By Bode Olagoke Abuja
Th e Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has sent an urgent appeal to three UN Special Rapporteurs, urging them to “put meaningful pressure on the leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara to withdraw the ‘repressive’ bill on civil society groups. Th e bill is expected to establish a commission that would monitor, supervise, deregister, and pre-approve all activities by civil society, labour, community based organizations, and the media, in the country. Th e appeal dated July 28, 2017 was sent to Annalisa Ciampi, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. SERAP also urged the Special Rapporteurs to “prevail on the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to decline to sign the bill into law, and on the House of Representatives and the Senate to exercise their legislative powers for good governance and ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society organisations both in practice and rhetoric, in line with the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the government’s international human rights obligations and commitments.”
