News

U.S., more than any other country, should reflect on hypocritical democracy, deteriorating human rights situation

Published

4 years ago

April 13, 2022

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

The U.S. has thoroughly exposed its hypocrisy and double standards on human rights issues by staging farce of politicizing human rights issues year after year while turning a blind eye to the continuous deterioration of its own human rights situation.

On April 12, the U.S. Department of State issued the so-called annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2021. The report filled with lies and prejudice pointed fingers at the human rights situation of nearly 200 countries and regions around the world, and, just like its predecessors released in previous years did, discredited and smeared China on issues including those related to northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and southwest China’s Tibet autonomous region.

A U.S. politician recently claimed that there has been “an alarming recession of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights in many parts of the world.” As a matter of fact, it is the U.S. that should reflect on the recession of its democracy and human rights situation more than any other country.

The January 2021 Capitol Hill attack has revealed to the world the reality of American democracy disorder.

A national public opinion poll of America’s 18- to 29-year-olds showed that 52 percent of the respondents believed that the American democracy was “in trouble” or “failing,” and only 7 percent of the surveyed young Americans viewed the U.S. as a “healthy democracy”, according to an article published on the website of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School on Dec. 1, 2021.

“While President Biden is hosting a global democracy summit, our own democracy right here is falling apart,” an article in USA Today quoted Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a voting rights group, as saying.

“The United States must first lead by example and address its own failings,” the article said.

U.S. President Joe Biden should be “entirely honest about the grave problems in his own country’s democracy”, according to an article published in American magazine The National Interest, which stressed that “democratic standards should apply to everyone, and are not just a vocabulary that the powerful use to lecture the weak.”

While repeatedly hyping up lies including the false allegations of the so-called “genocide” and “forced labor” in Xinjiang, politicians in the U.S. chose to forget their country’s disgraceful records in history as well as at present, including the slaughter of Indians, forced labor, and appalling prisoner abuse at black sites set up by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) all over the world.

The U.S. has a long and dark history of violating the rights of indigenous people, including Indians, who have experienced bloody massacres, brutal expulsions and cultural genocide.

Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the actions of the U.S. constitute genocide, pointed out The Washington Post.

The U.S. has been faced with serious problems of human trafficking and forced labor. In the past five years, up to 100,000 people have been trafficked into the U.S. for forced labor annually.

The reality is slavery never ended in America, said an article published on the website of Richmond Times-Dispatch, the major daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia.

The U.S. has set up black sites in at least 54 countries and regions around the world under the pretext of “War on Terror”, and secretly put the alleged terrorist suspects under arbitrary detention and extorted confessions by torture. About 100,000 people have been detained, and the detainees include Muslims, females and children. These black sites are ironclad evidence of America’s willful trampling on the rule of law and violation of human rights.

The U.S. should really make efforts to alleviate its deteriorating human rights situation, instead of making indiscreet remarks on the human rights situation of other countries.

Over the past more than two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has reported a cumulative total of more than 80 million confirmed cases and nearly one million deaths from the virus, while the average life expectancy in the country fell by 1.13 years, becoming the world’s No. 1 anti-pandemic failure.

The combined assets of the richest one percent of Americans were nearly 16 times that of the poorest 50 percent, and the gap between rich and poor has been aggravated, according to the Report on the Economic Well-Being of the U.S. Households in 2020 released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the U.S.

The “virus” of deeply-entrenched racism in the U.S. has been spreading along with the novel coronavirus, with racial economic divide increasingly widening and racial inequality continuously growing.

Gun violence has been on the rise in the U.S. At least 10,362 people were killed by gun violence in the U.S. in the first three months of 2022, and an average of more than 115 people in the country lose their lives to gun violence every day.

In March 2021, during the review of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of the U.S. by the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, many countries pointed out that the human rights situation in the U.S. was terrible and urged the country to immediately stop human rights violations in all forms and take practical measures to avoid further deterioration of human rights situation.

By politicizing and weaponizing human rights issues, the U.S. has wantonly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries and maintained its hegemony under the pretext of human rights.

In recent years, the rise in China’s comprehensive national strength has given some politicians in the U.S. the “anxiety disorder”. Sticking to the Cold War mentality, these politicians have racked their brains to play zero-sum games and use democracy and human rights as tools to smear China and whitewash their own hegemonic acts.

The so-called human rights advocated by the U.S. government are not in the least related to the genuine concept and that the country only takes advantage of the banner of human rights to advance its global strategy, said James Peck, adjunct instructor with New York University in History and East Asia Departments.

Democracy is by no means the prerogative of a few nations, and should not become a tool used by one country to put pressure on other countries and engage in political blackmail.

The U.S. has acted against the trend of history and intensified efforts to promote politicization of human rights issues in a bid to safeguard its hegemonic interests, seriously hindering the sound development of global human rights cause.

The U.S. government should immediately stop fabricating the so-called Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and concentrate its energies on facing up to and improving its own human rights situation.

News

‘Ombugadu Is a Brand, Not a Title’ — PDP Chieftain

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

Our Reporter

By Emmanuel Kuza

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, Abuga Ovie, has described the name Ombugadu as a political brand, saying the popularity and wide acceptance of the name have made David Emmanuel Ombugadu a major force in the state’s political landscape.

Ovie, who stated this in an interview on Tuesday, said what started as opposition from some of Ombugadu’s biological brothers and people he described as fathers and uncles who betrayed him for personal political interests had now assumed a wider dimension, with political parties allegedly joining the battle against him.

According to him, the latest development was an attempt to undermine the political value of the Ombugadu name by presenting another person with the same surname, describing it as an indication of how far some political actors were prepared to go to weaken the PDP governorship candidate.

“Ombugadu is a brand, not a title. The people are not fools. They know their own. You cannot simply bring another person bearing the same name and expect the people to forget the political identity that Ombugadu has built over the years,” he said.

He further alleged that a former governor was working to introduce a political associate who had served as Accountant-General of Nasarawa State into the political equation, with the alleged objective of destabilising the PDP and weakening its chances by ensuring that the party fields a less competitive candidate in 2027.

“The plan, as we understand it, is to destabilise the PDP and make sure the party presents a weak candidate, thereby creating an advantage for the former governor’s preferred candidate. But all those efforts have proved abortive because the national leadership of the PDP stood its ground and refused to lose its best bet for the 2027 governorship election,” Ovie said.

The PDP chieftain said the resolve of the national leadership to retain Ombugadu had demonstrated the confidence the party had in his capacity to win the governorship election, despite what he described as attempts by some political actors to frustrate his ambition.

Ovie urged political parties and their leaders to resolve their internal differences instead of concentrating their efforts on Ombugadu, whom he compared to David in the Bible, saying he remained focused despite betrayal and opposition from those close to him.

“Ombugadu is like David in the Bible. Even when his brothers forsook him, he remained focused. Today, despite the people who have betrayed him, he remains focused and has a blueprint that can rescue Nasarawa State,” he said.

He said political parties should concentrate on presenting their programmes and convincing voters about how they intend to address the challenges confronting the state rather than expending their energy on attempts to stop Ombugadu.

“Political parties should fix their problems instead of wasting their strength fighting Ombugadu. Let everybody bring their blueprint before the people and explain what they intend to do for Nasarawa State,” he said.

Ovie maintained that the 2027 election should be about ideas, competence and the future of Nasarawa State, rather than attempts to manipulate political structures or undermine individuals perceived to enjoy strong grassroots support.

He urged the people of the state, particularly the Eggon community, to remain politically vigilant and resist what he described as efforts to make them settle for less, insisting that voters would ultimately determine who enjoys their confidence at the polls.
Reduce repeated references to Ombugadu

News

200 widows benefit from empowerment outreach in Plateau

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Israel Adamu, Jos

Two hundred widows from communities across Langtang North Central State Constituency of Plateau State have benefited from an empowerment outreach organised by Gimbiya Gani Nandir Lar under the Jagoran Talakawa movement.

The outreach, held at Pilgani in Langtang North Local Government Area, was aimed at supporting vulnerable women and drawing attention to the challenges faced by widows, particularly those struggling to provide food, pay school fees and meet other basic needs for their families.

The organiser, Nandir Lar, who is the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for Langtang North Central State Constituency, said the gesture was motivated by compassion and concern for vulnerable members of the society.

She stressed that the outreach was not a political programme but an expression of love and support for humanity.

Nandir Lar said: “The plight of widows may not always make headlines, but their struggles are real, painful and deserving of our collective attention.

“This is simply an expression of compassion and love for humanity. It is not a political programme.

“Our constituency is home to people with diverse needs, including mothers, widows and young people who are seeking opportunities to improve their lives.”

Former Provost of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Amos Chirfat, commended the initiative, saying it had brought smiles to the faces of vulnerable women in the constituency.

Minority Leader of the Langtang North Legislative Council, Dirya Sheni, also commended Nandir Lar for supporting widows and other vulnerable members of the community.

At the end of the outreach, each of the 200 beneficiaries received a 10-kilogramme bag of corn flour, seasoning and N10,000 cash

News

SCUML, REDAN Strengthen Collaboration on Anti -Money Laundering Compliance

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Francis Wilfred

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) have expressed commitment to ensure a full compliance with the Anti Money Laundering/Counter Finance on Terrorism/Counter Proliferation Financing, (AML/CFT/CPF) laws within the Nigeria’s real estate sector.

They made the resolve during a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday, September 10, 2026

The engagement focused on Mutual Evaluation readiness, risk-based supervision, beneficial ownership transparency, customer due diligence, internal controls and stronger collaboration between SCUML and the real estate sector.

Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE 1 Ibinabo Amachree, speaking on behalf of SCUML highlighted the strategic role of real estate operators in protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system, particularly given the sector’s vulnerability to money laundering and other financial crime risks.

Amachree encouraged REDAN members to move beyond registration to ensure that compliance is embedded in their day-to-day operations. He mentioned the areas to include: understanding institutional risks, knowing customers and beneficial owners, identifying politically exposed persons, conducting appropriate sanctions screening, maintaining effective internal controls and meeting applicable reporting obligations

He, therefore, reaffirmed readiness to working closely with REDAN and other stakeholders to improve compliance, build capacity and promote a stronger culture of accountability across the real estate sector

“The message is clear: effective compliance is not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it is about protecting businesses, strengthening the real estate sector and safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system”, she said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of REDAN, Lagos state, Mr Tony Kolawole pledged readiness to partner with SCUML in ensuring compliance with AML/CFT/CPF in the real estate sector to uphold financial integrity.

The engagement also provided an opportunity for REDAN members to share practical regulatory and operational challenges affecting the sector, reinforcing the importance of continuous dialogue between regulators and industry stakeholders.