Nigeria recommends Federal Character Principle
From Lemmy Ughegbe, Geneva, Switzerland
ABOUT 500 delegates worldwide yesterday at the second session of the United Nations (UN) Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva, Switzerland decried the exclusion of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities from policy and decision making processes at all levels of governance.
But Nigeria's Ambassador to Switzerland at the forum Martins Uhomoibhi said the country had no such experience as there were legal instruments in place that protect the rights and interests of the minorities and urged governments of member states to embrace its Federal Character Principles.
The President of the world body's Human Rights Council, Ambassador Alex Van Meeuwen, Chairperson of the Forum, United States (U.S.) Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the UN's independent expert on Minority Issues, Miss Gay MacDougall, among others identified the exclusion of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities from policy and decision making process as one key reason for conflicts within global societies.
Meeuwen said global peace would remain elusive as long as these minorities continue to suffer discrimination in policy and decision making processes within societies that they dwell.
He observed that voices of minorities were yet to get the needed attention from society, which they deserved and said such situation ought to change.
He said minority groups remained an integral part of the global societies, adding that societies can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace when they (minorities) are included in policy and decision-making and also allowed the conducive environment to participate politically.
Lee, who is also the chair of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, observed the need for members states of the UN to do better than pay lip service to the demand to include the minorities in policy and decision making processes as well as enable them participate effectively in political processes.
Lee noted that it was several decades of toil by all and sundry that led to the eventual arrival of ''a Blackman (President Barack Obama) in the White House.''
She emphasised that the sooner genuine efforts are put in place globally to allow ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities the leverage to participate in issues and decisions that affect their common destiny, the sooner peace and development would be engendered at all levels of human society.
MacDougall contended that ''many situations in the world demonstrate that an adequate representation of minority groups in policy-making and decision-making by society is instrumental in breaking the cycle of discrimination and exclusion suffered by members of these groups.''
She observed that it is such discrimination against these group of minorities that have foisted ''disproportionate levels of poverty and related impediments to the full enjoyment of many civil, cultural, economic and social rights.''
She said it was ''necessary to maintain and build harmonious and respectful relations among the various components of a society.''
She urged member states and all stakeholders to ''move the issue of political participation from paper to practice.''
Uhomoibhi told the forum that Nigeria had addressed the fears of minorities through deliberate legal and constitutional processes and as such minorities were key part of policy and decision making processes.
Noting that Nigeria is a country dominated largely by minorities, Uhomoibhi said: ''Government continued after the birth of Nigeria to create states regularly. Theses states were created to assuage fears of the minorities that they may be marginalized and to give them a sense of belonging.''
He explained that Nigeria also employed the affirmative action by adopting the Federal Character Principle, which was defined by a proper legal instrument - the Federal Character Commission Act.
He added that by the Federal Character Principle, the interests of minorities and majorities were well defined and protected.
