By: Mandy Park
The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) has celebrated its 8th anniversary, honoring deserving individuals who have contributed to the advancement of socio-economic rights.
The President of CHSR, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said that the organization’s passion for socio-economic rights stems from its mission to ensure citizens have access to a good life.
He emphasized that socio-economic rights are crucial, coming right after the right to life
Omotehinse made the remarks on Tuesday during the 8th Anniversary of CHSR, which held at the Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos with the theme; “The Effects Of Insecurity On Socio-Economic Rights.”
The activist said that they didn’t just resolve to defend socio-economic right, and that what used to be in place was the defence of fundamental human rights, but that when they looked at the aims and objectives of their former organisation, they discovered that it set aside and closed its eyes on socio-economic rights, saying that there are limitations to those rights.
“They only concentrate on fundamental human rights and when the crisis began, then we resolved to form socio-economic rights group, we discovered that it is where Nigerians always have challenges in terms of property, market men and women issues.
“All these form socio-economic rights and we discovered that the present state of the country does not recognise socio-economic rights, they deprive the people of their rights.
“Look at some people who derive joy in grabbing lands that people have spent certain amount of money to acquire, somebody would just wake up one day to acquire the land.
“We discovered that the current state apparatuses do not even encourage those whose rights are being deprived, it’s as if the state is even supporting those who grab the lands of the people.
“Some of you were with us in Otumara in Lagos, where thousands of buildings were demolished and people were rendered homeless and jobless and the residents of the place sleep under the bridge.
“The same thing happened in Owode Onirin, where several shops were demolished. Till today, the owners of the shops are still not able to survive economically,” he said.
Omotehinse stressed that the demolition has led to the death of five of the shop owners.
He said that the issue of market closure by the government is also an issue as it affects the socio-economic rights of the traders, adding that it’s their duty to make the government realise that as long as they deprive the people of their socio-economic rights, then there will be insecurity and that the effect is large.
He said; “Now, farmers cannot go to their farms unlike before when people trekked to the farms and even slept there. But now, all over the country, in the north and even in the south, a lot of people are facing serious security crisis.
“That was why we chose the theme for the event. We are calling on the government to brace up on the fight against insecurity, once this is done, the economy of the people would improve.”
On the challenges the organisation is facing, he said that they are enormous as they receive threats everyday, adding that people keep saying that they are being sponsored with whatever they do.
“”But we are not deterred by the challenges as we have resolved that the fight will continue.
“We recognise those who have been supporting our struggle. We have come across police officers, army officers and corporate organisations that have been supporting us.
“We feel that we need to encourage them to do more and even some activists who have been part of the struggle for democracy. We will also induct some of them into the hall of fame so that it would serve as an example for others,” he said.
Also speaking, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Olumuyiwa Jimoh, said that legislatively a lot has been done theoretically on socio economic rights of the people, but that implementation is the issue.
Jimoh, who was the guest lecturer at the event, said that it’s not about legislating what socio economic right should be, and that is common anywhere in the world that every human being deserves a minimum requirement to live just like plants need light and water to survive through photosynthesis, human beings too need minimum conditions to live as dignified persons.
“That is why it is not an accident in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the welfare and security of the people are the most paramount things in government.
“In any government, whether it is democratic or autocratic, the most important thing is the welfare and security of the people.
“Apart from these, every other thing is secondary, they are mere repetitions. Just like the Lord Jesus Christ said, when he was asked which of the laws is the most important, he said after accepting that there is only one God, love your neighbour as yourself is next, and that every other thing is secondary.
“That is putting it side by side the laws that we have. We don’t need quantity, we need quality,” he said.
The former lawmaker said that they are discussing this so that those who are outside will know what they are doing, adding that discussing it is part of the process.
“I am not saying that we are going to achieve this within a day or a week or in the next dispensation, but we must be factual, we cannot compare Nigeria’s democracy with that of the United States of America that is about 260 or 270 years old.
“Nigeria, as a nation after amalgamation from 1914 to date, is not up to their democracy. I can only recommend a federal system that will give birth to what we want,” he said.