As Nigeria marks the 30th anniversary of e June 12, 1993 presidential election, a group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has charged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government to ensure that his administration works to protect and defend citizens’ democratic rights.
The group in a statement released by its policy and research officer, Zikora Ibeh said the rights of Nigerians are respected when they can choose their leaders in a free, fair, and transparent process devoid of violence, ethnic and religious hatred.
Harping on the importance of June 12, CAPPA’s executive director, Oluwafemi Akinbode said, “June 12 stands as a symbol of Nigerians’ steadfast struggle against military despotism and for democratic governance. While it is important to recognise and honour the heroes of this remarkable struggle, as past regimes have done, we believe that far more important is the need for Nigerians to fully enjoy their democratic rights in the selection of who governs them.
“It has been over 24 years since democratic rule was restored in Nigeria, while there has been some marked progress in terms of a thriving multiparty democracy and regular elections, Nigeria’s record of human rights violations has not fundamentally improved.
“Instead, since 1999, Nigeria has experienced systematic attacks on democratic rights. More worrisome is the fact that every elected government since 1999, at the Federal or state level, has habitually disregarded Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which clearly outlines the social contract between the State and the people with regards to the funding of public education, healthcare, living wages, and the provision of adequate jobs and shelter.”
The group pointed out that the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) 2021 ‘Rights Tracker’, the first global report to assess the 13 different human rights contained in United Nations (UN) treaties for 200 countries, Nigeria recorded “very poor and is worse than the average in sub-Saharan Africa”. Nigeria scored 54.6 percent for right to food; 48.2 percent for right to health; 31.7 percent for right to housing and 32 percent for right to work.
“The present administration should not just pay homage to the legacy of June 12 but work selflessly to ensure that democracy means more than just regular elections but a better life for all Nigerians,’’ it said.
