Senate Committee demands apology on social injustices, slave trades

The Nigerian Senate is considering demanding apologies, restitution reparation over social injustices and slave trades in times past, saying it will engage stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations to make contributions to the Committee as it moves into action.

Senate Committee Chairman on Reparations and Repatriations Ned Munir Nwoko stated this after inauguration of the Committee on Tuesday in Abuja, noting that social injustices done to humanity cannot be caught up with effuxions of time.

Senator Nwoko who represents Delta-North senatorial district of Delta State made this known to journalists during an inaugural meeting of the committee on Tuesday in the National Assembly, stating that the committee is a novel one thus the need for public orientation.

He emphasized that there was a need for all inclusive engagement among stakeholders to enhance proper sensitization on the responsibilities and objectives of the committee.

“We are working towards having a stakeholders’ meeting early next year where we can have all the stakeholders invited at least to unveil the committee to the public where we will be telling the public what we are here for”.

“It is a novel Committee but certainly there is a need for it both locally and internationally. We are all aware of efforts of late MKO Abiola on dealing with reparations. That specifically deals with the quest for some form of apologies and restitutions by those who plundered our nation and created untold hardship for our people through slave trade .”

Senator Nwoko further stated that the committee will also focus on issue of internal crisis and injustices meted on groups and individuals across the country.

“The other leg of reparation has to do with the internal crisis, So many communities, families in Nigeria who have been brutalised . We have the Odi example, the Asaba massacre, we have other areas of inhuman treatment where the whole villages were razed down . So, this committee is actually meant to receive memorandum from those communities, families and we offer alternative conflict resolution instead of endless court cases, he said.

“We are all Nigerians, we don’t need to litigate over so many things that were inhumanly done to our own people and we take evidence from them as to the level of damage.

“It could also be that the community has been devastated over oil exploration through pollution. We will be asking all of them ro come talk to us about what they want and we can make recommendations to the government for compensation”.