Understanding, exercising human rights, way to fight corruption —Adediji

Chief (Mrs) Josephine Adediji is the founder, Advocacy for Justice, with the motto, Justice for All. In this interview by RITA OKONOBOH, she speaks on the organisation’s objectives, the challenges of exercising human rights in Nigeria and how the country can attain a corruption-free society. Excerpts:

Brief history of the organisation

The organisation, which is a non-governmental one, has been at the forefront of issues as they relate to human rights violation. We focus on education and enforcing people’s rights. Our main audience is the underprivileged. When we say the underprivileged, we divide them into two classes – the poor and the uninformed. A person can be rich and still have no idea what his or her rights are. We also target those who are economically disadvantaged – market women, traders, housewives, motorcyclists, drivers, among others.

There are a host of disadvantaged people in society. Why human rights?

When we refer to human rights violation, it encompasses a whole lot. When you consider the Violation Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, it covers a whole lot of issues that bother on abuse of human rights. So, on some level, we cover as many disadvantaged people as possible.

How do people reach out to you?

We reach out to people and people reach out to us. For instance, not too long ago, a member of the organisation, who is also a legal practitioner, was in court. A man had been charged for armed robbery and from his reaction, it was obvious he had no idea what he was being charged for – this was even after the charges were read to his hearing in Yoruba language. He did not understand what was happening. We took up the case and explained what the charges were and he was shocked beyond belief. Even his wife, whom we also met, had assumed that the reading of the charges in court was the judgment of the case. We are currently working with the family on the case. There are so many cases like that where people have no idea what their rights are. We are taking up the challenge of educating people on what their rights are and how to ensure that such rights are effected.

Some of these legal and civil representations cost money. How do you get funding?

Our organisation is made up of people who cut across all sectors of society. We have individuals who offer to sponsor some cases. There are also cases we have been able to take up which don’t involve as much as funding as it involves having the right personnel to take charge of the situation. For instance, in the example of the case mentioned above, our in-house lawyer took up the case pro bono.

What are some challenges you have faced?

Apart from funding, there is the challenge of trust. There are cases we take up and the people involved are sometimes a little reluctant to trust that we will see the case to a successful outcome. Some of them cite examples of other non-governmental organisations that have made similar promises which they did not keep. There are also situations where the people seem not to want to exercise their rights, probably for fear of being ‘targeted’ after the case is over. That is part of what we are committed to addressing with the Advocacy for Justice.

The present government has prioritised the fight against corruption. How would you assess their performance so far in this regard?

I would say, in the fight against corruption, the present government has been doing well. Although some people have expressed concerns that some people, who are accused of corrupt practices, are first tried on the media before they are charged for their crimes, I would still rate this government very high in the efforts to eradicate corruption.

From your slogan, ‘Corruption Free,’ do you really think Nigeria can be corruption free?

As much as corruption would seem to have eaten deep into the Nigerian system, nothing is impossible, even with the human factor of imperfection. If we are determined, we can bring corruption down to the barest minimum in Nigeria.

When you compare what obtains here and outside Nigeria, based on your experience and exposure, how would you assess the Nigerian understanding of human rights?

If I was to compare, I would say we are still a far cry from what obtains in some foreign countries. In Nigeria, it is sometimes as bad as some persons having no idea that they have human rights. Even when you try to encourage them to exercise such rights, they prefer to operate within ignorance of such rights. In a recent case, a man was arrested for possession of a firearm. Interestingly, some persons in his community had offered N15,000 to some security personnel so he wouldn’t be paraded. We got involved in the case and the money was returned without hassle. Sadly, the next day, when we were supposed to see the officer in charge of the case, since the man was discovered not to be culpable, the people had reoffered to induce the security personnel. Sometimes, as much as the security personnel is aware of what a person’s right should be, the readiness to trample upon such rights is further helped by the victim’s offer to ease the process through inducement. That is an example of a misunderstanding of what human rights should be and that is what our organisation is working on addressing.

Sometimes, even when a person wants to exercise such rights, there is the fear of being brutalised. What would you advise in such cases?

What we advise people is to cooperate when you see that you are at a disadvantage, such as in cases where there are no witnesses, or in which you wouldn’t be able to readily prove your innocence. When you get the opportunity to, remedy the situation by exercising such rights.

In recent times, incidents of brutality by security personnel seemed to have increased. How would you advise government on handling such?

I would advise reorientation, especially at the recruitment level and in active duty. People’s backgrounds should be understood across all sectors of our security forces so as to determine if such a person is in the best position to function effectively as a security personnel. Such digging into backgrounds may seem to take time and resources, but it is usually worth it in the long run.

How would advise the people on exercising their rights?

It starts from the individual level. If each person can take up the task of educating his/her neighbour on the basic human rights, then, we are on our way to a better society. People should also be willing to take advantage of NGOs that focus on such issues. They exist for that reason.