As the World celebrates the International Human Rights Day the National Human Rights Commission NHRC has called on well meaning Nigerians to donate to the funding of human rights causes.
Addressing stakeholders on Tuesday, 10th of December, 2024 to commemorate the Day, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu SAN, reiterated the need for more funding for the causes of human rights while appealing to Nigerians to take up the challenge.
The 2024 International Human Rights Day commemoration event with the theme:
“Equality – Reducing Inequalities and Advancing Human Rights’’ commenced with an awareness walk led by the Executive Secretary from the Eagles Square, Central Area to the Commission’s headquarters in Maitama.
The event organised in partnership with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), funded by the European Union and implemented by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
Participants carried placards bearing messages, including calls to action such as: ‘‘Stand for equality”, ‘Fight for humanity’’, ‘’Human rights are universal rights”, “Let’s protect them’’, ‘’Human rights knows no boundaries’’, etc.
Speaking to members of the media during the event, the Chief Ojukwu reminded all Nigerians that protecting human rights is a collective responsibility and should not be left for the government alone.
In his words: “We need resources, because all these things cannot be done without resources. The government is trying, but they can do a lot better, they can do a lot more. And also note that it is not only for government to assist in addressing human rights violations.
“Private individuals, companies, can also donate. It doesn’t have to be cash, they can donate equipment. They can donate computers, they can donate laptops, they can donate vehicles. They can donate facilities, tables, chairs, all those kind of things, they all help.
“So we call upon Nigerians to see the addressing rights of Nigerians as a common problem, not only to be left to government.
“There is a Human Rights Fund, nobody has donated one naira to that fund. Why can’t we have a lot of private individuals in this country that can afford to donate M100 million, and it will not mean anything to them.
“And they will be happy that the number of displaced persons, that the number of people begging on the streets, the number of children who cannot go to school, the number of women who are thrown out of their homes, the number of children who are wandering on the streets who have no shelter. All these are, you can see, when you watch the dashboard every month, you see how many children have been abandoned, because the parents can no longer be the responsibilities”.
Speaking further at the event, the Executive Secretary enumerated some of the landmark achievements of the NHRC over the years including the role the commission played in bringing to light the gross human rights abuses perpetuated by the defunct Special Anti robbery squad SARs and the compensation of over N500 million naira ( five- hundred million naira) it got through the Federal government for the victims of SARs abuse.
“it has thoroughly and objectively investigated allegations of gross human rights violations. The reports of the defunct SARS Panel has remained a reference point by human rights defenders given the crucial role the Commission’s report has played in ongoing police reforms .
“It is on record that the panel which submitted its reports to the federal government under the regime of former President Muhammad Buhari, GCFR made far reaching recommendations on how to reform the Police including the establishment of State and Local Government Police.
” Part of the recommendations also included the payment of compensation to victims of police brutality which amounted to about N500 million. We used this opportunity to commend the Federal Government for providing the funds for the payment of the compensation, which has restored citizens confidence in government ability to protect and enforce their their human rights.
“In addition, Nigerian and indeed the international community will not forget in a hurry the landmark report of the NHRC’s Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria (SIIP NORTH – EAST)” Ojukwu enumerated.
While enumerating the roles of various stakeholders and partners in the promotion of human rights including human rights defenders across various spheres, Ojukwu said the commission will continue to rely on the assistance of all partners for the advancement of human rights in Nigeria.
“May I use this medium to thank our partners, the United Nations and it agencies including the OHCHR, UNODC, UNDP, UNICEF, as well as Ford Foundation, the EU and Rule of Law and Anti Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, for your support to the NHRC.
We will continue to rely on your assistance for the advancement of human rights in Nigeria. We are proud to count you as our pillars of support”, said Ojukwu.
Also lending a voice to the promotion of human rights values at the occasion, Chairman, Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman, said commemoration of human rights day should not be confined to one day but celebrated everyday.
She said emphasis must be placed on out-of-school children, stressing that if they are educated, it will eliminate vices in the society.
The event was attended by various stakeholders in the human development space including members of the diplomatic community, media as well as various Non-governmental organizations NGOs.
The highpoint of this year celebration was the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence which commenced in November.
The International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on December 10 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
