THESE TRIALS WILL PASS AWAY

Nigeria is on my mind and I am as worried as every other good citizen that our ongoing travails with high insecurity will pass away sooner rather than later because we do not need violence at this stage of our national life.

HURIWA’S WORKING VISIT TO MINISTER OF FCT SENATOR BALA MOHAMMED ON AUGUST 19TH 2010.



MY THOUGHT ABOUT PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN NIGERIA

Fundamental human rights in Nigeria are contained in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These rights are inalienable, significant and fundamental to the survival and wellbeing of any nation. The developed world has made gargantuan efforts in protecting these rights in their respective countries. It is heartrending and deplorable that in Nigeria, we still trample on these rights with impunity. Recently, the Lagos State High Court was dismayed to see the extent of horror, barbarism, ruthless brutality and dehumanization meted to a young Nigerian lady, Miss. Uzoma Okereke by Naval ratings. The court ordered that the Naval authorities pay her compensation of N100,000,000.00. The court also ordered that unreserved apology should offered to her.

As a country, we must uphold these rights as sacrosanct and sacred. There is no gainsaying the fact that we have not done enough in protecting these inalienable rights to human existence and civilization. All government officials, institutions, agencies, security outfits, individuals etc., must wake up to this national challenge, if we are not to remain stagnant while the world moves ahead. Our efforts in this important aspect of our national life will go a long way whether we will be applauded and celebrated or be thrown into the dust bin of history as a country where nothing works.

BRIEF PROFILE OF CHIEF WOLE OLANIPEKUN, SAN;

Chief Oluwole Oladapo Olanipekun, SAN was born on 18^th November, 1951 at Ikere-Ekiti. He is a product of Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti, Ilesa Grammar School, Ilesa, the University of Lagos and the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

Early in life, he was a precocious, gifted and assiduous young man and this pedestalled his selection as the Senior Prefect of Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti in 1969. In 1971, he was also elected a school prefect, as well as the Chairman of the Students’ Representative Committee (Parliament) of Ilesa Grammar School. He was also the Editor-In-Chief of the School’s magazine, (The Spike), as well as the President of the Dramatic Society in 1971. He was elected the Secretary-General, University of Lagos Students’ Union between 1973 and 1974.

While he was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1976, he was conferred with the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in July 1991 in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the advancement of the Legal Profession in Nigeria. By then, he was the youngest of all the Senior Advocates in Nigeria. He has also been a Notary Public since 1987.

Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN became the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 2002. He displayed quintessential characteristics and took the Association to an enviable height. He exuded brilliancy, diligence, enthusiasm, industry, probity, conscientiousness and unparalleled patriotism to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). Under him, NBA identified and stood for justice, rule of law, constitutionalism and with courage, opposed all forms of oppression, repression, brutality, ruthlessness and injustice. It was then the NBA became the conscience of the Nation and most Nigerians looked up to the Association for leadership and direction. As the President of the NBA, he personally led the legal team that defended the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) against the actions filed against the Congress by the Federal Government in the wake of the National resistance to the frequent fuel price increase by the Government. It was also during his time as the President of the NBA that the Association, for first time in history, established and inaugurated the new popular, widely accepted and acclaimed Business Law Section and the Section on Legal Practice.

Between 1991and 1993, he was appointed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the then Ondo State. The highest body responsible for the governance of the Legal Profession, Body of Benchers appointed him a Life Bencher in January 2007. At various times, he has been a member of the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary the Chairman, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (1999-2002), National Judicial Council Committee (1999-2002), National Judicial Council (2004-2006). He is also a member of the International Bar Association, where he served as a member of Council between 2002 and 2004, Commonwealth Layers’ Association (CLA), where he was appointed as a member of Council between 2004 and 2006. In 2003, he was appointed the vice President of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

He is the Principal Partner of the Law firm of Messrs Wole Olanipekun & Co., with the offices at Lagos, Abuja, Ilorin and Akure. His Legal Practice cuts across nearly all fields and areas of Law with particular emphasis on Constitutional Law, Banking, Business/Commercial Law, Land and Chieftaincy, Election and Electoral matters, Oil and Gas, Environmental Law, Arbitration, Maritime, Telecommunications, etc. He also engages in Transborder practice. He belongs to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, both in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

He practices and appears in Courts in nearly all the States of Nigeria. He also constantly appears in all the Divisions of the Court of Appeal in Nigeria, particularly Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Ilorin, Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Abuja and Jos. He has been regularly appearing before the Supreme Court of Nigeria since 1985.

Within the past seven years, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN has delivered more than 120 papers on Law, Economics, Politics, Literature and Corporate Governance in and out of the country and within and without several universities. He is always being bombarded with invitations from Universities, other higher institutions, corporate bodies, public institutions, governments at all tiers etc to deliver lectures on contemporary Legal, Political, Educational, Economic, Corporate and Social issues.

He is presently the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the university of Ibadan, the first Nigerian University.

He is happily married to Princess Omolara Olanipekun and the marriage is blessed with two boys and two girls, three of whom are Lawyers.

HURIWA’S HUMAN RIGHTS HALL OF FAME

Our platform hereby recognize the following great achievers as worthy of belonging to our national human rights hall of fame because of their excellent individual Contributions to the advancement, promotion, and protection of Human Rights in Nigeria and beyond. These persons include;

(1) The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja; Rt. Reverend (Dr.) John Olorufemi Onaiyekan; CON;

(2)   Chief Wole Olanipekun; SAN; 

(3)   Professor Epiphany Azinge (SAN);

(4)   Chief Awa Kalu; (SAN);

(5)   Chief Ifeyinwa Obegolu (Mrs.);

(6)   Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (SAN);

(7)   Chief Akin Olujinmi, (SAN) and

(8)   Chief Ricky Tarfa (SAN).

MISSION STATEMENT:

A registered non-Governmental, Non Religious and Non Political Orientated Association of Nigerian Creative writers, Philosophers, Journalists and Humane Thinkers dedicated to deploying their creative talents to enthrone the rule of Law, Constitutional democracy, Respect for Human rights of Nigerians and good Governance through constructive dialogues and media of mass communication.

TARGET AUDIENCE:    

The target Audience of the Association includes: assisting the Indigent and other vulnerable groups in the society. Please join us to project these good ideas for the betterment of the Nigerian Society.

OBJECTIVES:

1)           To deploy the members’ Creative talents as writers to promote, protect and project the human rights of all Nigerians and other law abiding citizens resident within Nigeria;

2)           To Organize Periodic seminars and training workshops locally for human capital development specifically on the tenets and ideals of Human Rights and rule of Law;

3)           To attend International workshops and Seminars Targeted at the promotion and protection of human rights;

4)           To conduct periodic studies on ways, means and strategies for promoting and protecting human rights of Law abiding citizens;

5)           To Highlight Human rights challenges confronting the persons in conflict with the law and seek for constructive modalities for redressing such violations;

6)           To recognize excellence and Good Governance Standards in the Polity through yearly award ceremonies for exceptionally good, tested and trusted leaders in both the corporate and public sector. The process of selection would be by transparent mass participation strategies.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Child rights are Human Rights: Please lets avoid all traces of child abuses like abandonment, denial of Education, denial of Good and quality health, and engaging the children in street trading. Our children are our future.

For enquiries and other Issues:

CONTACT:

Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, The National Coordinator on doziebiko@yahoo.com or call: 07040303030;

E-mail: info@huriwa.org; doziebiko@yahoo.com

              www.huriwa.org

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