LAGOS – Stakeholders has called for more citizens engagement in order to allow Nigerians to enjoy the basic socio-economic rights provided in the Nigerian Constitution as well as other enabling laws.
They unanimously called on the government to also ensure that citizens’ engagement is top-notch and must also ensure that they provide for citizens accordingly.
This recommendation was made at the town hall meeting, with the theme “Justiciability of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution – Pragmatic Measures for Government’s Accountability” held in Ikeja, Lagos on Monday.
READ ALSO…
One of the lead speakers at the meeting, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN said the citizens should challenge their statutory rights at the court of law.
Falana said victims of social economics rights abuse should send petitions to human commissions like it used to be done in the days of the military rules if court orders are not obeyed by the government.
“Also citizens must apply all international measures to fight any abuse on their social-economic rights in ensuring the enforcement of the basic rights as provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and other enabling laws for their benefits.
Also, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association of Nigeria, (NBA) Mr. Olumide Akpata said the NBA will ensure that their members in the National Assembly understand how and what they should voting for at the forthcoming voting and passage of local government, judiciary and States House Assembly total autonomy from both Federal and State governments’ interference.
“We have done memo earlier stating our positions on the matter and we expect that the lawyers at the House of Assembly will represent our position,” Akpata said.
DAILY INDEPENDENT reports that Hon. Justice Helen Ogunwumiju of the Supreme Court of Nigeria will chair the town hall meeting.
Discussants at the meeting include Hon. Luke Oniofiok, chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Anthony Ojukwu (SAN), Executive Secretary, Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Onuoha Ogwe, Chief Judge of Abia State, Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director, Enough is Enough (EiE), and Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
