Connect with us

News

NHRC, stakeholders brainstorm over Nigeria’s human rights interventions, challenges in the past four years and way forward  

Published

on

Please Kindly Share This Story

Stakeholders on human rights issues Wednesday converged on Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city to brainstorm on interventions and gains recorded by the country on rights of the people as well as challenges facing the full realization of expected goals.

At the gathering, organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the participants were challenged to take critical look at the alternative report with a view to making inputs as well as to address areas that may not have been captured.

According to Chief Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Executive Secretary of NHRC, the gathering was a validation meeting which seeks to produce an alternative report to the one the Commission had already prepared in order to have a comprehensive document that would be submitted to the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (UNRRC) in connection with the 4th Circle Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Chief Ojukwu, who holds the national honour of Order of the Federal Republic, OFR, therefore urged participants to feel free to look at issues around the areas earmarked for discussion and make their inputs in order    to have a robust document on interventions and gains on human rights issues as well as challenges and the way forward,

He said that the review covers both the past four years and the next four years.

He said- “As you are aware, the UPR mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council is a process that reviews the human rights records of all UN member states. The state-driven process under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council provides opportunity for Nigeria to declare actions she has taken to fulfill her human rights obligations to improve the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

“Nigeria’s active participation in the 4th review circle will provide the federal government the opportunity to re-asses its constitutional obligations to, on a regular basis, guaranty the welfare and security of the citizenry. This will task government and relevant stakeholders to address root causes of inequalities, conflicts and other structural gaps in the country.”

Ojukwu who was represented at the preliminary stage of the meeting by the Director, Civil and Political Rights, NHRC, A. A Yakubu, told the gathering that the report will provide Nigeria with an agenda for Nigeria to identify its human rights priorities and accelerate the implementation if the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and national development plans.

He said- “The trajectory towards the 4th Circle has achieved significant milestone considering Nigeria’s active participation since the inception of the UPR process in 2008. At inception, Nigeria expressed assurances as encapsulated in her statement of commitment to submit herself to the UPR mechanism and corporate fully with the Human Rights Council, non-members as well as regional organisations and civil societies, make the Human Rights Council a credible, strong, fair and effective UN Human Rights body.”

According to the Chief Human Rights Officer in Nigeria, the validation meeting, seeks to take a critical look at the alternative report, to ensure its accuracy and relevance towards addressing realities in the country, adding that- “We should scrutinize its content, identify any gaps or areas of concern, and collectively ensure that it represents all the steps that Nigeria has taken to fulfill her international human rights obligations as well as challenges faced by the country.”

While responding to questions by Nationwide Reports, the Director, Civil and Political Rights, NHRC, A. A Yakubu, acknowledged that the Commission ought to have shared the report with stakeholders days before the meeting to enable them study it properly before the day in order to make well informed inputs. He however said that the stakeholders were present at all the meetings preparatory to writing the report and were well abreast with the issues being discussed.

Among agencies and non-governmental organizations represented at the meeting include the Federal Ministries of justice, Interior and Women Affairs. Also represented are Legal Aid Council, NEMA, NAPTIP, Albino Foundation and many others.

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Turaki-led PDP wins as Court of Appeal affirms Wole Oluyede as duly nominated candidate for Ekiti

Published

on

Please Kindly Share This Story

Dr. Wole Oluyede has been affirmed as the duly nominated candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the Ekiti State governorship election.

The Court of Appeal, Akure Division, made the affirmation in a landmark judgment, thereby giving validity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election for the same.

In a unanimous decision, the three-man appellate panel led by Hon. Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah, alongside Hon. Justice Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Hon. Justice Peter O. Affen, set aside the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti.

The justices held that the primary election conducted by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) was valid, transparent, and complied with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

On the 13th of January, 2026, the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti nullified the Ekiti State Governorship primary election conducted on the 8th and 9th November, 2025.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the Party appealed to the Court of Appeal and today, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court..

The Court further held that the primary election was duly conducted.

This judgment effectively puts to rest the leadership and candidacy disputes that have shadowed the party’s preparations for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election. By upholding the Turaki-led process, the Court has provided the necessary legal finality to ensure the PDP enters the general election as a unified front.

Continue Reading

News

India slaps Nigeria, rejects Tinubu’s ambassador-designate

Published

on

Please Kindly Share This Story

India and some other countries have reportedly  declined to accept some of President Bola Tinubu’s recently posted ambassadors-designate due to diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from administrations with less than two years remaining in office.

According to reports in the media, India, where career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru has been designated to serve, maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from governments with tenures of less than two years remaining.

India is exercising its discretionary powers to turn down the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ request to accept Dahiru’s posting.

According to sources quoted by the report, the Federal Government was already receiving signals from New Delhi and possibly other capitals about their reluctance to grant agrément.

Agrément is the formal approval given by a receiving country to accept a diplomat designated by the sending country, and it is a prerequisite before an ambassador can assume duty.

“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are giving us that body language already,” a Presidency official was quoted to have said

The source continued, “Some countries are reluctant to accept some people, not because of the individuals but because of time. They are already seeing the Tinubu government as an outgoing government.

“So their concern is that he has just one year left, so what if he doesn’t win the election? Another government may come and remove them. We also understand that some countries have this policy. Any ambassador from an administration that has less than a year or two in office will not get accepted. And one of such countries is India.”

 

Continue Reading

News

Belonging to two political parties to attract imprisonment

Published

on

Please Kindly Share This Story

The House of Representatives on Wednesday amended Section 77 of the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 to prescribe two-year jail term or N10 million fines or both, for anyone who knowingly maintains membership of two political parties at the same time.

Lawmakers during the committee of the whole presided by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made amendment to section 77 of the 2026 Act by inserting three new clauses 8, 9 and 10 which were considered and approved by lawmakers after a heated session of back and forth debates.

According to the new clauses approved by lawmakers, any party member found to be registered as member of more than one political party at the same time will have his or membership of the said parties voided.

Clause (8) of the approved amendment stipulates that “A person shall not be registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time.”

Clause (9) stipulates that “Where it is established that a person is registered as a member of more than one political at the same time, such dual membership shall be void, and the person shall cease to be recognised as a valid member of any political party pending regularisation in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the constitution of the political party concerned.

Clause (10) stipulates that “A person who knowingly registers or maintains membership in more than one political party at the same time commits an offence is liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term of two years, or both.”

 

 

 

Continue Reading

Trending