The Niger Delta UPR Coalition, a Civil Society Group in the Niger Delta has cautioned Government at all levels to put drastic measures against those trying to institutionalize corruption in Nigeria.
The Group made the remark during a book presentation on Thursday, June 28, 2012, at the Rockview Hotel Abuja. The coordinator of the body, Mr. Legbusi Saro-Piegbara, said the Civil Society in Nigeria has noticed the failure of government to tackle the issue of corruption at all level by the Government Agencies set up to remove or reduce corruption, the EECC and ICPC. The UPR coordinator said the Anti-graft Agency has done less to check the level of corruption at the various local Government Councils in Nigeria and in the Niger Delta in particular.
He said available record shows that more of the local government councils in the Niger Delta cannot lay claim to having been accountable to the people and transparent in the execution of projects at the ward levels regarding the money they receive monthly from the federal allocation. Earlier in his welcome address Mr. Legbusi explained that the Niger Delta UPR coalition is a collaborative platform of NGO’s and nationality groups in the Niger Delta working to promote the implementation of Nigeria’s UPR outcome particularly in the Niger Delta.
He said in 2009 Nigeria promised to improve on her Human Right record during the review and implement all the international Human Rights standard created by the United Nation General Assembly. The coordinator told participants at the book presentation that despite the government failures on the UPR, the Niger Delta UPR coalition has continued to monitor and document human right abuses in the region which has resulted in the publication of three volumes of Book; titled A Post-UPR Assessment of the situation of Human Rights in the Niger Delta; such violation includes right of freedom of Expression Right to Health, Right to education and right to Housing among others. In his speech, the chairman of the occasion Prof. Lucky Akarusi a lecturer of the Department of Philosophy University of Port Harcourt called on Nigerians and the people of the Niger Delta not to allow their rights to be trample upon by the government or by any individual, saying the documentation of the abuses in the three volumes of Books shows the great danger in our human right record.
Prof. Akarusi stated that because the nation has weak institutions, individual and organization must come out in full force to defend their rights which have been violated over the years. He said the issues of the poverty of the people show that the government is violating the socio-economic right of the people, and the people must come together and resist this anomally. The human Activist and philosopher advised government to negotiate with the Boko Haram because of the blood bath in the land and the killing of innocent people. The chairman charges other groups to emulate the good work of Niger Delta UPR coalition.
He noted that the human right violation occurs in vertical and horizontal form saying the Book presentation is a challenge to both government and others who violate people’s rights including some traditional practices. Prof. Lucky applauded the removal of road block which has reduced the extra judicial killing occasioned by police due to accidental discharge. During the Book Review, the coordinator of Niger Delta UPR Coalition commended the Nigerian government for some of the changes and improvement but called on the state government to key into the process. He said there are still cases of extra-judicial killing in the Niger Delta.
There were reaction, suggestion, question’s and answer session.
Presenting the volumes of the Book, Mr. Amakiri Amakoro charged government to respond to the issues mentioned in the books, which lamented the level of corrupton which violates the right of the people. Others at the representation were, the Northlands Embassy Annemieke Van Soelen, Mr. Saka Azimazi of the Network of National Rights Institutions in West Africa among others
Pius Dukor
