By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
A human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana has decried what he described as horrendous human rights violation in streets and roads of Lagos and Nigeria in general and urged Lagos State House of Assembly to pass the bill and let the State Committee on human rights swoop into action.
“Flowing from the EndSars report and recommendations on the EndSars protest across the country which claimed the innocent lives of harmless protesters, each State of the federation was asked to set up a Human Rights Committee to look into human rights violations by agents of the government,” Falana said.
Based on the recommendation, the Lagos State House of Assembly last year, passed a bill on human rights and domestic violence which was signed into law but the agency to implement the law has not been set up
It was in this regard that Mr Falana urged the State government to set up the Committee. Furthermore , the State has passed the anti corruption law but up till now, the anti corruption agency has not been set up by the Lagos State government.
“The House should task the executive arm of the government to set up the agency without further delay”
Falana said these in his speech as the Chairman of an event organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in collaboration with Centre for Anti Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) which held in Lagos on Thursday.
The group which presented Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum (CARF), a stakeholder’s interactive roundtable on public policy making and execution has its theme as ” Lagos State Environmental Laws: Implications and Effects on Human and Socio-Economic Rights of the People”
Speaking on the unfortunate incident in which many people including students were stampeded to death in Lagos, Nassarawa and Bauchi States in the course of giving rice as palliative to cushion the effect of hardship in the country, the Senior Advocate lamented on the unfortunate loss of lives, stressing that “our people are suffering ”
He argued that the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede should be compensated.
“Justice must be done by paying adequate compensation for the people who lost their lives in the stampede ” Falana submitted.
“Distribution of food to our people is not the best option. Majority of people will not get it.
“We request the Lagos State government not to humiliate our people by throwing food items to them
“Our citizens are being treated as animals. Instead of throwing food to them , the government should prepare a roster of the vulnerable people, collect their details and transfer money to them,” Falana suggested.
He wondered why people should be gathered together just for sharing rice when there are local government councils, CDA’s, Constituencies and wards that can do it when properly monitored.
Speaking on social security, Femi Falana (SAN) urged Lagos State House of Assembly to enact Social Security bill to take care of all citizens, especially the vulnerable people.
“We are asking Lagos State to implement people oriented laws, lead the country because you are the pace setter. We are asking Lagos to show leadership in this direction” Falana posited.
On reformation of Lagos judiciary, Falana noted that the present operational courts in Lagos are the High court and Magistrates court, whereas the customary court is inactive. He urged the Lagos government to reform the customary court.
On arresting of motorists by V.I.O. because of road worthiness, Falana cited the Court of Appeal decision which held that private vehicles are not subjected to road worthiness checks.
Concluding his speech, Falana implored the legislators through Hon. Ogundipe who represented the Speaker, Rt.Hon Mudashiru Obasa to come out and talk to the citizens intermittently on their legislation for the good of the people and not coming to meet the people only during elections.
In his key note address , the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, represented by Hon. Ogundipe Stephen, Chairman House Committee on Security , highlighted some of the legislations of the House which were signed into law as: The Domestic Violence Law, Land Grabbing Law, Lagos Traffic Law, House Rent Payment Law, amongst others.
He said that Lagos House of Assembly under the leadership of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has set up committees for various sectors to look into complaints and petitions coming from the citizens, with a view to addressing the issues raised.
He gave the instance that under the House Rent Payment Law, landlords should not collect more than one year house rent, adding that any landlord who asks for two years house rent at a time should be brought to the knowledge of the House committee of that sector by the affected tenant.
Hon Ogundipe said that aside from legislation, the House performs oversight function by checkmating the excesses of the executive and even the judiciary.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the President of CDHR and Chairman CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran said the import of the event was to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas on government activities so that areas of diversity between the government and the governed can easily be harmonised.
Comrade Adeniran said the event focuses on law making mainly in Lagos as it affects the people of Lagos State. He advised that non implimentable and ambiguous laws should not be allowed to scale through the State Assembly
During the panel discussion moderated by Debo Adeniran, discussants/participants discussed issues bordering on Land grabbing which is a criminal offence.
They said that despite the law which is in place, land grabbing still persists with the aid of police and powerful elites, stressing that nobody should be above the law; tenant and landlord issues were also discussed
They expressed that Lagos State government should be proactive in protecting its citizens and not just enacting laws; Hon. members should be meeting regularly with their constituents and participate with the people in legislation without being in the House; there should be an appendage in the law where landlord should fix the damaged areas in his property so long as the tenant is paying his rent. The burden of repairing or fixing damaged areas of a property is on the landlord and not the tenant.
The civil society organisations posited that they are ready to cooperate with the government if democracy is practiced the way it should be done.
The roundtable was aimed at discussing contemporary issues and government policies as it relates to the well-being of the citizens.
The event had in attendance members from the civil society space, trade unions and the media. It served as an avenue to cross fertilize ideas on various government’s policies currently being implemented in Lagos State.