THE GROWING CULTURE OF IMPUNITY

Government must act within the law

The growing culture of impunity and scant regards for human rights in the country is worrying. Last Monday, it took the threat of a nationwide strike before security operatives freed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Joe Ajaero from its custody. He had been arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja while on his way to the United Kingdom for an official engagement. There were no clear reasons for the arrest. Barely some hours later, the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives raided the Abuja office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s (SERAP), a non-governmental organisation. Beyond the call to scrutinise the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) books in face of alleged corruption and incompetence, there was no plausible reason for the invasion of SERAP office.

While we have no problem with security agencies doing their job, the federal government must understand that citizens have the right to freely express disaffection on their policies and programmes. It is a fundamental right. But in the last few months, security operatives have moved against many Nigerians – from labour leaders to civic organisations, and even journalists for raising contrary voices. This is ironically a throwback to the era of jackboots and dictatorship – a jungle of a sort where anything goes. But that is a reckless gamble. We are in a democracy. “This government has an obligation to support and protect civil society groups and human rights defenders,” said SERAP in a statement. “We are seriously concerned about the growing restrictions on civic space and the brutal crackdown on the human rights of Nigerians.”

The seeds of conflicts were sown early in the administration. President Bola Tinubu on assuming duty removed the subsidy on petrol and shortly after, floated the nation’s currency, the naira. Though hailed as necessary policies, there are evident problems of implementation, prompting astronomical rise in the cost of living. Today, millions of Nigerians can hardly afford a good meal a day. The removal of the subsidy, and the massive devaluation of the naira, punched deep holes in pockets and reduced people’s purchasing power, many of whom are jobless. Even worse, there were hardly concrete measures to cushion the impact of the haemorrhage. The N70,000 minimum wage approved by the government for workers is not yet operational.

Moreover, after billions of dollars had been poured into the refineries with the hope that they may help in moderating the choking cost of fuel, none is still currently working. Besides, there is slow progress in the promised compressed natural gas (CNG) initiative, seen as a cheaper alternative to petrol. But in the midst of the profound hardship, government at virtually all levels, is operating as usual, indulging in wasteful spending amid blatant corruption. It was thus a perfect opportunity for workers to resort to the only weapon it has to make government to listen. The two-day protest in late February paralysed and harmed many cities, including Abuja, but made the labour leader, Ajaero a marked man. Since then, he has been in a cat and mouse relationship with the government, a relationship worsened by the 10-day protest in August which made many in government jittery. Even though Labour was not the arrowhead, it threw its weight behind it.

The raids, the invitations of the labour leaders and the subsequent charges of terrorism against some of the protesters and others are evident of a government unwilling to tolerate dissent from any quarters. But it is a wrong-headed move. We cannot afford to militarise the environment. If anybody falls short of the law, he should be so treated. There must be a halt to what is becoming a gradual descent into dictatorship.