*Calls On President Buhari To Respect The Right To Freedom Of Expression Of Citizens

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olumide Akpata, has said that democracy entails the right to speak and ask questions

He said this in his goodwill message on Democracy Day, June 12, which coincided with the birthday of the former Chairman of the Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu.

Akpata poured encomium on Chidi whom he described as a brightest mind.

“Chidi, as he likes to be addressed represents different things to different people. For some, Chidi is simply the Senior Team Manager for the Africa program of the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), for others, he is the former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission and whether you are a fan or a critic, there is near consensus that he exercised the duties of that office with admirable grace and altruistic passion that is lacking in many of our public office holders today. To others, he is a fiery human rights lawyer who has consistently held his own in that chosen field from his early days at the Civil Liberties Organisation to the present day. To others still, he is a straight talker who suffer no fools gladly especially on his preferred social media platform of choice, Twitter.”

Akpata said Chidi served the Bar creditably in different capacities, most notably with the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) which he founded. He expressed belief that Chidi still has a lot more to offer. He said Chidi contributed significantly to Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 and he continues to ensure that that democracy is sustained.

He said “By some extraordinary divine orchestration, exactly a quarter of a century after Chidi was born, one of the most important events in the history of Nigeria’s democratic journey occurred, the ultimately ill-fated June 12 1993 election which is still adjudged as the freest and fairest election in the country’s history. It is altogether fitting therefore that as we celebrate the anniversary of that occasion today, we also devote some time to celebrate the birthday of our brother Chidi Odinkalu. And how better to celebrate it than to convoke a soul searching discussion on democracy in Nigeria.”

Akpata said Part of the most critical elements of a democratic system of government are the fundamental rights which the people have, not as a privilege or gift by the government which can be withdrawn or suspended at will, but which inure to them by virtue of their humanity. It is for this reason, according to him, that the rights are enshrined in the Constitution and therefore cannot be amended at will even by the Legislature.

He said citizens have the right to ask questions when they perceive that things are not going right and to speak truth to power. However, some persons tend to see those who ask questions as enemies of the country. To him, such is not patriotism, but sycophancy.

“One factor that bedevils democracy, especially the variant we practice in Nigeria, is that we are quick to label anyone who asks questions of government as an enemy of the country. That is not patriotism, that is sycophancy, and we are doing ourselves disservice. So when I hear Nigeria’s democracy failure, instead of viewing the topic as naysaying, I rather see patriots who are discussing and charting Pathways to salvage our democratic experiment. This accords with Chidi’s day job of protecting basic democratic rights around the world especially in the face of autocratic repression that constantly seeks to suppress dissent.

“Speaking in my individual capacity, and not necessarily as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, it is sometimes difficult to be optimistic about the democratic system of government in Nigeria. For too long we have viewed democracy as being about elections and nothing more. For this reason, we tend to concentrate on election years, 1999, 2007, 2015, 2023 etc and more often than not we de-emphasise the period in between which is what the democracy is actually about. It is also for this reason that the previous constitutional alterations by the National Assembly have rather been about the political process than about the people of Nigeria for and on whose behalf the government exists.”

Akpata raises several questions on 2023 which everyone seems to be talking about. according to him, it is important to address the pressing issues that threaten to derail our democracy in Nigeria and which if not adequately addressed, there might be no 2023. “How do we ensure adequate citizen engagement in the democratic experience? How do we tackle the problem of insecurity that threatens the corporate existence of the country? How do we address the corruption that plagues our democracy which finds expression in such ills as vote buying, snatching of ballot boxes etc? How do we ensure that the National Assembly carries out the electoral reform needed to improve our democratic experience in Nigeria?” he asked

He then concluded, “In ending, I join the call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to continually respect the rights of Nigerians including the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, including the right to protest. The greatest dishonour and disservice that will be done to the memory of Chief M. K. O. Abiola and the other patriots who gave their lives to the struggle for the return to democratic rule will be to turn today to a day of suppression and wanton disregard and disrespect for the fundamental rights of Nigerians. In the same way, those who are seeking to make a statement today by exercising their right to protest and express themselves must also remain law abiding and conduct themselves in a manner that does not deprive others of their fundamental rights. As we sat, where one’s right stops is where another’s begins. It is possible for us to coexist peacefully and the government and people to live in peace and mutual respect for one another. That is what Chief M. K. O. Abiola stood for, and that is what Chidi Odinkalu represents.”