General
SERAP Urges Withdrawal of Bill Seeking to Jail Nigerians Who Don’t Vote
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the withdrawal of a bill which contains repressive provisions to jail any Nigerian of voting age for six months and/or impose a fine of N100,000 on them if they fail to vote in national and state elections.
The organisation urged the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, to immediately withdraw the bill, which it tagged oppressive.
SERAP urged Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to instead “amend the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the Electoral Act 2022 to remove constitutional immunity for state governors and their deputies who commit electoral offences, including vote-buying, to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.”
The group also urged Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas “to amend the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act to explicitly prohibit the appointment of members of any political party as resident electoral commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
There is currently in the National Assembly a ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to Make It Mandatory for All Nigerians of Majority Age to Vote in All National and State Elections and for Related Matters.’ The bill seeks to make voting compulsory and prescribes a six-month jail term or a fine of N100,000 or both for non-compliance.
In the letter dated 29 March 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Jailing eligible Nigerians for deciding not to vote would be entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations.”
SERAP said, “Rather than proposing bills that would severely punish Nigerians who may decide not to exercise their right to vote, the National Assembly ought to propose bills to remove constitutional immunity for governors and their deputies who commit electoral offences and undermine the integrity of the electoral process.”
According to the organisation, “The most effective way to solve the perennial voter apathy is to create a safe and conducive environment, combat the impunity of high-ranking politicians who commit electoral offences, and generally improve the electoral process to encourage the citizens to come out to vote, and not to send them to jail.”
The letter, read in part: “Should the National Assembly fails to drop the bill prescribing a six-month jail term for eligible Nigerians who decide not to vote in national and state elections, and should any such bill be assented to by President Bola Tinubu, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to challenge the legality of any such law and ensure they are never implemented.”
“The idea of compulsory voting and jailing citizens for not voting is impracticable, unnecessary and unlawful. The right to vote is part of citizens’ right to participate in their own government and the choice of whether to exercise it is personal.”
“The right to vote includes the right not to vote. If the right to participation is a right of the citizen, she/he must be free to decide whether or not to exercise it.”
“Because the notion of a democracy exists by virtue of the consent of the citizens, voters must get to choose how they exercise consent, not be forced to the polls like ‘cattle to the slaughter.’”
“The National Assembly ought to propose bills to reduce the influence of money in politics, and encourage and not compel the exercise of the right to participation.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
A renowned global activist group, Amnesty International, has criticised the pardoning of members of the Ogoni 9 by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, saying it falls far short of real justice.
Yesterday, as part of the Democracy Day celebration, President Tinubu pardoned the nine men from Ogoniland in Rivers State and conferred upon them posthumous national honours.
However, responding to the announcement that the pardon, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Mr Isa Sanusi, said, “This is welcome news but it falls far short of the justice the Ogoni Nine need and deserve – the Nigerian government must recognise formally that they are innocent of any crime and fully exonerate them.”
Mr Ken Saro-Wiwa, Mr Barinem Kiobel, Mr John Kpuinen, Mr Baribor Bera, Mr Felix Nuate, Mr Paul Levula, Mr Saturday Dobee, Mr Nordu Eawo and Mr Daniel Gbokoo, were executed after a trial on November 10, 1995. The Nigerian government under the regime of General Sani Abacha accused them of involvement in murder.
According to Amnesty International, the nine men had in fact been put on trial because they had challenged the devastating impact of oil production by Shell in the Ogoni region of Niger Delta.
“The Ogoni Nine, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria’s leading author and campaigner, were brutally executed by a regime that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies that were destroying – and continue to destroy – the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta as a result of their devastating oil spills and leaks,” Mr Sanusi noted.
“The execution of these activists nearly 30 years ago has given the Nigerian government and oil companies, including Shell, licence to crackdown on protests and intimidate people in the Niger Delta who have been demanding justice and an end to their toxic pollution.
“Full justice for the Ogoni Nine is only a first step – much more needs to be done to get justice for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do. They must pay the Niger Delta’s communities full compensation for the devastation their oil spills and leaks have caused and clean up their toxic mess before they leave the region,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have once again warned producers and suppliers against flooding the nation’s markets with substandard and fake products.
The Director General of SON, Mr Ifeanyi Okereke, at a one-day stakeholders workshop tagged Growing Businesses Through Standardisation in Abakaliki, on Wednesday said substandard items were not good for a growing economy.
Mr Okereke, who was represented at the gathering by the Director of Cooperate Affairs Department of SON, Mrs Talutu Athan, said the workshop was aimed at strengthening and deepening stakeholders operators knowledge, understanding and co-operation with the organisation concerning standardisation activities for growing businesses.
Stakeholders at the workshop include the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), among others.
He noted that standards adherence and compliance remained a major way to attain economic and industrial growth.
“Today’s economy reputation is as important as customers want to know, not only what you produce, but how.
“For our goods to reach premium market beyond our boarders, they must reach established benchmarks. These benchmarks are not created to exclude it frustrate producers.
“SON is committed to fighting against substandard goods. This is because when one trader floods the market with fake or inferior products, the reputation of genuine producers is also damaged.
“We cannot do it alone, we need your support,. We need your partnership with stakeholders like you.
“Standards are not rules from above, they are building blocks for resilience and growth. They give you an edge in a crowded marketplace. They protect your investments. They turn hard work into lasting success.
“SON has toll free lines that one can contact in terms of substandard good. These are 08099937380, 07056990099,” the Director General said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of NAFDAC in Ebonyi, Mr Emeka Orajaka, said he was committed to fighting against fake and inferior products in the markets.
Mr Orajaka, however, pledged support to SON to get rid off substandard goods across the markets in the country.
He urged producers and suppliers to embrace the campaign against fake products and ensure that their products are certified before taken them to the market.
During his lecture, Mr Lawal Ayanda, a resource expert spoke on the topic, Growing Businesses Through Standardisationsaid the importance of using made in Nigeria goods, especially cables and wires could not be over-emphasised.
Mr Ayanda described a made in Nigeria cable as best due to it resistance to fire.
“Nigeria cables are flame retardant. They are resistance to fire. All Nigeria cables have SON logos,” he stated.
On her part, Mrs Maryrose Ugwueche, State Coordinator of SON in Ebonyi thanked all the stakeholders for their activities in the state.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu has been applauded for pardoning the nine Ogoni environmental activities killed by the Nigerian government under the reign of General Sani Abacha in November 1995.
At his 2025 Democracy Day speech on Thursday, Mr Tinibu announced full pardon for the climate rights campaigners; Ken Saro-Wiwa, Dr. Nubari Kiobel, Nordu Eawo, Saturday Doobe, John Kpuinen, Paul Levura, Daniel Gbokoo, Felix Nuate and Baribor Bera.
In a statement yesterday, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) welcomed this action by the President, saying it removes the stains of injustice from deceased persons.
“It is a widely acknowledged fact that few administrations have dared to confront this painful legacy with such candour and daring.
“President Tinubu once again has distinguished himself among Nigerian leaders as one with the wisdom and courage to answer a longstanding prayer from an oppressed populace with compassion and clarity,” a part of the statement signed by the president of MOSOP, Mr Fegalo Nsuke, stated.
However, the group noted that, “It is appreciably and respectfully submitted that while the presidential pardon is significant and considered a vital milestone that opens the door to deeper restorative measures, a pardon, by its very nature, implies the existence of an offense.
“In the case of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his compatriots, it is clear that no legitimate crime was committed. President Tinubu himself acknowledged that their unjust execution should never have happened.”
“In this light, we humbly appeal that the President goes further by pursuing a formal exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his fellow activists.
“Such exoneration would be a stronger moral and legal correction, ensuring that their names are no longer burdened by the stain of injustice.
“To this end, the establishment of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry, to investigate and formally repudiate the irregularities of the 1995 tribunal would be a landmark act of complete restorative justice, one that would further cement President Tinubu’s legacy as a leader not only of courage, but of conscience,” it stressed.
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