US Consulate launches human right mobile app

The United States Consulate has launched a mobile app aimed at ending human rights abuse in Nigeria. The app was tagged “Know Your Rights Nigeria”. This was done in conjunction with the Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative (CRALI) in Lagos.

Speaking during the unveiling, the U.S Consul General, John Bray remarked that Nigeria is critical to Africa’s prosperity and stability having taken into consideration its large population, commercial enterprise and strategic geopolitical location.

He added that the U.S government is committed to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions, Bray stated that promoting the idea that every person has inherent dignity is a core element of the U.S administration’s foreign policy.

“The Consulate’s support of the app is an example of what the U.S. government is doing to support the protection of human rights. As in the past, the purpose of the app is to simplify and raise awareness among all Nigerians of their human rights,” Bay affirmed.

The chair of the event, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, former Vice-President of the World Bank, who condemned the prevention of the BBOG group from their daily sit out at the unity fountain in Abuja, harped on the need for engaged citizenry as a vital force for strengthening democracy.

“Democracy is the worst form of government until you have tasted the others. Democracy is about the fundamental rights of people to be part of a society and to know that their freedoms will never be infringed upon because it bestows upon the citizens the right to make all kinds of choices within the framework of the constitution that binds that society,” she stated.

Ezekwesili also harped on the important once of citizens who live in a democracy to be aware of the rights of the constitution as they cannot operate in the office of the citizen without the awareness of such rights.

“The office of the citizen in a democracy is the office from which every other office derives its legitimacy. A democracy is so called because you do not ascend to power on the basis of the bullet, feudalism or some monarchy. You cannot delegitimize the rights of the citizens because you hold an office. That is a contravention”, she submitted.

Also present at the occasion were Prof Oyelowo Oyewo, the former dean of the faculty of law, UNILAG and Dr.  Dapo Olanipekun, SAN, who gave a keynote address at the occasion.