By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has rejected as shallow, politically convenient and lacking sufficient grassroots context the reported assessment of Imo State by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.
HURIWA says the description of Imo State as “inspiring” cannot reasonably represent the reality of millions of residents unless the assessment was based on a much broader engagement with communities across the state.
According to reports of the UN delegation’s visit to Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Government House in Owerri, Mohammed said:
“What I saw in Imo is inspiring,” the UN Deputy Secretary-General stated, expressing optimism over the rapid progress recorded in youth development and technological empowerment.
She was also reported as saying that “Imo State’s strategic investments in education, digital skills, power infrastructure, and administrative reforms are creating competitive enterprises, productive jobs, and resilient communities.” The delegation further highlighted the need to strengthen energy systems, expand access to climate finance and build supply chains linking local producers to broader markets.
HURIWA says these observations make it even more important to establish the geographical and social scope of the delegation’s assessment.
The rights group therefore asks a fundamental question: Did the UN delegation engage directly with ordinary residents in Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri zones before arriving at such a sweeping conclusion about the state?
HURIWA says a visit centred largely on Government House presentations, meetings with government officials and selected beneficiaries cannot, by itself, provide a comprehensive picture of the living conditions of the people.
The association challenges the UN delegation to explain whether it visited rural communities in Okigwe Senatorial District where residents have continued to raise concerns over inadequate infrastructure, access to healthcare, electricity, potable water, rural roads and security.
HURIWA says the development narrative presented to the delegation must be tested against the experiences of people living in communities where basic public services remain inadequate.
Did the delegation visit the rural communities where people struggle daily to access primary healthcare? Did it speak to families who lack reliable electricity and potable water? Did it inspect rural roads and assess the security situation outside the government-controlled urban centres?
The association says these are critical questions that should precede any broad conclusion about the state’s development trajectory.
HURIWA is particularly concerned about the security situation in parts of Imo State and allegations that some communities, especially in parts of Okigwe zone, continue to experience the disruptive presence of armed non-state actors and inadequate governmental and security presence.
The association says development cannot be measured only by digital training programmes, economic initiatives or government buildings when citizens in some communities allegedly remain exposed to insecurity and lack basic social infrastructure.
HURIWA also draws attention to reports and findings by human-rights organisations, including Amnesty International, concerning alleged abuses and violations linked to security operations engagement.
Where exactly did the delegation go in Imo State? Which rural communities did it visit? How many ordinary residents were interviewed independently of government officials? How many victims of insecurity, unemployment, poor healthcare and infrastructure deficits were given an opportunity to tell their stories?
The association says these questions are important because development assessment should not become a ceremony in which government officials present their achievements to international visitors without an equally rigorous examination of conditions at the grassroots.
HURIWA acknowledges that digital skills, youth empowerment, energy projects, healthcare reforms and economic diversification are legitimate areas of development. However, it insists that such initiatives must ultimately be measured by their impact on ordinary citizens.
The association also cautions against allowing carefully packaged government presentations to substitute for independent assessment.
If thousands of young people have indeed been trained, HURIWA says the relevant question is how many have obtained sustainable employment or established viable businesses. If hundreds of enterprises have been created, the question is whether they remain operational and profitable. If healthcare investments have been made, the question is whether rural residents can actually access functional primary healthcare facilities.
Similarly, HURIWA says claims about energy expansion must be tested against the reality of communities still struggling with electricity and basic infrastructure.
The association therefore urges the United Nations and other international development partners to conduct independent, community-level assessments before endorsing sweeping narratives about governance and development in any Nigerian state.
HURIWA warns that international institutions risk losing credibility when their assessments appear to rely disproportionately on official presentations rather than independent engagement with citizens.
“The people of Imo State deserve development, security, healthcare, infrastructure and decent livelihoods. They also deserve to have their realities heard directly, not filtered through official briefings.”
HURIWA calls on the UN to deepen its engagement with communities across Imo State and publish evidence-based assessments that capture both government achievements and the concerns of citizens.
The association maintains that genuine development is not merely what government officials say has been achieved. It is what citizens can see, access, afford and experience in their daily lives.

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) mourns the death of former Senator representing Katsina South Senatorial District, Senator Bello Mandiya, who died at the age of 62.
In a statement signed by the group’s ntional coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA extends its deepest condolences to his family, the people of Katsina State, his political associates, former colleagues and all Nigerians who mourn the passing of a remarkable public servant, politician, journalist and advocate of national development.
For HURIWA, Senator Mandiya was more than a politician and lawmaker. He was a dependable ally of the human rights community and a man who consistently demonstrated a genuine intellectual commitment to the advancement of human rights and democratic values in Nigeria.
During his lifetime, Senator Mandiya made it a point to attend several of HURIWA’s national human rights lectures, where he participated actively in discussions on critical human rights challenges confronting the country. He did not merely attend these engagements; he offered thoughtful contributions, proffered solutions and suggested practical ways of strengthening the work and impact of human rights defenders in Nigeria.
His commitment to these issues remained evident even when he occupied public office. Whether as Chief of Staff to the Katsina State Governor or subsequently as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mandiya brought his intellect, experience and sense of responsibility to issues affecting the people and the nation.
HURIWA particularly remembers him as a public official who understood that governance was not merely about political power but also about protecting citizens’ rights, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting justice and human dignity.
Before his election to the Senate in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mandiya also had a background in journalism and media management. He published a specialised magazine aimed at encouraging political dialogue and promoting national unity.
He was, in every sense, a media manager of the purest kind — intellectually grounded, politically engaged and committed to using communication as an instrument for dialogue rather than division.
His public service career also included his tenure as Chief of Staff to former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, before his election to the Senate, where he served from 2019 to 2023.
News of his death has triggered tributes from across the political and public-service spectrum. Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, described his death as a great loss to Katsina State and Nigeria, while former Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, remembered him as a “thoroughbred lawmaker” who brought diligence, intellect and a deep sense of responsibility to his duties, particularly during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources.
Also mourning Mandiya, founder of Agora Policy and former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio, recalled that their friendship dated back to 1988.
HURIWA joins Nigerians in mourning this painful loss.
We believe that the best tribute to Senator Bello Mandiya is to preserve the values he represented: intellectual engagement, political dialogue, national unity, public service and the relentless defence of human dignity.
His contributions may have come to an end with his passing, but his intellectual footprints and the memories of his engagement with the human rights community will remain.
May Allah forgive his shortcomings, grant him eternal rest and give his family, friends, colleagues and associates the strength to bear this irreparable loss.

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed deep concern and profound displeasure over the babariic behaviour of Benue youths on the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress(NDC),Mr Peter Obi.

In a statement by the national coordinator of Rights Activist, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,”We in the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has received with deep concern and profound displeasure that the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and erstwhile governor of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi was stopped on his way to enter Benue State to commiserate with victims of terrorism in the state.

“We view this lawless, reckless and misdirected angst of these sponsored unruly youngsters suspected to have been procured by the agents of the Benue State administration, as vexatious, irrational, irresponsible and provocative actions just as we think there was actually a plot to physically harm the presidential candidate of the NDC and one of the most illustrious Nigerian statesmen running for the high profile office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We blame the Benue State Governor Mr. Hyacinth Alia for allowing this lawless act of violence to happen in the first place given that in a previous occasion in which Peter Obi wanted to visit the state to see victims of the unrelenting terrorists attacks, the government said the opposition couldn’t be allowed even when thd president Bola Ahmed Tinubu had visited Benue State after one of the most brutal attacks by Fulani terrorists 8n which over 200 civilians including women, children and old people were massacred in an unprovoked genocide.

“We condemn the Benue State Government for permitting this lawlessness and we also blame the Federal government for not deploying sufficient armed security forces to facilitate the passage of Peter Obi into Benue State even when president Tinubu who shortly before jetting out to unknown places in Europe for a three weeks vacation, had reportedly directed that the security agencies beef up security for the presidential candidate.”

Continuing the statement added,”We view this act of depravity as an attempt to spark off violence and by that way try to physically harm Peter obi to create a national state of anomie and anarchy. This sort of provocation must never be allowed. There is no known law allowing any government in the subnational or national level to prevent a Nigerian citizen from enjoying the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedoms of movement, association and information. Does the Benue State Governor thinks that he is a military dictator so much so that he thinks he has the powers to dictate who enters Benue and who does not? This tendency is unconstitutional and unconscionable.

“There is therefore no valid reason for blocking Peter Obi from accessing Benue State and we blame the Benue State Governor for this indiscretion. Is it not a shame that the Benue State Governor couldn’t mobilise youths and equip them with the requisite weapons to stop the incessant killings of Benue civilians by terrorists but here are the youths been used for the political assignment of blocking the road so as not to allow Peter Obi to visit victims of terrorism in Benue State? These thugs should cover their faces in shame for letting themselves to be used by politicians to create confusion on the Federal Highway into Benue State.

“HURIWA recalled that a tense situation was reported in Benue State on Monday after a group of suspected thugs reportedly blocked the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi.
The incident occurred along GBoko Road as Obi and members of his entourage were reportedly attempting to gain access into the state.
Eyewitness accounts said the group, some of whom were allegedly armed with sticks, formed a blockade along the road, preventing the convoy from proceeding.

“The media reports that details surrounding the incident, including the reason for the action and whether anyone was injured, remain unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Security operatives were reportedly on the scene as efforts continued to manage the situation.

“We call on the National security Adviser to the President, the Chief of Defence staff, the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police to behave as public office holders whose responsibility and loyalty should be to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not to any political party. The security agencies must be up and doing and stop this sort of idiocy from repeating itself so as to avoid causing political uprising in the country especially as the nation prepares for the January election. In times like this, when the relevant laws allows for political campaigns and under the extant electoral law, the violent behaviours of the procured political thugs in Benue State is a violation of the relevant provisions of the law, we expect the police to arrest and prosecute these armed thugs said to have wielded sticks and stones.”