Friday, November 8, 2013: Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the Lagos Governor’s Office Correspondents (LAGOCO) will on Monday, November 11, 2013 embark on a “Walk Against Impunity”. The collaboration forms part of activities marking LAGOCO Week which takes place from November 11 to 15, 2013.
The walk is aimed at raising awareness among residents of Lagos State about the problem of impunity in virtually all sectors of the Nigerian society and its negative consequences on the country’s growth and development as well as to mobilize people to develop a culture of challenging acts of impunity.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jennifer Onyejekwe, explained the rationale behind MRA’s decision to collaborate with LAGOCO on the initiative, saying: “Given the pervasive and entrenched nature of impunity in Nigeria which has also manifested in the form of bad governance and widespread lawlessness among ordinary citizens, it is very important for various groups and interests working on this very important issue to collaborate and coordinate as much as possible so that they can build synergies to improve their effectiveness.”
Noting that impunity makes it difficult to tackle corruption, Ms Onyejekwe argued that “no fight against corruption can succeed without first or simultaneously waging a successful war against impunity.”
According to the plan announced by MRA and LAGOCO, the ”Walk Against Impunity” will begin at 9.45am from the Ikeja local Government Secretariat at Anifowose area of Ikeja, go through the stretch of Obafemi Awolowo Way to Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa, where it will terminate.
At the Lagos State Secretariat, several campaigners against impunity will give short speeches on impunity, its effect and what every Nigerian can and should do to bring an end to impunity in the land.
MRA is collaborating on the Walk Against Impunity within the framework of the Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N) Campaign which is being implemented by MRA and three other civil society organisations and in preparation towards the “Week of Action Against Impunity” later this month. The activities will culminate in a “Day of Action Against Impunity” on November 23, 2013.
During the Walk Against Impunity, MRA, LAGOCO and the S.I.N Campaign will provide various information materials to enlighten the public on the issues and what actions they can take.
