The chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Hussaina Sulieman said that respect for human rights and equality of all people are key to prevention of conflicts and crises.
Dr.Sulieman stated this at the weekend in a event to mark the 2021 International Human Rights Day, themed, “equality-reducing inequality, advancing human rights,” held in Abuja.
She said that “tackling the root cause of conflict involves making deliberate efforts to address grievances, eliminate inequality and exclusion.”
Human in what ever positions held should to apply the principle of equality and non discrimination for the benefits of human dignity.
She also stressed the importance of other key principles of human rights like “participation and freedom of speech.”
In her remark the minister of women affairs and social Development, Mrs Pauline Tallen said the federal government has launched an action plans to curb incidences of female genital mutilation in the country.
The minister of women Affairs, noted that female mutilation was currently one of the greatest human rights violations against women in the world.
She stressed further that all forms of abuse against women destroys the family and the home and the core existence of humanity.
Mrs. Tallen further disclosed that currently 28 States in the country have domesticated the child act rights but mere domestication was not enough they should go further to implement the acts.
While other stakeholders in rights advocacy all call safeguard of rights and equity of human beings as a panacea for peace.
Also speaking, the executive secretary of the NHRC, Anthony Ojukwu emphasized the need for safeguarding the rights and dignity of all human beings for peaceful coexistence.
A lecture delivered at the event, former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of international Affairs , Prof Bola Akinterinwa noted that the leadership selection process in Nigeria was fraught with fraud and irregularities such that the rights of citizens cannot be guaranteed by those brought on board by the process .
In his lecture titled, “Promotion and protection of human right in the post covid 19 era: challenges of international operation and reactive attitudinal disposition,” He asserted that Human right is about fairness, justice and equity.
He also called for refocusing and strategizing of the NHRC for better performance, stressing the commission should focus more on how to prevent abuses than being reactive.
According to the professor, all states only respect human rights when its convenient to the state. He said that in places like Nigeria there was nothing like human rights when the government lies to its people