Members of the foremost human rights organisation in Nigeria, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), have been urged to constructively engage with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to banish poverty and create mass decent jobs for the youths within the context of the 8-point agenda.
The Director General of Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, (MINILS) Ilorin, Comrade Issa Aremu made the call in Ilorin, in his good will message to the 2023 Annual General Conference of CDHR.
According to him, President Tinubu whose electoral victory in 2023 polls was recently reaffirmed by Justice John Okoro led jurists of Supreme Court had since unveiled his 8-point agenda that includes food security; poverty eradication; growth, job creation; access to capital; inclusion; rule of law; and fighting corruption.
While commending CDHR for its acknowledged historic struggle to terminate military dictatorship and enthrone democracy, AREMU observed that it was time “for the progressive forces to move from the margin of agonizing and lamentations about the imperfections of democracy to constructive engagement with elected governments to urgently alleviate poverty and build sustainable prosperity for Nigeria.
“If you are not at the policy making table, you will possibly be part of the menu at the lunch time” he told delegates human right activists drawn from 29 states of the Federation adding that they must embrace policy dialogue as distinct from “permanent policy contestation.”
Citing how both the NLC and TUC had extracted presidential wage award through dialogue, the Director General observed that democracy with all its shortcomings offers credible platform to advance human rights than military.
Against the backdrop of unfortunate coups in Niger and Mali, Comrade Aremu urged CDHR to compliment ECOWAS to ensure nobody rules any African country again without the freely given mandate of the electorate. “Insufficient democracy calls for more and more democracy not military dictatorship”.
The Director General also announced the annual Micheal Imoudu lecture series to promote the legacy of the legendary No 1 labour in defence of trade and human rights, struggle for independence and democracy.
Comrade Aremu, who was also a delegate of the 2014 national conference called for the implementation of the recommendation of the conference that chapters 2 and 4 of 1999 constitution dealing with fundamental human rights be justiciable.
