{"id":5432,"date":"2019-03-31T19:32:30","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T19:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=5432"},"modified":"2019-03-31T19:32:30","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T19:32:30","slug":"exclusive-interview-buharis-govt-back-to-dark-days-of-the-military-where-media-is-a-subject-of-all-sorts-of-attacks-by-agents-of-government-fiery-human-rights-activist-dr-joe-okei-odumakin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/exclusive-interview-buharis-govt-back-to-dark-days-of-the-military-where-media-is-a-subject-of-all-sorts-of-attacks-by-agents-of-government-fiery-human-rights-activist-dr-joe-okei-odumakin\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ‘BUHARI’S Govt back to dark days of the military where media is a subject of all sorts of attacks by agents of government’-Fiery Human Rights Activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin …Says: ‘No Value is placed on Human Life today, Nigeria rated Poverty Headquarters of the world’ *Fires back at ex-Governor of Lagos state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for picking on her hubby: ‘Nothing to worry about all that. If you can’t stand the heat,don’t venture into the kitchen. It’s all water at the back of the duck’ * ‘Nigeria has a long history of human rights violations and compliance’ * Discusses her recent conference at the Consulate General office of United States of America in Lagos *Demand probe of Nigerian Government for allegation involving soldiers raping under-age girls, women in Military camps of victims of Boko Haram * ‘ The menace of human trafficking in Nigeria has risen to alarming stage in the recent time’ * PLUS views on arrest of Sunday Fase, Nigerian-American publisher of African Examiner in Abuja BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU\/AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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EXCLUSIVE\nINTERVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘BUHARI’S\nGovt back to<\/strong>\ndark days of the military where media is a subject of all sorts of\nattacks by agents of government’<\/strong>-Fiery\nHuman Rights Activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…Says:\n‘No Value is placed on Human Life today, Nigeria rated Poverty\nHeadquarters of the world’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Fires\nback at ex-Governor of Lagos state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for picking on\nher hubby: ‘Nothing\nto worry about all that. If you can’t stand the heat,don’t venture\ninto the kitchen. It’s all water at the back of the duck’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n ‘Nigeria has a long history of human rights violations\nand compliance’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nDiscusses her recent conference at the Consulate\nGeneral office of United States of America in Lagos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Demand\nprobe of Nigerian Government for allegation involving soldiers raping\nunder-age girls, women in Military camps of victims of Boko Haram<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n‘ The menace of human trafficking in\nNigeria has risen to alarming stage in the recent time’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nPLUS views on arrest of Sunday Fase, Nigerian-American publisher of\nAfrican Examiner in Abuja<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHE\nIS ONE OF NIGERIA’S MOST PROMINENT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SHE HAS WON\nTHOUSANDS OF AWARDS ACROSS THE WORLD. SHE WAS RECOGNIZED BY U.S.\nSTATE Department for all her great works in bringing freedom to\nhumanity. With an enviable resume laced in fighting for the\ngirl-child and vulnerable women, DR. JOE OKEI-ODUMAKIN, National\nPresident, Women Arise for Change Initiative had an interactive chat\nwith GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU\/AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief for Naija\nStandard Newspaper where she discussed: ‘State of the Nigerian Human\nRights Situation, Arrest of a Nigerian-American journalist by\nsecurity agents in Abuja, Human Trafficking and other salient\nissues.’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: <\/strong><\/em> How will you\ndescribe the human rights situation in Nigeria presently?<\/strong><\/em>
Dr.\nJoe Okei: <\/strong>Nigeria\nhas a long history of issues arising from human rights, particularly\nas it concerns its violations, and compliance, especially when you\nconsider the role of government institutions in ensuring that\ncitizens right are respected at all times. When you consider the\nexpectations of citizens, as provided for in the Nigerian\nConstitution, as a benchmark, there are several of its provisions\nthat are not still being respected by government institutions, and\nthis has increasingly become an issue of concern to us Nigerians,\nespecially those of us in the rights advocacy community. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n


NAIJA\nSTANDARD: <\/strong><\/em>What is the\nvalue of life in Nigeria now<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nJoe Okei: One\nfundamental way of assessing the value of life of citizens in any\ngiven society, is the level of human rights violations in such\nsociety. Today in Nigeria, little or no value is placed on the life\nof the ordinary citizens, when you consider how lives are easily lost\ndue to insurgency, militancy and extrajudicial killings going on, it\nappears as if human life no longer has value in Nigeria. The\nsituation is particularly worrisome because the Government, whose\nprimary obligation is to secure the lives and Properties of\nNigerians, appeared to be failing in this responsibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: <\/strong><\/em>There are\nallegations by Amnesty international that some Nigerian soldiers are\ncontinually raping vulnerable women and underage girls in Military\ncamps in Northern Nigeria. What is your position on this dangerous\ntrend?<\/strong><\/em>
Dr. Joe Okei: <\/strong>This\nis a barbaric action which we have demanded a probe of, not only by\nthe military authorities, but also the Nigerian government. Remember\nthat these are Nigerians who are victims of bad governance that gave\nbirth to insurgency, which in turn had turned them Internally\nDisplaced Persons in their own country. Without perpetrators being\nbrought to justice, I’m afraid we may continue to experience such\nignoble act by these characters who are exploiting these vulnerable\ncitizens. <\/strong>
NAIJA\nSTANDARD: <\/strong><\/em>Recently, you\nwere invited to the Consulate General office of United States of\nAmerica in Lagos where you talked on several issues regarding the\ngirl-child. What was your take away in the conference?<\/strong><\/em>
Dr.\nJoe Okei: <\/strong>\nOne take away is the consensus opinion that we have a collective\nresponsibility to ensure that we advocate for early education and\nskills acquisition, which will greatly assist in providing future\nsecurity for the girl-child, and increasingly empower them. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD: <\/strong><\/em>Latest index\nreport on Foreign Immigration showed that a higher percentage of\nNigerian girls are being deceived into Overseas travel as\nundocumented aliens, forced to work in brothels as sex slaves in\nEurope. How can we solve this problem?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nJoe Okei: <\/strong>The\nmenace of human trafficking in Nigeria has risen to alarming stage in\nthe recent time and everyone must therefore be involved in ensuring\nthat we tackle this practice of modern day slavery, with all the\nenergies it requires. Government and stakeholders must earnestly\ndevelop strategies that will increase the capacity of our country in\norder to ensure tighter Border Control, Stricter Laws for offenders,\ntougher sanctions against Perpetrators and their Businesses locally\nand internationally. Above all, we must work harder towards reducing\nPoverty in our country.<\/strong>

NAIJA\nSTANDARD:<\/strong><\/em>\nWhy do you think most Nigerians according to United Nations live\ndaily on less than $1(one dollar) per day?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nJoe Okei:<\/strong>Currently\nrated as the world poverty capital, it is sad that majority of our\npeople live on less than one dollar per day. This strongly indicates\nhow endemic poverty has become and this is a direct product of bad\nleadership, corruption and poor economy, which has in an absurd\nmanner led to job loss and inability of a larger population of our\npeople, to have viable means of economic survival. <\/strong>


\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\nSTANDARD:<\/strong><\/em>\nFew days ago, Sunday Fase, a Nigerian-American journalist, publisher\nof African Examiner Newspaper was arrested by fully armed Nigerian\npolice officers in his Abuja house while he was in Nigeria to cover\nthe recent election. Nobody knows his whereabouts and was told it was\nan order from above. What will you say on that??<\/strong><\/em>

Dr.\nJoe Okei:<\/strong> It is <\/strong>\nan unfortunate reenactment of the dark days of the military where the\nmedia was a subject of all sorts of attacks by agents of government.\nDenying journalists rights to do their work is an assault on press\nfreedom and this stands condemnable. <\/strong>


\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIJA\n STANDARD: Finally, there had been a\nseeming orchestrated media reports alleged to have been coming daily\nfrom the camp of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu\nagainst your husband, Yinka Odumakin, whereby he replied his\naccusers. What is your reaction on this deliberate plans to soil the\nhard earned reputation of your husband on the platform of politics?\n<\/strong><\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr.\nJoe Okei: Nothing \nto worry about all that. If you can’t stand the heat,don’t venture\ninto the kitchen .He counted the cost before taking his stance. I\nknow him well to understand its all water at the back of the duck\n.The only thing is that such stuff can bring out in him things he\nwould want to bury in his belly. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ‘BUHARI’S Govt back to dark days of the military where media is a subject of all sorts of attacks by agents of government’-Fiery Human Rights Activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin …Says: ‘No Value is placed on Human Life today, Nigeria rated Poverty Headquarters of the world’ *Fires back at ex-Governor of Lagos state, Bola […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nigeria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}