21st September, 2012
The Campaign for Democracy, CD, has remembered the contributions of the late activist, Chima Ubani, who died seven years ago in a ghastly motor accident while leading the people’s resistance against obnoxious increase in the prices of petroleum products by the Presiden Olusegun Obasanjo civilian dictatorship.
Today marks the 7th year anniversary of Ubani’s demise. He was the founding General Secretary, CD and former Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO.
A statement from CD, signed by its National President, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin said: “in Chima Ubani, we lost an indefatigable fighter, principled activist, consummate mobilizer and one of the original thinkers for progress and development in Nigeria.
“The cold hands of death snatched away this dependable ally of the oppressed and repressed people of Nigeria at a time he and more like him were needed to confront the rot in the land.”
CD said seven years after his exit, the crisis of underdevelopment that challenged Ubani to take a stand was still confronting the nation, albeit in a sharper form.
“The poor people whom Chima spent most of his adult life fighting for are daily sinking into abysmal poverty. Seven years after Chima passed on, over 70% of our citizenry are living below the poverty line.
“Nigeria has witnessed attacks on the living standards of the people through retrenchment, anti-people reforms and violent suppression of the people’s response to the despoliation of their lives. Virtually every item that makes for good living has gone beyond their reach,” it added.
CD stated that the most benefiting monument “we can build for him is to step up the struggle to free our country from the vampires. This would have been the pre-occupation of this icon if he were still around.
“In every corner, on every street, at whatever platform where the oppressed people are gathered to find ways of shaking off the shackles with which they are bound, the moral grandeur of Chima Ubani shall be their shade. His fond memories shall be eternal.
“It is our prayer that God Almighty shall continue to protect the family he has left behind. To Chima’s constituency, the suffering people of Nigeria, our admonition is that the struggle Chima died for shall continue until victory is won.”
—Kazeem Ugbodaga