Nigerian migrants face ‘unimaginable horrors’ in Libya – UN

A cross section of the Nigerian immigrants rescued on 6 November on Libyan waters

The United Nations has released a new report, which detailed the unimaginable horrors Nigerian migrants were being subjected from the moment they entered Libya and throughout their stay in that country.

The report, released by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), also showed the horrors of attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Entitled: ‘Desperate and Dangerous: Report on the human rights situation of migrants and refugees in Libya’, it detailed the horrific conditions Nigerian migrants and refugees faced during their transit through and stay in Libya.

The findings were based on first-hand accounts gathered by UN human rights staff from Nigerian migrants in Libya, those who had returned to Nigeria, and Nigerians who managed to reach Italy.

The report covered 20-months up till August 2018, detailing a terrible litany of violations and abuses committed by a range of state officials, armed groups, smugglers and traffickers against migrants and refugees.

The accounts of the Nigerian migrants were mostly those of woes ranging from unlawful killings to gang rape, prostitution, arbitrary detention, torture and inhumane treatment, unpaid wages, slavery, human trafficking, racism and xenophobia.

Libyan law criminalises irregular entry into, stay in or exit from the country with a penalty of imprisonment pending deportation, without any consideration of individual circumstances or protection needs.

For instance, a 27-year-old man from Nigeria, who was held in captivity in Sabratah between May and October 2017, gave an account of death penalty in Libya.

He described witnessing a migrant being shot by a “drunk guard for no apparent reason”, and another being shot point blank over a disagreement about a sim card.

A Nigerian woman who had returned home in December 2017, gave account of rape, forced prostitution and other sexual violence.

“To be sold and forced to have sex with Arab or African men either to pay for the journey or to extract your money is a common thing to happen to you as a woman or a girl, all over the journey from day one in the desert until you depart Libya.”

A woman from Nigeria who arrived in Italy in April 2018 recounted being raped consecutively by four men, about three times a week, while held at a site in Sabha.

She described how five men would enter detainees’ cells together and concurrently rape five women.

When she arrived in Libya, she was in the early stages of pregnancy and suffered a miscarriage, she believed, as a result of rape.

She claimed that when women died at the facility, guards would just shrug and remove the bodies.

Women and girls were compelled to engage in sexual acts against their will and were under the absolute power and control of their captors, the Nigerian migrants recounted.

“In particular, Nigerian women and girls appear to be vulnerable to trafficking by multinational criminal networks in their countries of origin.

“They embark on their journeys believing office work awaits them in Europe but find themselves in so-called “connection houses” (“brothels”) in Libya,” the report stated.

A 22-year-old Nigerian woman, who was forcibly taken to a “connection house” in Tripoli’s Gergaresh neighbourhood shortly after arriving to Libya, was given a “choice” of either paying a “debt” of 24,000 Libyan dinars (then about $28,000) to her traffickers or engaging in sexual activities.

She was forced into the second option for nearly one year until the “connection house” was raided by a Tripoli-based armed group in early 2017.

She described the “connection house” as several three-bedroom flats, where an estimated 100 Nigerian women and girls aged between 15 and 22 shared rooms, using a curtain as a partition when engaged with “clients”.

The women were never allowed to leave the “connection house” or to make contact with the outside world; they had to endure being raped by up to 20 men a day.

They were not given any contraception, and several consequently got pregnant and forced to pay for dangerous abortions carried out at the “connection house”.

As they were not allowed to keep any money in their possession and therefore unable to make payments directly, their “debts” were increased instead.

The woman described seeing another victim bleed to death following an abortion.

A 19-year-old girl from Nigeria promised domestic work by her traffickers found herself in a “connection house, recounted her shock.

“At first, I refused to work. But if girls refused to work, they – connection house management and guards – would kill you or rape you and do anything they wanted to you.

“I had to stay there for nearly a year, until I paid my debt of 1.3 million Naira ($3,500),” she said.

Apparently due to her inability to pay a ransom, a 20-year-old Nigerian woman was forcibly transferred by smugglers/traffickers from a facility where she had spent one month to a “connection house” for one year and a half until March 2018.

She reported being beaten at the “connection house” in Sabha for initially refusing to engage in sex work.

As in “connection houses” in Tripoli, women and girls as young as 15 reportedly worked and slept at the facility, where they were locked up for the duration of their stay.

They were forced to receive several clients – up to 10 – per day under threat of beatings and other abuse. She reported suffering a miscarriage and not receiving any medical treatment.

A 23-year-old woman from Nigeria intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) off the coast of Zuwara in January 2017 recalled the panic caused when members of the LCG jumped onto their dinghy and shot in the air.

Some migrants and/or refugees were reportedly beaten with hoses and the back of rifles for refusing to point out the “captain” – or individual steering the boat – to the LCG.

A group of Nigerian men, detained at the Zuwara detention centre for two months following interception at sea in January 2018, described being beaten with water pipes and given electric shocks daily.

They also described detainees being locked up in the refrigerated back of a van used to transport perishable food as punishment.

A Nigerian man, who had lived and worked in Libya for 18 years, spent over one year held in the Mitiga detention centre without charge or trial after being handed over to SDF by armed men who kidnapped him in the street and collected a ransom from his wife.

In April 2017, he and dozens of other migrants were transferred from Mitiga detention centre to the DCIM detention centre at Tarik al-Sikka. He was deported in December 2017 for being in the country illegally.

He had no opportunity to explain that his residence had lapsed because he had been in detention. While held at the Mitiga detention centre, he was forced to construct and paint prison cells.

He was also beaten, held in solitary confinement for six months, slept on cardboard and rags and was denied medical treatment and family visits.

A group of 16 Nigerian women arrested during house raids in Misrata in late August 2017 recounted being beaten with sticks and water pipes and being given electric shocks at a local police station, while being called “whores”.

They were then transferred to al-Jawiya Prison, apparently on accusations of prostitution and alcohol consumption.

Three women in the group suffered miscarriages in the subsequent two months, possibly due to beatings upon their arrest and medical neglect while in custody.

They were not taken to the hospital when their bleeding started. One of the women, seven-month pregnant at the time, added: “I was feeling very sick. My friends (cellmates) started banging at the door.

“They (prison administration) eventually took me downstairs to give me a drip (in the local clinic), but they refused to transfer me to the hospital. When I lost the baby, I had to flush it, together with the blood clots, down the toilet.”

A Nigerian woman described to UNSMIL how “Asma boys” (as migrants refer to criminals in Libya) broke into her house, searching for money.

They beat her even though she was visibly pregnant at the time; she showed UNSMIL a scar on her arm, which she claimed she sustained when she shielded her face from an incoming knife stab.

The report said: “Countless migrants and refugees lost their lives during captivity by smugglers after being shot, tortured to death or simply left to die from starvation or medical neglect.

“Across Libya, unidentified bodies of migrants and refugees bearing gunshot wounds, torture marks and burns are frequently uncovered in rubbish bins, dry river beds, farms and the desert.’’

Tens of thousands of young men and women have been returned from Libya by the Federal Government since 2017 through the Voluntary Humanitarian Returns programme of the International Organisation for Migration.

Dame Julie Okah-Donli, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said no fewer than 13,000 trafficked Nigerians had been rescued by the agency by March 2018.

“Some of them came back with all sorts of conditions – some treatable, some untreatable, some with hepatitis, HIV, some with full-blown AIDS,” she said, adding many of the victims have psychological problems.

“A lot of them come back mentally sick and so we have to refer them to the mental hospitals because they were traumatised, they’ve been beaten, raped and used,” she said.

- PM NEWS

Zamfara killings: Human rights group releases report of findings

The Coalition on Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Nigeria (CCRHRN) has released its report on recent killings in Zamfara State.

The human rights group said accusations of war crimes against troops was mischievous, fallacy and an attempt to dent the image of Nigerian military.

The Coalition said it conducted a preliminary investigation into the anti-bandit protests held by youths in parts of Zamfara state following reports that the rights of citizens might have been violated.

Maxwell Gowon Esq, CCRHRN Executive Director, while presenting the report during the weekend, said findings have shown that the protesters were legitimately expressing their grievances against perceived lack of action against bandits that have been killing people in some parts of the state.

It report further noted that the protests were hijacked in some instances by hoodlums that specifically recruited for that purpose by some political players.

“Property were destroyed and some people injured by the hoodlums. They then tried to shift the blame for this destruction on the responding security agencies that were drafted to the scenes to maintain order.

“The military was deployed to contain the situation when the protests became unruly and violent beyond what the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) could manage.

“The military, with other responding security agencies, managed the protests consistent with the recognized rules of engagement.

“There was no evidence that the military massacred, brutalized or indiscriminately arrested protesters.

“The reports carried by some online sites, which reported large scale extra-judicial killings, were not reflected in the mainstream and legacy organizations. The content of such reports did not stand up to scrutiny and were totally at variance with the accounts given my respondents.”

The report recommended that: “The Federal Government should review existing conflict zones in the country and properly identified the ones that warrant the deployment of military personnel.

“That matters that are deemed as falling within jurisdiction of the Police should be so assigned in order to minimize the distractions to troops from the military being deployed to deal with what the police should is able to deal with in other climes.

“That the Federal Government should urgently investigate the identities of those facilitating the bandits’ attacks. It must also those unmask the identities of those that hijacked the protests.”

- DAILY POST

PL : Agüero strikes as City return to winning ways

The alarm bells shrilled for Manchester City. Almost out of nowhere, they had lost three Premier League games out of four and, with Liverpool flicking on the after-burners, it is no exaggeration to say that another reverse would have imperilled their title defence.

Pep Guardiola and his players could feel a bit better after this. City imposed their front-foot football and, although they wobbled at times during the first half, they had too much for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s rebooted Southampton.

City’s self-belief flooded back during a one-sided second half, during which it was a minor miracle that they did not add to their lead, but the most important aspect was the result. The victory cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to seven points, ahead of Thursday night’s seismic clash between the clubs at the Etihad Stadium. Win that and City would be back in business.

They will have to tighten up on the finer details to do so. Defensively, there were flaws before the interval and it is doubtful whether Liverpool will afford them as many chances as Southampton did. City lacked end product on too many occasions.

Nevertheless, the positives far outweighed the negatives, after first-half goals from David Silva and Sergio Agüero, either side of a James Ward-Prowse own goal, gave them an unassailable cushion.

Southampton were second best and their frustrations were summed up by the dreadful Pierre-Emile Højbjerg challenge on Fernandinho in the 85th minute that saw the home captain receive a straight red card. Højbjerg, who had earlier equalised for 1-1, was high and out of control with a scissors-style tackle. Guardiola was incensed and he immediately withdrew Fernandinho, who had made an impressive comeback from a thigh injury.

The City manager had mentioned confidence – or the sudden lack of it – after the Boxing Day defeat at Leicester and what would have pleased him the most was how it returned. The early goal certainly helped and it came when Southampton left great spaces down their left-hand side.

It was too easy for Bernardo Silva to swap passes with Riyad Mahrez, saunter forward and guide a ball back and across with the outside of his left boot, where there was even more space for the late arriving David Silva. When he opened up his body and steered goalwards, everybody knew what would happen next.

City did not have it all their own way and Southampton created a glorious chance to take the lead on nine minutes only for Charlie Austin to waste it. Mohamed Elyounoussi’s clipped first-time throughball was beautifully executed but, confronted by Ederson, Austin took a clumsy touch and the moment was gone. It was an indication that, even with Fernandinho back, City would not be entirely secure in their defensive third.

Guardiola’s side played some lovely one-touch stuff, which even included Ederson. His composure on the ball, when being pressed by red-and-white shirts, was either sub-zero cool or terrifyingly reckless, depending on your viewpoint. The goalkeeper prompted an end-to-end move in the 19th minute, which featured a ball out from Fernandinho and a surging run by Mahrez. His finish was narrowly off-target.

City might have been further in front before they were pegged back during an entertaining first half. Raheem Sterling had outmuscled Jack Stephens at the outset only to be denied by Alex McCarthy while the Southampton goalkeeper blocked from Agüero at point-blank range following Sterling’s low cross.

Southampton were level shortly after Ederson had kept out Austin’s flick header from a corner with a diving one-handed save. Oleksandr Zinchenko was the City villain, turning into trouble and Højbjerg, and it was an excellent finish from him. He drove into the area, shifted the ball smartly onto his right foot and sent his shot rising inside the near corner.

Southampton had their tails up and they shouted loudly for a penalty when Ward-Prowse took a raking crossfield ball and had the run on Zinchenko inside the area. There was a little contact and down he went but it did not feel sufficient for the kick to be awarded.

City salted the wound almost immediately and it was another hard-luck story for Ward-Prowse. Sterling darted into space inside the area and when he crossed, the ball deflected wickedly off Ward-Prowse and flew inside the near corner of the net.

City took a bigger lead into the interval, which their football deserved, when Zinchenko crossed and Jan Bednarek lost Agüero – the footballing equivalent of hari-kari. Agüero headed down and the ball squirmed underneath McCarthy. It was a moment of redemption for Zinchenko.

The one-two punch deflated Southampton and City eased to the win. The home team had looked jaded in the defeat to West Ham here on Thursday night and they chased shadows in the second-half. The speed and slickness of some of City’s give-and-goes was too much for them.

The chances came and the chances went in the second-half. Sterling was denied in a one-on-one by McCarthy; Aguero spun and curled against the woodwork; Sterling was denied a penalty (correctly) after a challenge from the substitute, Yan Valery and Mahrez blew another one-on-one with McCarthy. Bring on Liverpool.

- The Guardian

Kanye West Calls Out Drake for Following Kim Kardashian on Instagram

Here we go again! Kanye West could not leave newly discovered information about Drake alone when it involved wife Kim Kardashian.

The 41-year-old rapper shared a screenshot of an article which claimed that Drake, 32, used to follow the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, 38, on social media. “I never knew till this morning that Drake followed my wife on Instagram back in September,” West wrote on Twitter on Saturday, December 29.

He added in a series of since-deleted tweets: “I had to bring this up because it’s the most f—ked up thing of all and I just saw it this morning. Imagine having a problem with somebody and they follow your wife on Instagram.” (Drake no longer follows the reality star.)

The Yeezy designer claimed he has no ill will toward the “In My Feelings” rapper, though. “We truly wish this man the best and pray that he will find the same happiness that we have,” he tweeted. “Love everyone.”

West reignited his long-running feud with Drake earlier this month when he accused the three-time Grammy winner of trying to contact the Kardashian-Jenner family. “Still need that apology for mentioning the 350s and trying to take food out your idols kids mouths. Been trying to meet with you for 6 months bro,” he tweeted on December 13. “You sneak dissing on [Travis Scott] records and texting Kris [Jenner] talking about how’s the family.”

The “I Love It” rapper later revealed that Drake called to allegedly threaten him. “So drake if anything happens to me or anyone from my family you are the first suspect,” he wrote at the time. “So cut the tough talk.”

Kardashian stepped into the battle one day later, tweeting, “@Drake never threaten my husband or our family. He paved the way for there to be a Drake.”

She continued in another post: “My husband is the most brilliant person, the most genius person that I know. He has broken so many boundaries, everything from music, stage design, fashion and culture and will continue to change the world.”

Drake claimed in an October interview with HBO’s The Shop that West was responsible for spilling details about his now-14-month-old son, Adonis, to Pusha T, who then used the information in a dis track directed at the “Hotline Bling” rapper.

- Us magazine

Putin sends new year letter to Donald Trump

Vladimir Putin in a new year letter has told Donald Trump Russia is ready for dialogue on a “wide-ranging agenda”, Moscow has said. 

Mr Putin “stressed that the (Russia-US) relations are the most important factor for providing strategic stability and international security,” according to a Kremlin statement on Sunday.
“He confirmed that Russia is open for dialogue with the USA on the most wide-ranging agenda.” 
It follows a series of failed attempts to hold a new summit between the two leaders, including a planned meeting at November’s G20 in Argentina that Mr Trump abruptly cancelled, citing tensions in Ukraine.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin also failed to hold a fully-fledged meeting in Paris that same month on the sidelines of the centenary commemoration of the Armistice.
The two leaders held their one and only summit in Helsinki in July, which was widely considered to have been disastrous for Mr Trump and his reputation at home and abroad.

Moscow has said one of the key issues it wanted to discuss with the US is Washington’s plans to withdraw from a Cold War-era nuclear arms pact.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying it was now up to the US whether to hold a new meeting in 2019.

“The issue should be addressed to Washington. Both our president and his representatives have said that we are ready for the talks when Washington is ready for it,” TASS news agency quoted Mr Lavrov as saying in televised remarks.

In a separate letter to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Mr Putin pledged continuation of aid to the Syrian government and people in the “fight against terrorism, in defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Mr Putin also sent New Year greetings to other world leaders including Theresa May and Japan’s Shinzo Abe, as well as Chinese president Xi Jinping.

Mr Putin wished “well-being and prosperity to the British people”, the Kremlin said.

Russia’s embassy in London said on Friday Moscow and London had agreed to return some staff to their respective embassies after they expelled dozens of diplomats early this year.

Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over accusations the Kremlin was behind a nerve toxin attack in March on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

Russia, which denies any involvement in the poisoning, sent home the same number of British embassy workers in retaliation.

- INDEPENDENT  

Local hunters ‘chase Boko Haram fighters’ from Yobe town

Suspected Boko Haram fighters who invaded Buni- Gari, a town in Yobe state, got more than they bargained for when some hunters engaged them in a fierce battle on Sunday.

A resident of the town who disclosed this to TheCable said the insurgents struck around 5pm.

He said though soldiers were not on ground when the attack was launched, the hunters succeeded in forcing the insurgents to beat a retreat.

Another source said though the insurgents have been sent out of the town, Buni-Gari has been deserted.

“Many have fled to nearby Buni-Yadi over the fear that Boko Haram members might regroup and launch a deadlier attack,” he said.

“Buni-Yadi is more secure than Buni-Gari. There are soldiers there.”

This attack comes two days after Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, said Boko Haram has not struck outside Borno since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015.

TheCable fact checked his claim and found it incorrect.

There has been a resurgence in Boko Haram attacks of late. The insurgents have raided different communities in the north-east, killing people and rendering many homeless.

- THECABLE

1983 coup: What Shehu Shagari did to Buhari for overthrowing his govt – Family reveals

The family of Second Republic President, Shehu Shagari, has revealed that their late patriarch forgave President Muhammadu Buhari for overthrowing him in 1983.

The late President’s eldest son, Alhaji Bala Shagari, said his father had no grudge against Buhari or anyone involved in the coup.

Shagari was President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983. He was dethroned by a coup d’etat that brought in Muhammadu Buhari to power as military head of state, three months after he was sworn-in for second term.

But, speaking during Buhari’s condolence visit on Sunday in Sokoto State, Bala said their father “pardoned everyone” involved in the coup, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.

He expressed appreciation to President Buhari over the condolence visit to the family.

Bala, who is the District Head of Shagari town in Sokoto, also said the late president did not leave any will beside the directive that he should be buried at his home town, Shagari.

He disclosed that the directive was strictly observed and implemented as his remains were buried at Shagari town, on Saturday.

Bala acknowledged that the Sultan had offered that the late president should be buried at Hubbare, where Shehu Usman Dan fodio was laid to rest.

“We acknowledged it but late Shagari had told us that he should be buried in Shagari town and even indicated a specific location, so we have to comply with his will,” he added.

According to him, his father had “no grudge against Buhari or anyone” because Shagari told us he had “pardoned everyone.”

- DAILY POST

Nigeria’s database of Tax Payers hits 35m

The Joint Tax Board (JTB), says Nigeria’s data base of tax payers has expanded from 20 million to 35 million.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Mr Oseni Elamah disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Abuja.

Elamah explained that the feat was achieved as a result of the ongoing database consolidation of JTB, an initiative being executed in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

He said that the figure of the taxpayers comprised both individuals and corporate bodies.

He said that this showed that there was massive expansion of database pointing out that one could imagine when that translated to actual taxes that were collected in Naira and Kobo.

“At the moment, we are trying to break them into classes of taxpayers and various jurisdictions where they reside, state by state.

“Hopefully, by first week of January 2019, this information will be communicated to all the states and then we will ask them to file their reports for tax assessment and it is then, we will tell Nigerians, how many are teachers, artisans, entertainers among others,” he said.

Elamah disclosed that on the average, about 22 per cent growth in tax revenue had been recorded in both state revenue services and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), when compared to 2017.

He added that this figure was collated as at third quarter; and by the end of last quarter, it would move to 30 per cent.

According to him, by end of the year, 2018 will be one of the best results ever posted by FIRS and most of the states.

He stated that with the advent of the Tax Identification Number (TIN), and Bank Verification Number (BVN), the tax authorities were currently tackling incomes of taxpayers and ensuring they paid their taxes as at when due.

He assured that the board would create more awareness in increase in voluntary compliance and also enhance the capacity of workers to be tax professionals.

Elamah also commended the Executive Chairman of FIRS and the JTB chairmanc, Mr Babatunde Fowler for his support in achieving the feat within a short period of time.

- PM NEWS 

Kante’s lone strike gives Chelsea victory over Palace

Chelsea increased the gap between themselves and fifth-placed Arsenal to five points as N’Golo Kante’s second-half strike earned them victory at Crystal Palace.

Kante scored the only goal of the game in the 51st minute when he broke forward from midfield to convert David Luiz’s throughball.

There were few clear-cut chances as the Blues dominated possession and Palace sat back hoping to catch the opposition on the counter-attack – a tactic which failed to work as Roy Hodgson’s Eagles took 85 minutes to register their first effort. That is now two successive games without a goal.

BBC reports that Chelsea’s Willian came close to scoring with a free-kick that struck the post, and Ross Barkley also hit the woodwork with a hooked effort.

Fourth-placed Blues now have 43 points, one behind City and two behind Spurs. Palace remain in 14th with 19 points.

- PM NEWS

SERAP drags Nigerian Govt to UN over failure to end ASUU strike

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sent an urgent appeal to two UN special rapporteurs, urging them to prevail upon the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to reach an agreement to end the ongoing strike by lecturers, which continues to have real and dire consequences on the right to higher education, specifically university education, as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party.

In the urgent appeal dated 28 December, 2018 and signed by SERAP’s Senior Legal Adviser, Bamisope Adeyanju, the organization said: “By failing to prevent and end the ongoing strike action by ASUU, the Nigerian government has defied and breached the explicit requirements of the right to equal access to higher education by Nigerian children and young people, under article 13(2)(c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.”

The urgent appeal sent to Ms. Koumbou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur on the right to education and Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights argues that: “The failure by the Nigerian government to reach an agreement with ASUU has also implicitly made access to higher education a privilege of the rich and well-to-do rather than a right of every Nigerian child and young person, as students in private schools continue to attend classes while those in public universities stay at home.

According to SERAP, “The failure to end the ongoing strike action by ASUU is also a fundamental breach of the right to higher education without discrimination or exclusion, as strike actions continue to penalise economically disadvantaged parents who have no means or lack the capacity to pay to send their children to private schools.

The urgent appeal read in part: “The obligations of the Nigerian government to create the conditions necessary for the enjoyment of the right to education include to take preventive measures to address the root causes of strike action by ASUU and to take steps to end any strike action in a timely manner when it occurs.”

“It is the responsibility of the government to preserve and strengthen education as a public good and a matter of public interest. Without the urgent intervention of the Special Rapporteurs, the ongoing strike action by ASUU would continue and this would continue to impede access to university education for the poor and marginalized.

“SERAP is concerned that Nigerian students in public universities have suffered many years of academic disruption as a result of the failure of successive Nigerian governments to address the root causes of strike action by ASUU and to timely reach agreement to end strike action and its devastating consequences on the right to equal and quality higher education.

“Persistent strike actions in the education sector have continued to cause disruption of classes and undermine both the quality and duration of students’ education.

“We note that the right to strike is one of the fundamental means available to workers to promote their interests. However, we are seriously concerned that the failure by both the Nigerian government and ASUU to make substantial progress in negotiations and reach amicable settlement to end the unduly prolonged strike action has undermined the right of Nigerian children and young people to higher education.

“The ongoing strike action by ASUU in Nigeria if not urgently addressed would continue to have grave consequences for the youth of our country as well as the country’s development and progress as a whole.

“Universal access is an essential prerequisite for the exercise of the right to education. But the failure by the Nigerian government to end the strike action by ASUU has contributed to denying students from disadvantaged backgrounds equal access to university education, as these students are unable or lack the capacity to pay to access private schools.

“This situation has aggravated existing disparities in access to university education in the country, further marginalizing economically disadvantaged parents and students.

“SERAP believes that providing Nigerian children and young people equal access to higher education should be the core public service functions of the Nigerian government. Providing public schools ranks at the very apex of the function of a State.

“SERAP believes that equal access of Nigerian children and young people to quality and uninterrupted education including at the university level would contribute to producing citizens who are fundamentally equal and people who actively participate in society. It would enable people to enjoy the rights as well as fulfil obligations that are associated with citizenship.

“According to our information, members of ASUU suspended their academic responsibilities in the first week of November 2018, and weeks of negotiations with the Nigerian government since then have yielded no amicable settlement or agreement. ASUU is alleging failure by the Nigerian authorities to implement 2009 agreement and the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding.

“SERAP notes that article 13(2)(c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights explicitly guarantees the right to higher education, which includes university education. According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, states parties are required to make higher education including university education available on equal basis, and to ensure the progressive introduction of free education at all levels of education.

“States parties including Nigeria have obligations to ensure that the liberty of providing education set out in article 13(4) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights does not lead to extreme disparities of educational opportunity for some groups in society.

“The rights and values enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) all point to the right to the provision of equal access to quality education including at the university level. These rights include human rights, such as the right to equality and the right to human dignity as well as numerous other civil and political rights, such as access to information, which cannot be properly understood or exercised if one is inadequately trained and uneducated.”

SERAP therefore urged the Special Rapporteurs to put pressure on the Nigerian government to take immediate action to end the deadlock in negotiations with ASUU and reach amicable settlement that would ensure that the universities were re-opened without further delay and that students returned to school; increase funding and improve investments in infrastructure and innovation for public universities; invest the most in those whose access to education is the most hampered and declare education as an essential service in Nigeria to minimise the negative impact of strike action on the right to higher education, including university education.

- PM NEWS