NHRC Officials March The Street of Abuja To Promote Respect for Human Rights.
… Solicits Support for Human Rights Fund
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday marched on the streets of Abuja, the Nation’s capital, to call attention to the country’s respect for human rights and support for the Human Rights Fund, which has remained unfunded to date.
Leading the road campaign from Eagle Square in Central Area to the National headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission on Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama, are the Chairman and the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman and Dr Tony Ojukwu (respectively).
The road walk, jointly organised by the NHRC and the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), saw the marchers carrying placards with inscriptions to promote the need for respect for Nigerians’ human rights.
The placards’ inscriptions include: “Stand for equality, fight for humanity,” and “Human rights are universal rights. Let’s protect them,” “Human rights know no boundaries,” and “Break the chains of inequality, advance human rights,” among others.
Speaking to journalists after the march, which was an awareness walk to commemorate International Human Rights Day with the theme “Equality—Reducing inequalities and advancing human rights,” the Executive Secretary of NHRC urged Nigerians to donate resources to promote human rights.
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Ojukwu underscored the need for Nigerians to recognize that protecting human rights is a collective responsibility beyond government efforts alone.
He lauded RoLAC for its valuable support, which helped ensure the programme’s success.
He said, “We need resources because all these things cannot be done without resources. The government is trying, but they can do a lot better, a lot more.” Also, note that it is not only for the government to assist in addressing human rights violations.
“Private individuals and companies can also donate. It doesn’t have to be cash. They can donate equipment. They can donate computers, laptops, and vehicles. They can donate facilities, tables, chairs, and all those things; they all help.
“So we call upon Nigerians to see addressing their rights as a common problem, not something to be left to the 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 who 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”.
For her part, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman, said the commemoration of Human Rights Day should not be confined to one day but celebrated every day.
She stressed the importance of out-of-school children and the elimination of vices in society if they are educated.
International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on December 10 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It is the high point of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, which commenced on November 25.
