HURIWA wants Rights Commission’s house named after Yusuf Sule:

A frontline pro-democracy and Non-governmental organization-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbanjo to name the corporate headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja after Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule.

The elder statesman and erstwhile Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Yusuf Maitam Sule died at the age of 87 at a medical facility in Egypt few days ago and has since been buried n accordance with his religious rites.

But in a statement by the National coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media affairs' Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA disclosed that although it has just inducted the late Yusuf Maitama Sule into the national human rights hall of fame administered by the organisation as a legend, but insisted that it still thinks that one of the most befitting institutional honours to be bestowed on this great patriot is to name the housing facility whereby the National Human Rights Commission's head office in Abuja is domiciled after the late Nigeria legend.

HURIWA said the former first Republic politician contributed significantly to institute Nigeria’s name as a respected member of the United Nations and indeed embodied the clearest symbol of fundamental rights to freedom of speech with the way and manner he employed and deployed his oratorical gifts to mentor and motivate millions of Nigerians irrespective of ethno religious affiliations.

The Rights group said there are ample empirical evidence that points to the pioneering roles the late diplomat played in ensuring that the then newly independent Nigerian nation State signed on to several meaningful international human rights Treaties and conventions which in no small measure encouraged governments many years after to set up the national institution for the promotion and protection of human Rights which has now become a globally well rated establishment amongst its peers.

“The late Yusuf Maitam Sule was such a fearless advocate of freedom of expression and he was a living embodiment of the enormous values of freedom of speech even as he motivated many activists to build on their oratorical talents for the specific purposes of selflessly campaigning for human rights, constitutional democracy and respect for the Rule of law. He (Yusufu Maitama Sule) was always available at the risks to his life during the military era to deploy his oratorical gifts to urge the then dictators to respect human dignity and human rights. He stood for the Rights and life of law abiding citizens and vigourously advocated inter Ethnic and inter- religious harmony nationally".

“We have already sent out our letter addressed to His Excellency, the Acting president of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osinabanjo to urge him to kindly consider naming the head office of the National Human Rights Commission in memory of the late Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule who lived a life of service to humanity and advanced the cause of promotion and protection of human rights”.