By Egena Sunday Ode
The Federal Executive Council (FEC), has approval the national action plan for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, disclosed this to newsmen after the weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, yesterday.
Tagged as National Action Plan for 2022 to 2026, Malami said the policy was designed and formulated by critical stakeholders comprising, ministries, departments and agencies.
According to him, the action plan which is meant to be presented to the international human rights community is informed by the need for the country to consolidate on the gains and upscale its provision from a local observance of the protection of human right to international standard by way of ensuring compliance with the best practices.
Speaking glowingly on the human rights records of the government, the Attorney General said the Buhari-led administration had ensured the payment of N130 billion to the victims of Apo six, even though the incident predated the current administration.
He said: “There was a council memo presented by the Office of the Attorney General this afternoon. It was a memo on policy relating to the human rights. It is intended and targeted, at consolidating and upscaling the Nigerian observance of the Human Rights posture in view of what has happened in terms of our successes and achievements of Nigeria, as it relates to the human right.
“As you will recall very well, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has established a record of being the first and only administration in history of Nigeria that has indeed tolerated, accommodated and enforced decisions of the Human Rights Commission.
“And in this respect, talking of the Apo six, taking into consideration, the commission adjudge the government as being in breach of the human rights of certain individuals popularly referred to as Apo six, which unfortunate incidents predates the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“And the Human Rights Commission, adjudged the government liable to pay about N130 million to the family of the victims of the alleged infractions. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari took steps to ensure payment of the N135 million to the Apo Six in compliance with the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, thereby giving teeth to the Human Rights Commission in terms of compliance with the recommendation.
“You are equally aware that the committee for the protection of journalists, which is an international committee had equally adjudged Nigeria, as the only African country last year that has been in full compliance in terms of the protection of the rights of the journalists, taking into consideration that not a single incidence of death of a journalist has been recorded in Nigeria arising from infractions, relating thereto.
“Now with those local and international successes in mind, the need has now arisen for Nigeria to indeed consolidate on the gains and upscale its provision from a local observance of the protection of the human right to international standard by way of ensuring compliance with the best practices. It was in consideration of that background that a national action plan for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria, known as Action Plan 2022 to 2026 was indeed designed, formulated by the stakeholders comprising of ministries, departments and agencies.
“So the essence of the presentation of the council memo today is to deliberate on the action plan, review it and seek approval for its conservation or presentation before the International Human Rights committee for the purpose of establishing the following: that Nigeria is no longer operating at a local scale in terms of the observance and promotion of human rights, but indeed upscaling its international observance to international best practices as far as the human rights, promotion and protection of human rights is concerned.
“I am happy to report that the council deliberated and the council approved the action plan presentation before the International Committee on Human Rights.”
