Romanus Okoye
Human Rights activists, yesterday, called on Nigerians to ensure the country is guided by rule of law and not rule of might.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, who chaired a discourse organised by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Lagos branch, said President Muhammadu Buhari was not the only one to be blamed over the disobedience to court orders but all those who work with him, including the Attorney General of the Federation.
In his keynote address, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, said institutions of accountability and the rule of law were being endangered. “Their voice is now in danger of being strangled by the determined attacks on the Nigerian civic space masterminded by official malevolence of government through the anti-social media and hate speech bills in the Senate.”
Also speaking, human rights activist, Monday Ubani called on Nigerian youths to stand up to be counted as regards their political and fundamental human rights.
Ubani urged the youths not to be accustomed to the gross violations of their rights, because they had intimidating demographic credentials that could be used to great advantage.
“Let them resist the passage of the Social Media Regulation and the Hate Speech Bills as that will really curtail their freedom of expression over the governance of the country.
“They must also insist that the government of the day at the executive level should and must respect other arms of government and must not desecrate our institutions like the judiciary as that will otherwise destroy the very fabric of the country,” he said.