Osinbajo decries growing cases of rights abuse in Africa

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday expressed optimism that Africa would overcome its current governance and human rights challenges.

The Vice President, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, stated this at the opening of the 2022 Judicial Year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania.

He decried the growing cases of human rights abuse on the continent, and blamed the scourge on the lack of a proper enforcement mechanism at domestic and continental levels.

Osinbajo stressed that the challenges posed by poverty to socio-economic rights alongside concerns about democracy and unconstitutional changes of governments must be tackled, if Africa must achieve development.

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He said: “The Africa we want is one that addresses, amongst others, humanity’s most pressing concerns of eradication of poverty, hunger and disease; the sustenance of democracy and the rule of law; sustainable development, especially dealing with challenges of climate change and application of finite resources for economic growth and diversification; human security and peace.

“The reluctance of some states to respect the court’s orders of interim measures, not to mention funding problems in the face of competing financial needs within the AU system.

“There might be a need for further interaction between the court and member States and civil society on how to work through these issues. The general reluctance of States to concede sovereignty is not peculiar to the African States. But we can be more creative about complementarity, for example.”

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