Femi Adeyeye: Student activist blasts “empty brain” human rights body, CDHR
Why we are where we are: My experience at the CDHR secretariat at Adeniji Jones (Ikeja, Lagos) on the 30th, January 2017.
I woke up early Monday morning to set out to a place I had a belief should be a home of succour to the downtrodden; people whose rights have been battered by either the ignorant few or the ‘over knowledgeable” many.
I was in the company of Olajuwon Sanyaolu, the National Coordinator of Alliance of Nigeria Students against Neo-liberal Attacks (ANSA). We bought food in packs to the secretariat with the mindset that we were going to the home of activists. Little did we know that there was nothing homely about the supposed human rights organisation: CDHR.
It would interest you to know that at 11.35 am only two and a half persons were in the whole secretariat that houses about 12 offices.
The receptionist was the half person as her countenance could depict the mien of a half human being. On approaching her, she told us “no one” was around which eventually turned out to be true but the Aluta spirit in us would not just hint us about the humiliation we are about to face in the hands of the “no ones”. Truly, there was “no one” in the secretariat as the offices were empty and the two offices that were not empty were occupied by persons of empty brains.
For those of us who do not know about CDHR, CDHR stands for Committee for Defence of Human Rights. This is an organisation that preaches freedom, equality, fairness and most especially good governance. How then does one explain the lackadaisical attitude towards this fiduciary duties of the staffers? How do we tell the government to cut the cost of governance when a non-governmental organisation has a secretariat of over 12 offices but only two and a half persons could be in the secretariat at the right time on a MONDAY MORNING? How then do we teach values and monitor the younger generation to follow those values to make them sustainable – is lateness to work the value CDHR is preaching?
The reason we are where we are is getting clearer by the day as civil organisations are unmasking themselves. The masquerade has gone in to change and now we know that the masquerade was man.
I know I am troublesome as many have created their opinions about me but I can never be as rude as one of the staffers who attended to us. As if the lateness palaver wasn’t enough, the organisation could not solidarise with four sheets of paper to print a petition we brought to them. We had sent copies through email to other organisations but we decided to drop a hard copy of the petition at the secretariat due to the fact that we respect the organisation so well and we understand how homely the organisation had been to activists in the past.
We had exhausted all hard copies we had before getting to Ikeja so we begged to print the 4-paged petition with their printer. We were shocked to the marrow to discover how statist the CDHR has become. We were not allowed to print. The man shouted at us, calling us unprintable names.
It is a pity that even the EFCC which is a government organisation could feel our agitation and pain better than a human rights organisations — CDHR. The organisation should be rechristened to fit her stance on defending human rights. If we had come in jeeps, we would have been treated better.
What have we brought to them?! We came with a petition against the Ogun State Government on the astronomical extortion and violation of rights of the students of Tai Solarin University of Education and to announce the Mass action slated for February 6th. This is a University where students now pay tax of N10,100.
As if that’s not enough, the students also are forced to pay N25,000 as course registration fee. This fee is paid at a micro finance bank where the Vice Chancellor is part of the board of directors. You would be taken aback when you know that other fees especially the tuition are paid online except this egregious fee rebranded from VOS fee to Course registration fee.
Are all these not worthy of attention!. It is disheartening that we were treated in such manner by such organisation. If CDHR could not help us, then let’s go by the way of fisticuffs!
Adeyeye Olorunfemi,
Lagos.
Adeyeye was suspended for four semesters after questioning University of Lagos’ (UNILAG) authorities’ decision to suspend the student union body after students asked for the provision of basic amenities. He then became the poster child of student activism in Nigeria.
The views expressed here are solely the author’s.
