations. He is the CEO and Chair of the Altus Alliance, a global network of nonprofits, and is a member of the International Society for Criminology.

Chukwuma is a member of the boards of many non-profits and initiatives against crime and violence around the world. These include the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC), African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF), Open Society Global Criminal Justice Fund and a member of the Africa Advisory Council of Human Rights Watch.

"Innocent is an absolutely ideal leader to continue the Ford Foundation's long legacy of support for democratic participation, equal opportunity, and transparency throughout West Africa," said Darren Walker, vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression at the foundation. "We couldn't be more excited for him to assume this important leadership position at this moment of incredible potential for the region."

Chukwuma is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Reebok International Human Rights Award. He holds a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Leicester in the UK and a Bachelors degree from the University of Nigeria. He also served as a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he designed and taught a course on management of non-profits in the Global South.

"I am deeply honored to lead the Ford Foundation's work in West Africa," Chukwuma said. "Ford has long been an essential resource for social change and visionary leadership throughout the region, and I am incredibly optimistic about what we can continue to accomplish in the important years that lie ahead."

For more than half a century, the Ford Foundation has been committed to strengthening democracy throughout the region. Today, as West Africa is on the verge of a new era of peace and prosperity, the foundation is working with visionary leaders in civil society and government who are expanding participation in the democratic process and accelerating the pace of social change. We support efforts to engage government on behalf of the marginalized and underrepresented, and help civil society empower these communities.

Chukwuma will begin his new position in January 2013.  He was selected after a broad international search.

www.fordfoundation.org

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For over 75 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

SOURCE Ford Foundation

http://news.yahoo.com/ford-foundation-appoints-innocent-chukwuma-lead-west-africa-161400474.html