The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN), on Friday, said the Commission receives more than two million complaints in a year.
Speaking at a media parley in Abuja, the NHRC boss said if each of the complaints is investigated with a sum of N5, 000, it will cost the Commission nothing less than N10 million to investigate the complaints.
Ojukwu said the annual budget of the Commission is N4.5 billion and it is expected to carry out its activities such as rents for its state offices, salaries, investigations of complaints among other responsibilities from the budget.
The NHRC boss decried the low budgetary allocation to the commission, adding that the paltry budget allocation of N4.5 billion yearly is grossly inadequate to meet the mandates of the Commission.
He lamented that most of the state offices occupied by the Commission are on rented structures which may expose it to vagaries of politics and interested landlords.
The Executive Secretary praised the media for its pivotal roles in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country and added that, “Together, we can raise awareness on human rights issues, and spark meaningful conversations that lead to effective positive change”.
He said, the NHRC is committed to its mandate of promoting, protecting, and enforcing human rights in the country, adding that, it will remain committed to the vital role it plays in ensuring that the rights of every individual are respected and protected, regardless of their background, beliefs, or circumstances.
“The Commission is here to serve as a beacon of hope, a refuge for the oppressed, and a watchdog against any encroachment on human rights”, Ojukwu said.
In his speech, the Chairman of the FCT Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Jide Oyekunle, observed that most of the cases of human rights violations are being carried out by the Police.
According to him, “Nigerian Police has become more of an instrument of oppressions and coercion against innocent citizens, and a willing tool in the hands of the rich and few powerful individuals in the society to intimidate and victimize the common man or perceived opponent.
“The lack of trust and confidence in the police by the Nigerian citizens continues to exist irrespective of the hypocritical posters and television advertisements by the police authorities to create a positive image for the force”, he said and added that despite the success recorded politically, Nigerians keep receiving human right violations in the hand of security agencies, without any of the perpetrators been punished.
Oyekunle said the issue of human rights violations in Nigeria has become a hydra-headed monster which we must all join hands to kill before we all become the next victim.
. TheWitness
