Ralph Uwazuruike’s son, Allwell, turns human rights author

Dr. Allwell Uwazuruike, son of the renowned Biafra activist, Ralph Uwazuruike, is a human rights author.

Apart from being a human rights advocate, Uwazuruike, a law lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), United kingdom, is a doctoral degree holder and  also the co-editor of Afritondo Media which offers a platform for African stories and voices.

Through Afritondo, Uwazuruike has been working with publishers, editors and writers across the globe to further amplify African and minority voices and stories within the literary space.

He explained how a background of Biafran activism spurred the writing of his latest book on human rights entitled “The Dogs and the Baboons: The Human Rights Revolution Nigeria Needs,” and his involvement in human rights advocacy through literature.

“Growing up as the Son of an activist meant that I experienced and witnessed, first hand, gross human rights violations perpetrated by the government against my father, my family, and members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). For example, my father was arrested numerous times without trial. And when I say numerous, I mean more than 30 to 40 times.

“In one instance, he was imprisoned for more than two years with his case never proceeding to trial. Arrests without court appearances and trials are a breach of fundamental rights.

“There is also the issue of police shootings. I know several members of MASSOB who were killed by the police. There were people I saw in the house one day but not the next simply because they had been gunned down at a protest. The reality of death, particularly at the hands of the police became very clear to me from a very young age.

“The constant anxiety and fear over the safety of your parents and friends dominated my adolescence. So, I grew up thinking and worrying about these things, which is why I was motivated to study and research human rights.

“I wanted to know whether the state and police had the right to do all the things that they did. And, if not, why they continued to do those things with impunity and without repercussions.

“I also wanted to know if there were ways of making things better. And coming to the issue of literature, yes, I felt that this was a good channel for communicating my thoughts. I love writing, so why not convey my thoughts through that means? Why not share my experiences? Why not pass my message?”, Uwazuruike stated.

On President Muhammadu Buhari, he said: “Prior to his ascendancy to the country’s top position in 2015, Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari, had made a controversial comment on perceived irregularities at the previous presidential polls.

“Remarking on the conduct of the poll, the president had said that if what happened in the 2011 elections were to repeat in 2015, “by the grace of God, the dogs and the baboons will all be soaked in the blood”.

Uwazuruike explained why he linked this statement to the title of his book: “To be honest, I had considered several titles and this one eventually came out on top for a number of reasons. I think the concept of “dogs and baboons” quite captured the main points I was trying to make in my book”.

Continuing, he stated: “I tried to capture how both the government and we, the people, are complicit in human rights violations. In a sense, one party is the dog, and the other is the baboon. When Buhari referred to the dogs and baboons soaking in blood, he was painting a picture of violence and anarchy.

“That violence and anarchy persist in today’s Nigeria. The dogs and the baboons illustrate the sordid practices of mob violence, police shootings, jungle justice, extreme tribalism, and injustice that characterise present day Nigeria”.

The human rights advocate, who has written over several articles on human rights in Africa, observed that human rights awareness in Nigeria is at its lowest level.

He explained: “Go out into the streets and ask people if they know what human rights are. How can people that catch a so-called “thief” in the market and set them ablaze claim to know anything about human rights? How can people that lynch a person for blasphemy claim to know anything about human rights? How can people that praise the same leaders that impoverish them say they know anything about human rights? The awareness level is very, very low”.

Asked if this is what motivated him to write the book, The Dogs and the Baboons?” he replied: “Yes. Mainly. Every time I read the news, I came across stories of human rights violations. The troubling part was that most of these violations were taken as normal. People did not seem to appreciate that their lives could actually be different. In fact, I often came across comments that openly supported or excused these violations. I thought to myself: “things should not be like this”. This drove me to write the book.”

He hoped that the book would play a role in helping the country move forward in the area of human rights recognition and enforcement:

He pointed out: “First, I want people to enjoy reading the book. If they don’t, then they probably will not get half-way through it; so, it’s important that they enjoy reading it. Secondly, I hope to create a great deal of awareness of the challenges bedevilling Nigeria and the need to revolutionise the way we see things. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I want to share my solutions to those problems. I want to ignite a cultural revolution hinged on the principles of human rights”

On the choice of the subtitle, Uwazuruike said: “It is very simple.  We need to change the way we think. We need to, as a society, incorporate human rights and dignity in all our practices such that it becomes a way of life, a culture. We need to appreciate that everyone has rights, whether a presumed “thief” or “witch”.

“We need to know that certain practices we condone as normal have no place in a sane society. We also need to ensure that public institutions live up to minimum standards of human rights. Look, if we run a society based entirely on respect for human rights, Nigeria’s problems will be almost entirely solved”.

He said that as a lawyer, he believed that an independent judiciary wass crucial to the enforcement of human rights and the rule of law in the country.

“How can they help?, he asked and answered thus: “Well, they can start by being accessible to the common man. Why do we have lynchings? Why do we have jungle justice? Well, partly because people either do not know or do not trust the judicial system. Why are policemen killing unarmed protesters? Why are people kept in jails for days without being brought before a judge?

“Simple. The judiciary is either not working properly or not being put to good use. For human rights to make any sense whatsoever, the judges, the courts, have to be there to enforce them.”

On revolution, the don said he was aware of the impact of the word even from a literary perspective, stating that “The word revolution is intentional and is intended to provoke a certain sentiment. Revolution, in the sense that I use it in the book, is not linked to violence. Instead, it is more about a drastic, decisive change to the way of life and governance.”

On the style of his book, he explained that  he did not want to write a book that read like a textbook or boring academic article.

“I wanted to write a book that would appeal to the casual reader. I am in academia and I know that the regular person in the streets does not enjoy reading textbooks or books written in similar style. I mean, they could read them to pass their exams, but you are very unlikely to catch them reading those books for relaxation or on a vacation. So, I tried as much as I could to avoid such style and instead write in a more conversational, creative non-fiction style.

“In my book, I share stories and real-life experiences. I use local slangs, and sometimes I write like I am actually talking to someone. I wanted to make the book interesting and keep the reader engaged. There is no point in writing a book no one will read”, he further explained.

In his book, Uwazuruike interrogated issues that he believes plague the contemporary Nigerian society, such as mob violence and police brutality, servitude, religious intolerance, poverty and corruption.

On the process of curbing these challenges, he stated: “First, we need to know and accept that they are there. We need to know that they are unacceptable. People that lace thieves in the marketplace think they are doing the right thing by bringing justice to these persons. People that flog and lacerate school children with canes and whips think that they are training them.

“Education is the first step. Education is like the trunk of the human rights tree; the stem. Out of this trunk spring several branches. Those branches are the proposed solutions to each of the problems you mention. There are different mechanisms that should be adopted in tackling each one”, he added.

Citing an example, he stated: “Okay, say for instance police killings. It is sad to say this, but the job and role of police officer, especially at the lowest chain of command, is often reserved for the least educated and trained members of the society. It is a very poorly funded institution. Can you walk into a classroom of kids and ask them what they would like to be in the future and even one kid say they would want to be a policeman? Are they well-trained? Are they well paid? Are they motivated? Do they know that they are actually there to protect the people instead of intimidate and endanger them? The entire institution needs to be revamped”.

Speaking further, he said: “As I said earlier, the key thing is education. Every police officer needs to be trained specifically on human rights. But this is just the first step. Each officer must be regularly appraised on human rights compliance. There should also be an easily accessible complaints system for the citizens to report errant officers.

“On the issue of the killings, every death at the hands of the police must be investigated through an inquest or public inquiry similar to what we had for the Lekki Toll Gate shooting. Every now and then, the police kill people and nothing is done about it. If the government starts attaching value to human life by making sure there is a public inquiry into every single civilian death, implementation of the recommendations of the inquiry panels, punishment of the officers involved (including criminal prosecution), and payment of compensation to the victims, I assure you that police killings will reduce drastically.”

Regretting that human rights violation is the norm in Nigeria, Uwazuruike stressed: “It is sad to say it, but every single human right is routinely infringed in Nigeria. Life, liberty, religion, fair trial, free speech, assembly, food, health, education, self-determination; every single one. I think the problem is that there is a general disregard for human dignity. Once a person does not have value in your eyes, you treat them any how you like. They have no worth or value. Why should you respect any of their rights? In Nigeria, unless you have millions in your account or drive a big car, no one takes you as having any value”.

On his assessment of the human rights situation under the current leadership in Nigeria, Dr. Uwazuruike replied:”I honestly don’t want to narrow things down to one administration. As a matter of fact, I want to apologise to the current administration as they’ve been made to bear the brunt of criticisms in my book, but it is only natural that I would refer more to the sitting government than one that presided several years ago. The truth of the matter is that as far as human rights violations go, the past and current administrations are not too dissimilar. The present one, though, has taken things up a notch.”

Uwazuruike made a pact with prospective readers in order to encourage reading and engagement with the book: “If you buy and read it and think at the end of the day that it wasn’t worth it, contact me, and I’ll ensure you get a refund”

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