Enhanced mandate embolden NHRC - Prof Angwe
Prof. Bem Angwe, a Professor of Law, is the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC). He speaks about the commission’s achievements and sundry issues. Excerpts:
How do you see human rights awareness of Nigerians?
The National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC) has just launched a national awareness campaign to sensitise Nigerians in all the 774 local government areas across the 36 states of the federation.
The rights of Nigerians require institutional strengthening of the commission. While the revised law of the commission has strengthened and positioned it to achieve its mandate, the enhanced mandate and its attendant visibility has equally increased the complaint profile and other requests on the commission to discharge its responsibilities to Nigeria.
What is your take on the enforcement of the rights of awaiting trial inmates?
The commission, under its Public Interest Litigation Programme and in partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association has assigned over 1,000 cases to legal practitioners to file class action suits for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of awaiting trial inmates in Nigerian prisons on pro bono bases in various courts across the country.
The programme has so far yielded desired results as many courts across the country released many of the awaiting trial inmates and awarded damages in their favour.
How do you monitor human rights in conflict situation?
Since the emergence and escalation of insurgency and terrorist acts across the country, particularly in the northeastern part of Nigeria, NHRC has continued to intervene through special monitoring of human rights situation in the North East and parts of North West and North Central parts of the country. To this end, the commission in collaboration with relevant stakeholders such UNDP and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR), trained and deployed 310 protection monitors in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue states as well as the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The focus of this exercise is on the humanitarian needs of the population of concern in the affected states.
The commission trained and deployed 60 human rights monitors to the states ravaged by insurgency, i.e. Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
Kindly give us a brief history of the NHRC?
The NHRC is Nigeria’s national institution established in 1995 (under Decree No. 22 of 1995, now an Act of the National Assembly pursuant to S. 318(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended) in furtherance of Nigeria’s constitutional, treaty and diplomatic obligations for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in Nigeria.
Specifically, the commission was established by the federal government as a direct response to the resolution of the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, in 1993 which called on member states of the UN to establish and strengthen national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights having regard to the “Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions” otherwise referred to as ‘Paris Principles’.
At inception, the commission did not have enforcement powers and the provisions of the Act were not in full compliance with the Paris Principles guiding the operations of national human rights institutions worldwide. Despite this, the commission has progressively exercised its mandate by serving as a strong institutional bridge between the people, the civil society and the government at all levels. The commission is also providing institutional linkages, quality representation and valued participation at various international engagements for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The commission, in its first decade and half, set out to build and sustain its vision of an institution dedicated and determined to earn public trust and legitimacy; a strong national platform for the effective promotion and protection of human rights of all persons in Nigeria; to be respected as a credible voice on human rights in national and international arena, as well as to serve as an authoritative channel for human rights information and records. However, its operations were severely undermined by lack of full independence, poor funding and limited technical capacity.