The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), an NGO, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to protect the social and economic rights of Nigerians.
The Director of the Centre, Mr Eze Onyekpere, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“The greatest human rights violation in Nigeria, since the return of democracy, is the inability of the government to tackle corruption which affects social and economic rights of Nigerians.''
He emphasised the need for government at all levels, to fight corruption in all ramifications with stronger political will, to record a resounding success.
?The director, who said that the war against corruption must start from the top and percolate down to the bottom, urged the media to step up the support for the fight against corruption.
?He said that such collaborative effort became imperative because the economy of the country “has consistently maintained a rapid growth, while poverty level remained high''.
?Onyekpere urged Nigerians to be more vigilant to hold government accountable, and to stimulate the politicians to deliver their electioneering promises to the people.
“We should avoid politics of tribalism or religion and hold our leaders accountable to ensure justice and fair play,'' he further advised.
?The director also called on the National Assembly to give more time to the constitution review, and said that the exercise required careful deliberations to ensure a people-oriented constitution.
?`The process of constitution review should not be rushed, to enable the citizens understand the process and take active participation.''
He added that the review could be considered in the first and second quarter of 2013.
?“This will enable the 7th National Assembly to give Nigerians a clean and people-oriented constitution that will set a new agenda for national development,'' Onyekpere said.