In the High Court of Rivers State in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division
A motion on Notice for the honourable court admitting the accused/applicants to bail pending his trial and for such further order or orders as honourable courts may deem fit to make in this circumstance of this case
Judicial Commission of inquiry 303 third floor Point Block River State Secretariat Complex
Judicial Commission of Inquiry into alleged acts of violence torture, brutality murder and violation of fundamental rights of citizens committed by officers men and operatives of the Nigerian police force in Rivers State
A case of illegal detention forceful eviction malicious damage intimidation and brutality by policemen led by Inspector Stella Dikeocha Sergeant Beatrice of CID Port Harcourt
Over the years Nigerian citizens lost confidence in the police because of their engagements in acts of extortion, illegal mass arrests and detention, extrajudicial killings, corruption, unfair and unjust treatments to citizens, sexual harassment to women in detention facilities, unruly behaviors and opting for the highest bidder approach on the issues of bail. As part of an effort to address these challenges, the emerging volunteer organisation, Civil Rights Council has been engaging the police on human rights training in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Nigeria Social Action Camp holds from October 2 – 6 at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Aluu, near the University of Port Harcourt. Dubbed the ‘Anti-Imperialism Camp’, the annual event is organized by the Social Development Integrated Center (Social Action) with the support of the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation as part of initiatives to raise popular consciousness and participation through collaborative learning, mobilisation and solidarity for communities and activists working for environmental justice, democracy and social change in Nigeria. The Camp provides an opportunity for young people from across Nigeria to learn alternative theoretical ideas and to acquire practical skills to be active participants in the evolving processes for catalysing social change in Nigeria.
In the High Court of Rivers State in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division
A motion on Notice for the honourable court admitting the accused/applicants to bail pending his trial and for such further order or orders as honourable courts may deem fit to make in this circumstance of this case
Resource persons and participants at Social Action’s Leadership Training Camp which held from the 23rd to the 27th of September 2014, have stressed the need for Nigerians to begin identifying alternative development frameworks different from that which is presented by the major political parties in the country. This call was made on the reasoning that the 2 major political parties- the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples’ Democratic Party- have failed to present manifestos which convincingly demonstrates how they intend to take Nigeria our of its present precarious state.
Speaker after speaker at the 5 day event which held at the Imo state capital Owerri, stressed the uncanny similarities between both parties, and the fluidity of traffic between both. Speaking on the topic Neither the APC nor the PDP, former Convener of the United Action for Democracy and Member of the just concluded National Conference, JayeGaskia described the difference between both parties as that between 12 and half a dozen. ‘Both parties have failed to put across credible alternative paradigms. They have failed to tell Nigerians what exactly they will do differently and how. They have instead demonstrated with certainty that they still subscribe to the politics of mudslinging and conquest”
In his presentation on the topic A Nation in Decline: Ethno Nationalism, Religious Fundamentalism and Corruption, former member of the National Assembly, Uche Onyeagocha decried how fast the country had declined down the loathsome route of ethnic and religious fundamentalism and corruption. He reckoned that the sentiments associated with religion and ethnicity has been fanned by vested interests who have utilized it to divide Nigerians. He proposed that Nigerians should rather look beyond seeming differences and take action which will lead to social transformation.
Speaking on the topic Reconceptualizing Development in Africa: An Alternative Framework, Professor Andrew Efemini of the Department of Philosophy, University of Port Harcourt stated that what successive governments in Nigeria have presented to the people since independence cannot be properly conceived as development.According to him, development was more comprehensive than mere growth in different sectors, and it is even worse when buildings and urban beautification projects are presented as signs of development. “It (development) goes beyond this or that infrastructure, it is the totally of the well being of man from the time he or she is born, to the time he or she dies. Development is measured on this scale”
Other speakers at the event included popular lawyer Wisdom Dureke, Felix Ashimole and Ken Henshaw.
Social Action’s Camps are annual gatherings of young activists drawn from youth groups, student bodies and communities who are keen on grassroots mobilization and have attended other Social Action political education processes.
The Camp meeting which was the 7th in a series had the theme From Theory to Action: Building Platforms and Campaigns for Social Change, and drew participant from over 16 states in the country.