CLO Regroups, Backs Buhari to Succeed
Rising from a lull which saw the group missing in action at the just concluded presidential and other elections in Nigeria, foremost civil society group in Nigeria, CLO is putting its house in order and ready to take its place as the No. 1 egalitarian crusader in the country. GBUBEMI GOD’S COVENANT SNR had a rendezvous with the group last weekend and reports.
It was a reunion of the once boisterous and viral society police of old times, and the forum, hosted by a new human rights group, Christ for the Defense of Human Community Rights & Development Initiative (CDHRDI) at AIT/Ray Power road, Alagbado in Lagos over the weekend.
Old and new members, male and female of the apex human rights crusaders all met for the first time in a long time after some internal crisis forced the group to lie low, although skeletal activists like the group’s General Secretary, Comrade Yemi Enitan and few others, were following up cases they had in the courts and with security agencies.
It was an opportunity for stock-taking and renewal of membership of existing members and receiving of new activists, including a young NGO which 50 member-strong group was received into the Civil Liberties family.
Addressing the activists at his opening speech, Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter, Comrade Kehinde Abiola Bakare refreshed their minds of the purpose, aims and objectives of CLO.
“CLO is the foremost human rights organisation in Nigeria with membership spread across the entire federation. Founded by four young Nigerians, two lawyers, Olisa Agbakoba and Clement Iwanko and two journalists, Richard Akinola and Abdul Oro, CLO’s vision and mission is to defend and promote in Nigeria the principles and practice of fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and in accordance with the African Charter on Human and People’s rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Also to monitor the condition of human rights of the civil liberty in Nigeria and to issue reports thereon. We are also to monitor the extent of compliance with universal and practice of human rights in Nigeria by government and its agencies including the police, the judiciary, the prisons and issue reports in that respect.
“Of great importance, note that CLO provides legal aids for its members when their fundamental human rights are violated and also utilises international human rights instruments and pressure to protect the people’s rights.”
At a special interview with the Ibadan based Zonal Chairman of the group, Comrade Abdulrasaq Adenekan who became Zonal Chairman as a result of the internal crisis that rocked the organisation in 2009, Adenekan talked about the evolution of Nigerian politics and the role CLO is expected to play in the incoming administration.
“The civil society group which includes the CLO is never anti-government in our activities, utterances and in everything we do; we can’t afford to be anti any government because our constituency is the generality of the people.”
Is that insinuating that members are at liberty to be pro any government?
“Not really, we also can’t afford to be pro any government. Human beings are political animals naturally, like if you say you are pro to a party A, then what would you be to party B?
Are the people in Party B not among the people you are supposed to defend their rights? Then if the right of Part B is being trampled upon, and you are pro to Party A, how do you fight for people in Party B? That’s why it’s difficult for civil society groups, especially the CLO, to say it is pro to a particular government.”
On the presidential election
“Nigerians have spoken and they have spoken wisely. When you look at the outcome of the election results, you have the bulk of Nigerians say, this is what we want. As a result of that, anybody who really loves this country and wants us to move forward must support the people’s choice.
“But as a civil right organisation, the extent of support the CLO can give any government has a limit. For example, CLO cannot go on air and start shouting praises of Buhari, until when he is seen to be doing what Nigerians expect him to do. If he is able to fight corruption to a conclusive end, we would commend him and say this man is doing well.”
Tinubu/Buhari: How do you envisage the relationship between Bola Tinubu and Buhari, seeing Asiwaju is the political godfather of APC?
“That’s a very herculean question. You will remember the adage that says he who pays the piper, dictates the tunes, but it’s not supposed to be so in politics, even in party politics. This is one of the things that bring problems in this country.
“I remember what happened in the East when it was said that a governor was taken to a shrine to swear to an oath, and at the end of it all, that system collapsed. So that is the danger when the man who pays the piper, dictates the tunes; it is very dangerous. Now, Tinubu was a former governor of Lagos State; he did his best and we all know that he had a hand in the political victory of Buhari. Even if we don’t have the evidence, at least we saw his activities.
“Now, if Tinubu means well, what he should do is to do everything possible to see that Buhari does not fail; he could afford to do that if he means to. One of the things that can spoil a government is for a godfather to starts handpicking people for the president’s cabinet.
“However, we want to believe that Buhari is a man of principle. As a military head of state he set a good record; probably it was some of those things he achieved then that endeared many people to vote for him.
“Even in the election that was just concluded, the electorate made an important political statement: after they turned out en-mass to vote for the president of their choice, when it came to choosing governors, they stayed away. People think it was voters’ apathy, but it was not: the Nigerian electorate has come of age politically.
Buhari in the four years
“We should not expect things to change overnight. What I mean is, for him to change to become something he has not been before is not going to be easy. People know him for some qualities; he has to maintain those qualities, but whether he is going to succeed or not remains to be seen.
“But we in CLO pray that he should succeed so that the nation doesn’t go back to square one. If Buhari succeeds, Nigeria will be good for all of us.”
May 28th handover: Is the CLO suspicious of any plot?
“I will say a capital NO! Now, my view opinion in the handover is this: the outgoing government of Jonathan has displayed maturity in its approach to this election. You are aware that if Jonathan had said he does not accept the result of that election, you would have seen uprising here, there and everywhere; many quarters were waiting for that but he has displayed maturity, and the entire world have been praising him; it is a credit to Nigeria and to Nigerians.
“So I see the May 28th issue as a day to handover important documents and related government things, so that May 29th will be devoted to just ceremony, that’s all.”
