Nigeria’s foremost human rights and pro-democracy organisation, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has come down hard on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, describing it as the worst in Nigeria’s democratic history.

The Southeast Zone of the CLO passed its damning verdict yesterday in a statement released as part of activities marking the 2022 World Human Rights Day.

Chairman of the CLO, Southeast Zone, Comrade Aloysius Attah, who signed the statement noted that after a careful study of the state of the nation presently and a review of administrations in the past and since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, most especially in this civilian dispensation which started on May 29th 1999, the Buhari administration emerged the worst in terms of fulfilling the primary purpose of government which is promoting the welfare and security of its citizens as enshrined in Chapter 2, section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

The CLO said the Buhari administration at the verge of completing its 2nd tenure of four years in office failed in all indices of development and governance to the extent that the Hobbesian state of nature where life is short, brutish and nasty has become a subtle way to describe the horrible state of affairs and the living condition of the masses in Nigeria presently.

While noting that every indices of development and measuring of good governance under global rankings plummeted and reached its nadir under the Buhari administration, the CLO said the enormous rot in the system presently will require both a conscience and conscious revolution to retrieve the country from the abyss of all things negative.

“In Nigeria under this present administration, the only thing that has improved significantly in the last seven and half years is the health of President Buhari at the expense of the entire Nigerians. Every other thing one can think of has gone worse. Economy is in tatters, corruption has become our second name, education sector is bleeding, infrastructure and security - choking and worsening while the country is soaked in the blood of its defenceless citizens”

The CLO described 2023 general election as a very significant and defining moment for Nigeria whether to redeem and rescue its battered democracy and arrested growth or lose it forever.

“It is a “battle” between light and darkness. A battle between going forward or receding and reclining into a final doom. Those who have prospered under the old order and benefitted from an abnormally bad situation wants the business to continue as usual while those who are totally fed up with the system and are desirous of rescuing a dying nation with its suffering masses are gearing up for a revival”

The CLO called on all reasonable Nigerians to take up the ballot revolution of 2023 election seriously and ensure that those who placed the country on life support are uprooted from the system and replaced with people of ideas and pedigree passionate about a new Nigeria.

The organisation also knocked Governors of the five southeast states for what it described as their “failure to provide leadership to the people” and their inability to foster proper cooperation among states towards addressing insecurity and activities of the marauding killer herdsmen.

The CLO decried what it described as “governance by patronage ” which it said has been elevated to a tradition in the five states of the southeast and also called on the citizens to use the ballot and speak louder against any underperforming political office holder whether as an executive or a legislator.

Recall that every year on 10 December; the world celebrates Human Rights Day, the very day when, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

The theme for this year according to the United Nations (UN) is “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All” and the call to action is #StandUp4HumanRights.

“In Nigeria, we enjoin all to join in the struggle for the respect for the Dignity of Human Person, Freedom from any form of oppression and infringement on the citizen’s fundamental human rights while we all are also encouraged to stand up to achieve Justice for all”.

“The Nigerian state is supposed to set the pace in ensuring the promotion of the above three key themes of this year’s Human Rights Day. Unfortunately, instruments of government are used to suppress human dignity, freedom and justice for all but we must not relent”.

“Please watch out for our comprehensive report on the state of the nation, state of the states and general issues of governance and human rights in Nigeria for the year 2022 with special focus on the 2023 general elections and the way forward,” the CLO stated.

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