The year put Nigeria’s commitment to democratic values respect for human rights, the rule of law, and press freedom to test. With growing economic pressures resulting from high inflation and widespread hardships that characterized 2024 for millions of Nigerians, the country’s commitment to democratic values –respect for human rights, the rule of law, and press freedom — faced significant challenges.
These pressures tested Nigeria’s governance and shaped perceptions about the nation’s commitment to human rights and other democratic values.
Data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nigeria’s foremost human rights body, revealed a concerning rise in complaints of gross human rights violations, often perpetrated by state forces tasked with protecting citizens.
In his address during the NHRC’s International Human Rights Day event in December, the commission’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, stated that this increase in rights violations by state actors shows that many people “have woken up to know their rights and to demand remedies for violations.” This may be true, but it also suggests that many cases might have gone unreported.
Source: allafrica.com
