industries and provision of social facilities in minority communities should be taken as priority by
governments of all states.
Anti‐minorities policies such as quota system, federal character and zoning system, where in
practice, should be jettisoned for more minorities‐friendly inclusive policies focusing on equal
opportunity employment and economic benefits for all irrespective of ethnic, religious, sex or other
status.
While intense campaign should be mounted on the minorities’ rights by all stakeholders, the Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the area of socio‐economic rights should mainstream
minorities’ rights into their plans and programmes. With the support of the office of the UN High
Commissioner of Human Rights, CSOs coalitions or networks on the minority rights should be formed
in each state so as to serve as the watchdogs and advocates for the rights of the minorities.
As a result of incessant economic activities of some extractive industries, for example, there are
horrendous environmental degradations, pollution, demise of aquatic culture, and palpable
underdevelopment in most of the indigenous minorities’ settlements throughout the world. It has
often being said that governments alone cannot bring development to a country, and the need for
all stakeholders to help is of paramount importance. The adoption of public private partnership
(PPP) strategy in development is necessary to make minorities have the sense of an integral part of
the society that they belong to. The private businesses and conglomerates including financial
institutions and extractive industries should be mandated in each state to abide by the spirit of
corporate social responsibility (CSR) in ploughing back to the society part of what they have gained.
It is also important for such companies to reflect local content in their employment policies by giving
a considerable percentage to the indigenous minorities as their workers where they are operating
their businesses.
Thank you.
D. Tola Winjobi (Ph.D)
National Coordinator Open Forum,
Principal Coordinator, CAFSO‐WRAG for Development
Fmr. National Coordinator, GCAP/MDGs Nigeria
tolawinjobi58@yahoo.com
+2348030618326, +2348082008222
tolawinjobi58@yahoo.com
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