20th Memorial Anniversary: Beko Ransome Kuti’s Legacies lives on ,CDHR .

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By   Oluwatosin 

   The National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, in Nigeria, Comrade Debo Adeniran has charged the Human Rights Activists in Nigeria to keep the standards and the legacies left behind by the Late Dr Beko Ransome.    Kuti alive and intact.

      National President of the CDHR, Comrade Debo Adeniran conveyed  the message while delivering his speech at the 20th Memorial Anniversary of the Late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti held at the Rights House and organized by the Lagos State Branch of CDHR on Tuesday.

       During  the   delivery of his speech Comrade Debo Adeniran laid emphasis  on the importance of maintaining the ideals left behind by the Late  Dr  Beko Ransome Kuti which focuses on exhibiting courage in the courtroom, vigilance in the streets, advocacy in the media, and integrity in personal conducts. 

         In addition, he emphasized the need for human rights activists in Nigeria to call themselves to introspection. 

         Also  Comrade Debo Adeniran  charged the Civil Society Organizations in the Country to stay on cause, remain independent, maintain principles and be united.  Debo reminded the leaders of civil society organizations in the Nigeria not to forget the Late Beko’s stance on division, complacency, and the temptation of compromising injustice, but stick to his believe that activism must be anchored on integrity and sustained by solidarity.

      Debo Adeniran made appeal  to rights activists in the Country to continue to build their alliances across ethnics, religious, and ideological divides, thereby nurturing young activists and encouraging collective actions.

           During  Comrade Debo Adeniran’s speech, he noted that  “If Beko is alive today, in the face of the current security challenges, economic hardship, and moral uncertainties, he would not retreat into cynicism, rather, he would organize, mobilize, demand accountability and insist that insecurity, whether from banditry, terrorism, or state excesses, is fundamentally a failure of governance. ,'"

   The National President of CDHR , Debo  Adeniran said  “Beko would have challenged the economic policies deepening inequality and impoverishing the citizens in the Country. 

“He laid emphasis  that corruption is not merely a financial crime but a human rights violation that steals dignity and opportunity from the people”.  Debo Adeniran  however implored organizations like the Nigeria Medical Association, the Campaign for Democracy, the Centre for Constitutional Governance, the Citizens Forum, Labour and Civil Society Coalition, LASCO and the Management Board of Lagos University Teaching Hospital LUTH among others to jointly strengthen the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and help in institutionalizing the struggle for civil liberties in Nigeria, and noting that human rights issues are not privileges granted by the state but inalienable entitlements of every citizens.

          The Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Lucas Koyejo,   during his    keynote address titled: ‘Freedom Of Expression And The Press: A Constitutional Right Of All Nigerians’, the Coordinator,, made an appeal to the government to amend or repeal laws that unduly criminalize or harass journalists and activists.

             He further laid emphasis that defending freedom of expression does not mean defending falsehood, hate speech, or incitement to violence but regulation.

 In addition, he urged everyone  that freedom of expression  is  more than a constitutional change but it is also the  heartbeat of liberty and  the  voice of the people.  He said: “We should promote access to information and government transparency and build solidarity between the Bar, civil society, and the media.”