Nigerian scholars abroad, under the auspices of Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora (ANDS), have faulted the recent report by the US Department of State on corruption and human rights violation under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.
A report by the US Department of State entitled, “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” accused the Nigerian government and the military of arbitrary and unlawful killings.
However, ANDS stated that it believed that the report was apparently aimed at legitimising criminal activities of terrorists and extremists in Nigeria.
The association stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of a recent meeting to review the country reports on human rights practices for 2018.
The president, Prof Bitrus Gamwa, and the secretary-general, Pita Agbese, who signed the communiqué on behalf of the Diasporan Nigeria scholars, rejected the report in its entirety and, therefore, called on other professional bodies of Nigerian origin to do the same.
The communiqué urged the federal government to communicate the rejection of the report in writing to the United States through its embassy in Nigeria.
Parts of the communiqué read: “The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora on Monday March 25, 2019 in London, the United Kingdom, met to review the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 published by the United States. Those in attendance held discussions that drew correlation with past incidents and the recently published report. They noted as follow:
“The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the United States sometimes in March 2019 published its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018. The 2018 edition was the 43rd annual Country Reports on Human Rights published by the US and it continued in the tradition of maligning Nigeria and countries that it may have other issues with.
“Preface to the 2018 report stated that “individuals seeking reforms to end the wrongful interference in the exercise of unalienable rights – whether those individuals are in or out of government – will find a sympathetic friend and strong supporter in the United States of America.”
It added: “The section of the report that pertained to Nigeria was filled with half-truths, misleading information and outright lies that are meant to subjugate Nigeria by way of bringing the country to heel in aligning with US geo-strategic interests even where they run contrary to Nigeria’s interests.
“It deliberately took aim at crucial government agencies of Nigeria in a bid to make it appear like a repressive regime contrary to its democratic credential as a popularly elected government.
“The report was a covert disguise for putting ammunition in the hands of the opposition as proven by the assertion made by the United States in (3) above, by which it accepts that it is willing to work with individuals that sabotage Nigeria provided they serve the interest of America.”
It also stated that the support for the opposition and terrorists extended beyond “tactical backing with reports like the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 include indirect arming of these groups with weapons that are first supplied to third party countries like Syria from where they will find their way into the hands of these US lackeys in Nigeria. The incursion of the US into Venezuela is a model that the opposition in Nigeria continued to use as blackmail against the government as they vowed to repeat something similar.”
According to the group, “it is most unfortunate that the US went ahead to publish the section meant to discredit Nigeria even when it is clearly does not meet the benchmark for a rigorous academic research to warrant being taken seriously by anyone anywhere in the world.”
The group urged the federal government to take all steps guaranteed under international conventions to demand that the United States correct the malicious lies being told against the country.
