Arise O Compatriots Vs Nigeria We Hail Thee

By Gloria Mabeiam Ballason Esq

It is difficult to wrap the head around how Nigeria’s leadership lines up its priorities. On a day when the President should give account of his 1-year stewardship what he opts for is to take Nigeria back to its old anthem- a colonial relic that abrogates an anthem written and compiled by a Nigerian.

If you read that as neo-colonialism that may be one tangent to view it but for those who read the Holy creed, it is reminiscent of the Israelites craving for the
garlic and onions of the land of their oppression in exchange of the Promised land.

The stats are even more dire when the facts run up to the President's action:

Nigeria’s inflation rate now stands at about 35.20%, the U.S. inflation is 3.36% yet their citizens are screaming hoarse.

Dollar to naira in 1999 was $1: N88. In May 2023 when President BAT took over it was $1: 460.72. Today it is $1: N1400.

Nigeria’s Human Rights record is nothing to write home about. 735 Mass abductions have occurred in the past year and an estimated 4,777 Nigerians have been kidnapped since President BAT’s assumption to office.

In this moment, the National Assembly has not done enough to demonstrate the checks it is putting up against the Executive to ensure the people get their due. The Judiciary is regrettably struggling with judicial independence and multiple conflicting orders.

The Bill to return Nigeria to its old colonial anthem is one of the swiftest to be signed into law. In other words, the President deemed it ‘more urgent and primary ‘ than security of lives, addressing human rights violations, stemming down inflation or judicial independence.

There are many things we could have gone back to:

• Better human rights record post 2009 where there were no terrorists bandits or kidnappers.
• Better economy, quality of education, national integration, health care, power supply that does not polarize the people between bands A-E.

If it weren’t so sad and unfortunate, it would have been bizarre.

Olusola O’sola Fapohunda puts it to a case of a landlord whose house has leaking roof, blown off electricals, septic tanks spewing and smelling, decking, doors and windows off with an emerging storm threatening to crash down the house but who drives by and sits in his air conditioned car, inspects it and recommends the house be painted as the fix.

My cerebral learned friend Fidel Albert Esq puts it even more graphically when he said: the cancer patient rejected chemotherapy and opted for BBL.

An anthem change does not fix an ailing nation. National symbols do not shape a country. The intentional policies and actions of leaders in nation building is what builds a nation.

 Gloria Mabeiam Ballason Esq is the C.E.O. House of Justice. She may be reached on gloriaballason@houseofjusticeng.com

Indigenous Youth Groups Sound Alarm Over Rampant Land Grabs in Plateau State

By Steven Kefas

In a powerful and sobering press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) on May 27, 2024, a coalition of indigenous youth associations from Plateau State raised the alarm over the alarming and unacceptable loss of ancestral lands suffered by customary landowners across the state.

Representing the Atakar, Berom, Irigwe, Mwagavwul and Ron communities, as well as the Coalition of Plateau State Indigenous Youth Bodies, the leaders painted a grim picture of well-orchestrated terror campaigns aimed at dispossessing native populations of their land and mineral resources.

“For several years, we have been crying out and lodging complaints to the appropriate authorities, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” lamented Silas Samuel Biniyat, President of the Attakar Youth Movement. “There is a clear agenda by Fulani terrorists to unleash attacks, kill innocent civilians, and displace our people from their ancestral homes – all to deny us access to our God-given lands and territories.”

The litany of affected areas reads like a roll call of despair, with the groups alleging that over 151 hamlets and villages across Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Mangu and Riyom Local Government Areas have either been totally annexed or are under effective occupation by militants, bandits and terrorists.

“It’s quite provoking to imagine that the foundations of churches destroyed by these terrorist elements have overnight been reconstructed as mosques, in utter disregard for the fundamental rights of the displaced people,” said Peter Bini, President of the Irigwe Youth Movement.

The youth leaders asserted that there is a curious connection between the areas worst affected by displacement and the locations richly endowed with natural and mineral resources like fertile soils, water bodies, cassiterite, and columbite. They cited the Gashish District of Barkin Ladi LGA as a prime example, where Fulani groups have largely displaced native farmers and now dominate local economic activities.

“The exploitation and domination of our people is evident at local produce markets and transport businesses in and around Gashish District,” added S.D. Dankaka, President of the Mwagavwul Youth Movement.

The groups expressed deep frustration with the Nigerian government’s feeble response so far, accusing security agents of making token arrests only to release suspects on “orders from above.” They demanded that the international community apply diplomatic pressure to compel the government to take decisive action.

“A situation where few arrests are made and hurriedly released is not only unjust but totally unacceptable, as this constitutes a grievous disservice to humanity,” stated Paul Dekete, Chairman of the Indigenous Youth Coalition.

While acknowledging the Plateau State Government’s passion for returning IDPs to their lands and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge to address insecurity, the youth leaders underscored that the magnitude of the crisis requires international intervention and support for Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s “Time is Now” administration.

“We strongly believe that the good intention of the Governor of Plateau needs to be concretized through a marshall plan for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and resettlement of victims across the affected Local Government Areas,” said D.S. Mwantiri, President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association.

In a poignant conclusion, the groups argued that the plight of the victims stems from a weak system that fails to guarantee their safety or enforce their inalienable human rights. They called on the international community to either pressure the Nigerian government into transparent action or invoke multilateral diplomatic resources to respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Plateau State and the Middle Belt region.

“Our people are plagued because of a weak and reluctant system that hardly guarantees their safety nor enforces their rights as human beings,” declared Christopher Luka, President of the Ron Youth Movement. “The world cannot stand idly by in the face of such injustice.”

As the press conference drew to a close, the resounding chants of “Long Live Plateau Indigenous Youth Bodies,” “Long Live Plateau State,” and “Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria” echoed through the halls, a defiant cry for justice and a call to action that can no longer be ignored.

Justice on Trial: Confronting Human Rights Violations in Kaduna State

By Steven Kefas

In a powerful address at the Maxwell Kyon Foundation Seminar in Kaduna, Human Rights Lawyer and CEO of House of Justice Nigeria, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason laid bare the alarming state of human rights in Nigeria, with a particular focus on the egregious violations witnessed in Kaduna State under the governance of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

Ballason, a fervent advocate for justice and the rule of law, pulled no punches in her scathing indictment of the systematic erosion of fundamental rights, which she described as a continuation of the abysmal record of previous military regimes in the country.

“There are no words to describe the abysmal human rights record in Kaduna state, especially under the ‘democratic regime’ of Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai,” Ballason declared, her voice ringing with conviction.

The litany of transgressions detailed by Ballason painted a grim picture of a state where the sanctity of human life and dignity has been repeatedly trampled upon. Thousands of lives have been lost, from the ravaged villages of Birnin Gwari to the bloodshed in Southern Kaduna, with violence sparing no sanctuary – be it schools, churches, or mosques.

Ballason recounted the harrowing incident of December 3, 2023, when a Nigerian Armed Forces drone strike on Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area, purportedly targeting bandits, instead rained death upon a village, claiming hundreds of innocent lives. The chilling discrepancy between the official death toll of 88 and Amnesty International’s figure of 120 only underscored the callous disregard for human life.

Beyond the loss of life, Ballason chronicled a relentless campaign of oppression, with widespread demolitions of houses and businesses without court orders, arbitrary land seizures, and the desecration of traditional institutions. Journalists, activists, and traditional leaders found themselves behind bars, their voices silenced in a climate of fear and intimidation.

“The governor honored the constitution in breach rather than in compliance, even arrogating to himself powers in the exclusive legislative list on holidays and currency, for example,” Ballason stated, her words dripping with outrage.

However, the culpability extended beyond the executive branch, as Ballason turned her gaze upon the judicial sector, questioning the tepid response of lawyers and judges in the face of such blatant violations of the rule of law.

“From the Nigeria Bar Association’s refusal to sue the government in the face of egregious human rights violations to how it looked away when Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, a very senior member, a former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice had his house demolished because of his dissenting opinion… to how some of the courts sometimes enabled these violations by detaining innocent citizens whose actions have no probable inclination to crimes except that the government wants to persecute them, the judicial sector must admit that we could have done more,” Ballason asserted.

Her call to action was unequivocal: the judiciary must reclaim its independence and uphold the principles of justice enshrined in the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules. Judges and magistrates must be insulated from executive intimidation, whether through withholding of salaries or the dangling of proverbial carrots.

Ballason also challenged the role of the Attorney General’s office, questioning the inherent conflict of interest when the government’s legal representative enables and supervises human rights violations at the behest of the executive.

“There should be no conflict when the question of justice arises,” Ballason declared, drawing inspiration from Guatemala’s efforts to bring perpetrators of civil war atrocities to justice, where the Attorney General’s office has worked hand-in-hand with citizen-based and private initiatives to seek accountability.

In a poignant moment, Ballason reminded the audience that the fight against injustice and human rights abuse transcends the boundaries of institutions or factions – it is a battle between right and wrong, good and evil, humanity and inhumanity.

“Each of us must choose whether we want to fight on the side of the right or we want to play on the side of wrong. We must make a choice against good and evil, humanity or inhumanity. We must choose a side because there is no fence to straddle,” she implored.

Ballason’s clarion call echoed the words of Lord Acton, warning against the corrupting influence of unchecked power, and underscoring the necessity of upholding the separation of powers enshrined in the philosophies of John Locke and Baron Montesquieu.

As the seminar drew to a close, Ballason’s stirring words lingered in the air, a sobering reminder of the pressing need for accountability and a renewed commitment to the protection of human rights in Kaduna State and beyond.

“May all who come behind us find us faithful, and may the fires of our devotion light their way. May the justice we embody encourage them to believe. May the lives we live inspire them to be courageous in the face of injustice, and may history be kind to us all,” she concluded, her voice a beacon of hope amidst the darkness.

In a nation where the promise of democracy has been tarnished by the bitter taste of oppression, Ballason’s impassioned plea resonates as a call to action – a demand for a reckoning, a restoration of the inviolable rights that define our shared humanity.