By Saminu Ibrahim
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu Esq. has revealed how the commission’s App assisted to monitor Human Rights violations during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across Nigeria.
According to the NHRC boss, the App was able to curb the excesses of the security agencies against torture and other punishment in the country.
Ojukwu spoke on Tuesday, when a civil society group, Prisoner’s Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) in collaboration with Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA) presented COVID-19 items to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja.
Acccording to him, NHRC has been at the fore front of ensuring that Nigerians Rights are protected during the COVID-19 period.
“You realize that at the inception of the regulation for COVID-19, the commission identified that it was possible that rights of Nigerians would be affected.
“So NHRC swung into action and set up virtual monitoring mechanism, so that the right of Nigerians would be monitored, in that we are also supported by OSIWA and the Swiss embassy to set up monitoring App, with which we monitored all Human Rights violations in this country”.
The NHRC Executive Secretary noted that the report of that monitoring exercise changed the landscape for the protection of human rights during the COVID-19 excersise.
“You will recall we immediate flagged the tendency of the law enforcement agencies to be very overbearing in the enforcement of the COVID-19 regulations.
“We came out with the level of extra-judicial executions, extortions and torture. And immediately that publication of the commission came out, it changed automatically the way law enforcement agents enforce the regulations.
“And we are happy and proud to say that, that particular intervention seriously ameliorated the implementation of the regulation on COVID-19. And since that event, you will all agree with me that the way the law enforcement agents have approached the enforcement of COVID-19 has become more human and respectful of human rights” he said.
He maintained that what PRAWA and OSIWA are doing today, “we see it as recognition of the role the commission itself has played in making sure this pandemic is contained.
“That this pandemic does not keep us away of our work. Because the kind of work we do, we must do it whether there is COVID-19 or not even when others has shut their doors, the doors of Human Rights commission must remain open”.
Ojukwu observed that “Human Rights is central to our living as a people, Human Rights central to good governance and I urge all of us to mainstream human rights into our ways of operation”.
“I believe with the example being laid by PRAWA today and OSIWA, I hope other agencies of government, other civil society groups and other developing partners will also help us to fulfill our mandate by mainstreaming human rights into the ways NHRC works”.
Earlier, the Executive Director of PRAWA, Dr. Uju Agomoh said the NHRC has always open its doors to the them, saying the presentation of the COVID-19 items by PRAWA demonstate the importance of NHRC to Nigerians.
Agomoh, represented by Deputy Director of PRAWA, Mrs. Ogechi Ogu said the choice of NHRC followed the commission’s mandate under the leadership of Tony Ojukwu.
“With the coming of COVID-19, we started asking for support for our own people and our thought came to NHRC”.
Presenting the items, Ogu noted that it was a collaboration between PRAWA and OSIWA added “We thought NHRC should be the first”.
“You cover the 774, therefore you need to be protected.
“We are aware that you have good staff and brought 900 face mask for our staff, 150 sanitizers.
“Each day we hear of violence and is about human life”.
She lauded the Executive Secretary of NHRC, even as he appreciated their donor OSIWA.
