By Samuel Ogude & Ejiro Nesisa
Citizens Rights Concern Enhancement Initiative otherwise known as Human Rights Protection Congress has organized its Annual National Congress Day 2023. The programme which coincided with 63rd years of Nigeria’s independence was attended by dignitaries from all walks of life: the Police Force, Civil Society among others that took place at Ebrumede Town Hall in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State.
In a key -note address titled: Value Driven Leadership, A Panacea For Sustainable National Development, the Board Chairman of Human Rights Protection Congress and Director General, Value Rebirth Initiatives – School of Leadership and Conflicts Resolution, Comrade (Ambassador) Pastor Edewor Egedegbe said Nigeria is stagnated in terms of growth and development due to poor leadership as Nigeria is characterized with corruption, lack of clear economic development policy, lack of patriotism, weak institution especially the Judiciary, the INEC and others, adding that, it is hard to believe that despite the nation’s abundant national resources, Nigeria is still in abject poverty.
His words:” It is unbelievable that Nigeria that is blessed by God, its citizens are wallowing in abject poverty: living in unprecedented hunger and shattered hope”.
According to him, development is not only about building of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and flyovers as many politicians have many people to believe but is about a holistic development of the ideals which can attend to the well-being of the people in terms of education, health, standard of living, psychological well-being among others.
According to him, there are always challenges all over the world in nation building which Nigeria forms a part, situation which made some countries richer while some are poor but with purposeful leadership, Nigeria can experience rapid growth and development.
He said despite these challenges Nigerians are facing, they can not resign to fate but brace up to the challenges by fashioning out a way to have purposeful leadership to pilot the affairs of the country and make it a better place.
While thanking the members of the body to have stood for human rights protection so far despite the challenges ,he said the body would do its best in this regard.
He however frowned at a situation where people were invited to discuss issues to move the country forward in this direction, many people especially from the host community did not attend.
Other speakers in the programme include the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass who was represented by Area Commander, Ughelli, ACP Ademola, Adebayo, the representative of the Physically Challenged in the state, among others.
In an interview, a Warri- based Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Oghenejabor Ikimi Esq. said Nigeria has achieved little or nothing in its 63 years of its independence. According to him, politically, Nigeria is independent but economically, it is not, as the country still borrows money in running its affairs. He said, despite its the abundant natural resources, Nigeria is unable to gavanise human resources to better the lives of the people as Nigerians have no pipe-borne water, no single refinery among others, which have made the country a mockery of many smaller nations.
He said:” This is a country that is seated on a sea bed yet, we are unable to tap the mineral resources, we are unable to gavanise human resources, we still borrow money, our national grid collapsed trice: we are in total darkness in an oil producing nation”.
According to him, neither strikes that would be embarked upon by Union leaders nor the palliatives by the federal government would be solutions to Nigeria myriad problems but the country should return to regional system of government of many years ago where every region develops at its pace.
His words:” Nobody is happy right now because neither the strikes nor palliatives are solutions to the myriad problems of Nigeria but the country to go back to regional system of government where each region develops at its pace as in the past where they were three to four regions.”
He said the military did not help matters as they caused the country to be in unitary system of government where all regional civil services were merged saying until something is done in this regard, Nigeria would continue in this economic woes.
The highlight of the programme was the discussion of the way forward for Nigeria by selected group of panelists among whom is Oghenejabor Ikimi Esq. which was anchored questions and answers.