On the Monday 5th August 2019 the #RevolutionIsNow
protest inspired by AAC presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections
and political activist, Omoyele Sowore was billed to hold officially in 21
states of the Federation, Nigeria. For the records, Cross River wasn't one of
the states.
On that 5th of August some journalists in
Cross River capital city, Calabar associated with both mainstream and new media
news platforms garnered that there would be a version of this civil action in
the state: as such, they gathered at the Cultural Centre venue of the said
event to report the incident.
Viral news report has it that three
journalists were arrested by the Nigerian Police right at the venue of the
protest which eventually did not hold, namely the trio of Nicolas Kalu of The
Nation Newspaper, Jeremiah Archibong the Managing Editor of CrossRiverWatch and
Jonathan Ugbal the News Editor of CrossRiverWatch.
The Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ in the
state under the able leadership of Victor Dan Udu ensured that Kalu was
released and so he was especially when the Commissioner of Police in the state
couldn't keep him any longer —I have it on good authority that around 11PM, The
Nation correspondent was set free. In fact, the trio of Kalu, Archibong and
Ugbal were released but while on their way back from the police station after
making a statement and awaiting a drama of receiving and making numerous calls
the two staff of CrossRiverWatch
were incarcerated again. They were arraigned in court on the Wednesday the 7th
of August on 3 spurious charges slammed against them by the Commissioner of
Police Austine Agbonlahor: unlawful assembly, disturbing the peace, conduct in
public which breeches the peace.
This latest development put the membership and
leadership of the Association of Cross River Online Journalists ACROJ in
disarray! Other practitioners in the online sector were profoundly disturbed.
This was expected anyways. But, there is a sector of society which rested on
their oars, reclining in the sofas of their offices pretending they were not
aware of the ugly development in the state particularly the state capital city.
They are no other than the civil society popularly called Civil Society
Organisations CSOs.
The civil society as distinguished from the
public sector and private sector of society is defined by the World Health
Organisation's (Who) website as 'the space for collective action around shared
interests, purposes and values, generally distinct from government and
commercial for-profit actors.' According to the website Civil society embody
charities, development NGOs, community groups, women's organizations,
faith-based organizations, professional associations, trade unions, social
movements, coalitions as well as advocacy groups. Civil society is considered
the 'third sector' of society because of its distinctiveness with the business
sector and government as they are concerned with not-for-profit issues.
The corollary would be why would the civil
society be interested in the arrest of journalists in the state during a civil
protest namely the #RevolutionIsNow
protest? To respond to this, it would interest you to know that the social
issues which the protest agitates for are such that touch on the core of the
concerns of the civil society. They're five and are rendered thus: end to
systemic corruption and total overhaul of the system, implementation of the
N30, 000 minimum wage, release of El Zakzaky and other political prisoners, end
to insecurity nationwide, immediate slash of school fees, urging the FG not to
concede to the IMF/World Bank in respect of austerity measures, etc. This are
concerns of public good and not selfish. And these are what some of these CSOs
represent.
However, in respect of the right to freedom of
information/press which journalism stands at the fore of encouraging as well as
rights to freedom of association, movement etc which are fundamental human
rights a reply was expected from the civil society against the CP Agbonlahor.
But, Alas! None came. They all sat numb. Then why?
Does this regrettable development suggest that
in these over 3 million people populated Cross River there are no pro-Democracy
civil society groups? Are there no improved workers’ welfare, political rights,
quality education but more importantly — human rights CSOs?
If the first leg of society namely the private
sector and the second leg being the public sector in Cross River aren't
promising, Whither CSOs in Cross River
Efio-Ita Nyok (Nyokism)
is a social commentator and politic blogger
with Negroid Haven
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