The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Nigeria’s foremost civil society organization, concluded its 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) yesterday at the Maridom Palace Hotel in Ota, Ogun State.
The landmark event, which drew delegates from 27 states of the Federation, culminated in the election of a new National Executive Council (NEC) to lead the struggle for social justice over the next term.
In a resounding show of confidence, Comrade Debo Adeniran was re-elected as the National President, while Godwin Anyebe emerged as the new Vice President. The conference was held under the evocative theme: “Human Rights as our Everyday Essentials: Fundamental, Inviolable, Indiscriminate.”
The conference featured a hard-hitting keynote intervention by renowned activist and legal luminary, Barrister Supo Ojo. In his address, Barrister Ojo challenged the “scholastic” nature of international human rights themes, arguing that they often fail to address the peculiar realities of Africans.
”The adoption of general themes only succeeds in burying the different realities of different peoples,” Ojo stated. He lamented that while the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains a global standard, the Nigerian reality is marred by a governance system that prioritizes religious structures and elite interests over basic rights like healthcare and education.
Ojo warned against the rise of “Cyber-rats”, state-sponsored actors used to stifle dissent on social media, and urged the CDHR to return to its roots of intensive education in markets, motor parks, and campuses. “The people must not sleep and must not allow the governments to rest,” he charged.
In his welcome address, the President of the organisation Comrade Debo Adeniran reaffirmed that human rights are not luxuries for the powerful but “everyday necessities as vital as food and shelter.”
He invoked the history of the CDHR, recalling its pivotal role in forming the Campaign for Democracy (CD) alongside icons like Beko Ransome-Kuti, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and Gani Fawehinmi.
Adeniran emphasized a policy of reconciliation, stating, “Where a member commits an offence but shows genuine remorse, such a member should be reabsorbed without undue bureaucratic bottlenecks.”
He noted that internal friction had previously hindered the founder’s dream of having a CDHR unit on every street in Nigeria, a goal he intends to revive.
The National Council (NC) meeting, chaired by the President, saw significant structural changes. A motion was passed to dissolve the Board of Trustees (BOT), followed by the election of a new five-member board comprising: Olasupo Ojo,Debo Adeniran, Prof. Lucky Akarueze, Crd. Gbenga Awosode and Femi Falana, SAN.
The conference also ratified the branch elections for Lagos and Delta States and formally inaugurated several new branches, presenting them with their official certificates.
Following the dissolution of the outgoing executive, an electoral committee led by Comrade Aihakwo conducted the polls. The newly elected national leaders are:
President: Debo Adeniran (Lagos),
Vice President: Godwin Anyebe, General Secretary: Deji Adebowale (Lagos), Assistant Secretary: Imrana Yahaya (Bauchi), Treasurer: Akinrinade Wahab (Osun), Legal Adviser: Naabulobari Nazingha-Lue (Rivers),, Publicity Secretary: Onyibe Jeremiah (Ebonyi), Internal Auditor: Musa Gwani Turare (Katsina).
In his closing remarks, President Adeniran urged the new NEC members to remain servants of their branches rather than masters. “Generate programs, relate well with your officers, and let the struggle continue,” he concluded.
The event was attended by a broad spectrum of the human rights community, including Barrister A.T. Lawal, who noted in his goodwill message that true leadership must extend “from the house to the streets and up to the federal level.”
