More often than not, violation of citizen‘s rights are always at the center of humanitarian emergencies anywhere in the world. This is why protection of citizen‘s right, forms the sole, overarching component of humanitarian action – a major democratic obligation.
In a typical scenario, when crisis occur, and notable casualties, loses recorded in the process, intervention of security forces haste to action spontaneously. This is fantastic, but, beyond such interventions, which may involve fire-fighting, imposition of curfew, investigations, arrests and restoration of peace, what is the degree of humanitarian intervention availed to the affected people？how prompt, how consistent, how adequate are the aids received by victims of crisis？
In succint terms, the degree to which a nation upholds her citizen’s right to humanitarian aids, during and after crisis, is the degree to which it honours democratic values. Apart from disregard for democratic values, through nonchalant disposition to humanitarian concerns, a nation that deliberately stiffled flow of humanitarian aids to victims of crisis, for whatever reason, and brazenly halted laudable humanitarian initiatives in broad day light, will go a long way, to convince the world, that she understands what democracy means, when june 12 comes.
A democratic nation, inconsistent with discharge and administration of humanitarian obligations and failed to adopt and enforce policies, in resonance with current realities, to ensuring sustainable, effective, humanitarian intervention for the benefit of disaster victims, people living with disabilities, IDPs, the very poor and vulnerable, cannot claim to practice true democracy, without an undertone of hypocrisy.
Any democratic system, playing ‘political ludo’, with matters affecting humanity, is directly inciting sufferings, injustices, and attrocities without knowing, and If the trend continues, such a nation will attract more viscious vulnarabilities, and convoluted humanitarian needs, in detriment to democratic vision.
As democracy day beckons, and preparations to rehearse the ressucitated national anthem set in top gear, lest we appear a jester before international communities, it is important for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and rescue the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation from the manipulations of anti-renewed hope balials, operating discreetly, under galvanized clothings, in order to obscure light of renewed hope, and subject Nigeria‘s democracy to diffused light.
How are we going to confidently sing ‘Nigeria we hail thee’, when tearful symphony of dirges, and melancholic stacatos continue to ridicule joy in the domains of the poor and vulnerable ones？Since January 8th, 2024, till date, they continue to grope in spiral hopelessness, suffocating in throes of pervading hardship, as they pray for earnest restoration of the renewed hope aroma, once percieved in Betta Edu. Humanitarian responses have declined drastically, and legendary renewed hope projects, kick-started by Betta, lie in waste, at the mercy of pests and vandals.
Beheading, is recognized as a brutal, quixotic medication for headache management anywhere in the world. As such, the lingering suspension of the renewed hope beacon, at a critical time like this, and the current dysfunctional humanitarian archituecture in Nigeria, is a slap on humanity and ultimately on democracy.
Dear Mr. President, please, save the face of our nation. Prevail and restore the ‘hope” promised and professed to humanity before democracy celebration. You are well known, as a ‘listener’ by all and sundry. Moreover, inspite assumption of duty at a turbulent time, you continue to press towards the mark, amidst the torrents. Such a golden department, newly metamorphosed with an intent to cater for humanity and, alleviate poverty, should not be allowed to suffer infantile spasms beyond June 12, 2024’ – because of its huge significance to Nigeria’s democratic scorecard.
If the foundation of Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation remains faulty till date, how are we going to appease democratic scale of appraisal, when the ‘big date’ finally turns up？