By Saminu Ibrahim
The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have pledged their commitment to strengthen the existing relationship between the two organizations in the area of human rights education and promotion in Nigeria.
The Director-General of NTA Mallam Yakubu Ibn Muhammed who played host to a delegation led by the Executive Secretary of NHRC on a courtesy visit to NTA, expressed delight at the visit saying his organization and NHRC have an age-long relationship in advancing the course of human rights in Nigeria.
The DG said the world has become one large theatre of war where criminality, insurgency, and other forms of human rights violations occur, when this happens, “human rights is the first casualty in the face of the barbaric acts” he added.
Mallam Muhammed noted that wars and conflicts are as old as mankind “We cannot stop the war, conflict, and insurgency but we have to ensure that people’s rights are protected, and for you to protect other people’s rights, you have to know and understand that your right stops where the other person’s rights begin” he said.
He called on the Commission to strike a balance between human rights and criminality saying “there are fraudulent people who fall back on human rights to perpetrate crimes”.
While pledging his determination to support the Commission, the DG who appreciated the daunting task of the NHRC in dealing with cases of prolonged detentions, arbitrary arrests, police brutality and other forms of violations by law enforcement agencies said the rights of every Nigerian must be protected in line with the mandate of the Commission.
Earlier in his remark, the Executive Secretary of the Commission Tony Ojukwu Esq. said there is an urgent need to partner with NTA to take the message of human rights to the doorsteps of every Nigerian adding that the Commission cannot do this without the media.
He said the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria is every body’s responsibility and that the media industry plays a pivotal role in accomplishing the task.
According to the human rights boss, the Commission receives over a million complaints of human rights violations yearly, “there is need for more to be done to enlighten Nigerians on the effect of human rights violations” he said, adding that NTA is well position to do so, due to it wide coverage.
Ojukwu who solicited the support of NTA in coming up with human rights programmes said “nations are judged by their human rights records and display of political will at accountability for violations”.
He therefore called on NTA to use its platform to educate the public as the knowledge of human rights can result in a drastic reduction of cases of human rights violations in the country.
