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Case Study: 'INFANT DEMOCRACY' IN NIGERIA
- During 15 years of military dictatorship, freedom of association
and assembly was banned in Nigeria.
- Now under what politicians refer to as their "infant democracy",
Nigerians feel more free to associate and to assemble, and the
administration is much less likely to intimidate or ban an organisation.
- These freedoms remain fragile as many of the political organisations
that have emerged in Nigeria reflect tribal tensions in the country.
Analysis
Governments have a duty to balance the right of free association
and assembly with the need to maintain public order and prevent
injury to people and property. Nigeria's new democracy demonstrates
these tensions well.
An increasing number of political, cultural, social
and pressure groups have emerged since military rule. They include
the Odu'a Peoples' Congress (OPC), Arewa Peoples' Congress (APC),
Middle Belt Peoples Congress (MBPC), Bakassi Boys, Committee of
Concerned Citizens etc.
Virtually all follow existing tribal or religious
divides within the country, leaving some to observe that Nigerians
are learning to exercise freedom of association and assembly in
polarised ways.
The Committee of Concerned Citizens is one such
organisation. In the summer of 2000, they planned a seminar in Lagos
to debate the controversial and divisive issue of Islamic Shari'a
law, which had led to some of the bloodiest religious clashes in
parts of the country.
The Lagos state Commissioner of Police banned the
seminar, citing security reasons for taking this action. In Nigeria
as in other countries, human rights activists will be monitoring
the ability of governments to promote a climate in which freedom
of association and assembly is protected.
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