The Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria (HRJN), received in persons, in its Lagos Office, senior management members of Amnesty International Nigeria, led by its Country Director, Isa Sanusi.
The visitation heralded renewal of existing collaboration with the frontline international human rights body, particularly on issues bothering on democratic governance, electoral integrity, law and order, fundamental human rights and Freedom of Expression and Press in Nigeria.
The visitors were received by the HRJN senior team, jointly led by the Executive Director, Kehinde Adegboyega, and the Co-founder, Blessing Oladunjoye, who doubles as the Publisher of BONews Service.
The duo was joined by two Members of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, the Executive Director at Media Career Development Network, and Ms. Olayide Akanni, the Executive Director of Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS).
Other members of HRJN in attendance were Shakirudeen Bankole, Communication and Strategy Lead, Mariam Nurudeen-Arole, Legal Adviser, Nasir Agbalaya, member and Editor at News Central, and Elizabeth Osanyade, member and reporter at Vanguard Newspaper.
Sanusi, in the company of his two other colleagues, Bhavika Solanki, Civic Space and Governance Expert, and representative from their London Office, and another colleague in their Abuja Office, said the visit was part of Amnesty International’s renewal of partnerships and collaborations with relevant stakeholders on the project of human rights and social justice activism nationally and globally.
He said in spite of the increasing pressure to silent voices of reasons and rights advocates that are seeking the right to a dignifying living standard for the people, the Nigerian civil society organisations, including HRJN, have remained resolute in their quest to hold power accountable to the rule of law and global best practices.
Sanusi said this is a source of encouragement where Amnesty International Nigeria, draws its motivation and commitment to frontline advocacy from.
According to him, “We are visiting HRJN because we recognize the important work you are doing in the quest to widen the Civic Space, protect and preserve the fundamental human rights of the people, and your steadfastness in holding power accountable to their social contracts and duties to the people.
“We recognize your resoluteness to continue to do this, despite the challenges and intimidations from the state and non-state actors. For instance, as we gather at this meeting now, we do not know who is next to be picked by the DSS (Department of State Security). Yet, we still risk it, regardless.
“This is why we are very confident to tell you guys that we are committed to partnering with you and supporting your good works,” Sanusi said.
Solanki, in her remarks, said she was impressed by the doggedness of the Nigerian human and civil rights defenders, including journalists, despite the barrages of intimidations, arrests, detentions and tortures by the ruling class.
She said just like Nigerians, other freedom fighters around the world, have exhibited similar radical disposition required to discharge the constitutional duty of providing checks and balances of power.
While lamenting that the intimidation, arrest, detention and torture of human rights defenders and journalists, has become a trend that has witnessed an upward surge in the last decade,Solanki said it was however surprising to see that democratically elected governments would also be found or seen to be involved in such acts.
According to her, “the only way to continue the consolidation of the civil liberty and freedom of the people, globally, is by holding on, insistently, to the power of collaboration.”
In his response, Adegboyega, thanked the Amnesty International team for their visit, continued collaboration and support, and highlighted some of HRJN milestone interventions in the cause of the ongoing year.
According to him, “in the recent time, we have been able to organize workshops and sensitise human rights defenders and journalists to the ongoing State Surveillance Programme in Nigeria. This is so unfortunate because we are operating a democratic system of government. Activists and journalists are now being arrested, indiscriminately, without recourse to the rule of law. So, we have brought our expertise to bear in establishing the connection between state surveillance, and forced disappearances, arrest, intimidation, and torture of people and organisations fighting for the fundamental human rights of the people.
“This intervention, which enjoyed the support of Amnesty International Nigeria, is under the wider umbrella of Digital Safety and Security Series we are running. And we have not only sensitized the activists, we have also supported them with applications and software that would protect and guarantee their safety in the cause of the job.
“At the 2024 Press Freedom Day workshop we organized in Lagos recently, with support from the United Nations Information Center (UNIC), we also established the necessity for journalists to create solidarity clusters for galvanizing support for their folks and institutions that may experience this unfortunate attack,” he narrated.
Adegboyega lamented that the most challenging part of the advocacy campaign is the oppressive predisposition of democratically elected governments in Africa, who themselves are frontline beneficiaries of civil liberty rights.
