ACTIVISTS BE TRUE TO YOURSELVES

BEING THE REMARKS BY COMRADE TUNDE OLADUNJOYE AT THE 2024 HUMAN RIGHTS CELEBRATIONS ORGANISED BY COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETIES AND PRODEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS IN OGUN STATE IN ABEOKUTA ON MONDAY,  DECEMBER 9, 2024.

I want to congratulate the  Chairman, executives and members of the Ogun State Civil Society Coalition for this year’s commemoration of the International Human Rights Day.  I sincerely appreciate the Chairman and members of the Planning Committee for their courteous invitation to me to attend this event as a “guest of honour”.

I am of the firm belief that the civil society organisations must continue  to play their roles in the society. It is in the interest of our community and society for the CSOs to be up and working and virile in their area of interests, either good governance, environment, law enforcement, climate change, women’s right, Labour matters and what have you.

I must use this opportunity to urge our CSOs activists to be true to their callinga by  creating within the microcosm of each organisation what we desire and clamour for in the macro society and government.

Human rights activism is not a profession, neither it is a license to blackmail people in the society or churn out unsubstantiated gibberish in a holier-than-thou posture that cannot stand the test of time, law, morality or logic.

How democratic are we in our various organizations ? How accountable are we? Do we render annual reports. Do we have audited reports of our finances? Are we financially transparent? That probity we demand from government and public  officials, do we apply it in our various organisations too?

How do we see government and its agents/representatives? Good, when we have access and can obtain material benefits and bad, when we no longer have access? Why are we so readily available to support and even organise protests in support of politically exposed persons facing corruption charges, including those who have shunned court orders, summons and appearances?

How do we relate with our comrades in government? Are they to be engaged or obtained? Or to be enviously derided because they are “making money and not sharing it with “comrades”? Are we honest with  ourselves. How have we been able to manage the little largesse we get once in a while from unexpected quarters?

It is true that the issue of unemployment is rife in our nation, but activism cannot be turned into a vocation. Activism never stopped Bekololari Ransome-Kuti from medical practice (except when detained by the military dictatorship) same for Gani Fawehinmi, Owei  Lakemfa, Baba Omojola, Alao Aka-Bashorun, Richard Akinnola, FemiFalana, Ayo Obe, Femi Aborishade, Osagie Obayuwana, Jiti Ogunye, Festus Iyayi, and many more. These aforementioned activists had/have jobs and callings they did not suppress for activism.  

In those days in the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), we not only published annual reports, we published audited reports annually  and our elections  were regular, free and fair. I don’t know if same applies to the CSOs of today.

This is in no way a generalization, but a call to order. We have activists who are truthful and very genuine. They should be role models to “professional     activists”.

A strong, active and virile CSOs will immensely benefit the society and not the “what’s-in-it” activists. We really need to remove the logs in our eyes before talking about the specs in the eyes of other people including politicians. Activist, be true to thyself. Only this can reduce inequality and advance human rights in our society.

Thank you for your invitation and attention. 

TUNDE OLADUNJOYE

*Former Chairman, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Lagos State Branch.

*Founding Coordinator, CDHR, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) Unit, Ogba, Lagos.

*Former National Publicity Secretary, CDHR.