From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Anthony Okechukwu Ojukwu, has warned multinational companies operating in various host communities in the country to carry out projects that are impactful and of a high-quality standard rather than engaging in mere tokenism.
He gave the warning in Benin during the public presentation and launch of “The Community-Based Research Report on Human Rights Violations in the Palm Oil Supply Chain in Edo State,” an event organised by the African Law Foundation (AFRILAW).
Mr Ojukwu, represented by the Deputy Director of Legal Services, NHRC, Mrs Mary Okoh, said the era when multinational companies go to their host communities and acquire all their farmlands without adequately involving them, with a view to understanding their demands, is long gone, adding that the federal government is working assiduously to end it.
“You know, one of the things we want to also bring to the fore in the course of this event is the fact that the government, the National Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have developed a document called the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
“And that document is supposed to help businesses mainstream human rights in their operations. You know, it’s good that people have CSR—corporate social responsibility; government or businesses carry out corporate social responsibility—but we want to say, go beyond corporate social responsibility that we feel looks like tokenism.
“Beautiful decoration that you want to do outside—we want to handle the major issues of mainstreaming human rights into your operations. That even when you want to start up a business, you begin to ask yourself, what’s the need of these people? What do they need? Not what you feel they need. You know, because that’s where the violation of their right to self-determination comes in.
“You know, when you begin to do tokenism, you begin to dash them what you feel they will require. You go build roads, you take care of schools. That’s fine. But let’s go beyond calling them together and including them, even in that decision you’re trying to make.
“Even if it’s going to benefit them, let them be part of that decision. Let them be part of the discussion of what you’re going to give them. You know, because it is in the process of that you’ll be able to enforce, you know, give expression to their socio-economic rights,” Ojukwu said.
Speaking also at the launch of the programme, the researcher of “The Community-Based Research Report on Human Rights Violations in the Palm Oil Supply Chain in Edo State,” Dr Uyi Ojo, said the aggressive tendencies of multinational companies to acquire farmlands for their palm oil plantations have left farmers short of places to cultivate their crops, thereby leading to hunger and starvation in most communities.
He blamed these multinational companies for using the military and other security agencies to intimidate their host communities.
Dr Ojo further resolved that, for the companies to get it right, there must be a mechanism put in place to always address issues of conflict whenever they arise, to avoid them snowballing into a major crisis.
On the part of the founder and Chief Executive Officer of AFRILAW, Okereke Chinwike, he appealed to the government at all levels to ensure the protection of oil palm host communities and address the spate of kidnapping and violence in such areas.
He further tasked governments to ensure that communities’ rights and privileges are respected in land deals with oil palm companies to avoid human rights violations.