Human Rights Committee reviews the situation of Civil and Political Rights in Nigeria.
M2 PRESSWIRE-July 5, 2019-: Human Rights Committee reviews the situation of Civil and Political Rights in Nigeria
(C)1994-2019 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:05072019
GENEVA, Switzerland -- The Human Rights Committee concluded today its review of the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Nigeria.
In his opening remarks, Audu Ayinla Kadiri, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations Office at Geneva,said the composition of the Nigerian delegation was a testimony to its commitment to the implementation of the Covenant. He apologized for Nigeria's inability to submit its second periodic report. Nigeria had implemented many initiatives to improve the effectiveness, accessibility, accountability, transparency and fairness of the justice system, such as the development of justice sector reform action plans and the establishment of judicial research and training centres. The Nigerian Government was firmly committed to promote and protect the human rights of Nigerians. While much had been done in this regard, across a broad range of fields, the Government acknowledged that challenges remained.
Committee Experts thanked the delegation for their presence and stressed that the purpose was to find common ground so that the Committee may formulate recommendations aiming to help the Government to move forward. They pointed out that corruption remained rampant and that implementation of the legislation was weak. They also asked the delegation to comment on recent events, notably the killing of people in Biafra region and the killing of 350 people in Zaria, in Kaduna province. Experts asked if there was a law that prohibited discrimination that would cover direct and intersected forms of discrimination. Was the Government considering repealing article 214 of the criminal code which criminalized sexual acts between persons of the same sex? What measures were in place to address the discriminatory effects of legislation on polygamy and repudiation?
Mr. Kadiri, in concluding remarks, said that the dialogue had been interesting and illuminating and the delegation had done its best to answer the Experts' questions. "All is well that ends well," he said, stressing that the delegation and the Committee shared a common purpose. The delegation looked forward to cooperating further with the Committee.
Ahmed Amin Fathalla, Committee Chair, in his concluding remarks, thanked the delegation. He recalled that parties to international legal instruments had to abide by their obligations. It had been a fruitful debate, he stated.
The delegation of Nigeria consisted of representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Department of State Services, the Federal Ministry of Women's Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Documents relating to the Committee's work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on thesession's webpage.
The webcast of the Committee's public meetings can be accessed athttp://webtv.un.org/.
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. today, 4 July, to consider the second periodic report of Mauritania (CCPR/C/MRT/2).
Document
The Committee has before it the replies of Nigeria to the Committee's list of issues. (CCPR/C/NGA/Q/2/Add.1)
Presentation by Nigeria
AUDU AYINLA KADIRI, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the composition of the Nigerian delegation was a testimony to its commitment to the implementation of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights. He apologized for Nigeria's inability to submit its second periodic report, adding that the responses provided by Nigeria did not answer all the questions raised in the list of issues and questions. The Government of Nigeria had constituted a national working group on treaty reporting with a view to ensure timely preparation of reports to treaty bodies. He assured that Nigeria's subsequent reports on the implementation of the Covenant would be regular, in line with the provisions of article 40 of the Covenant.
The Constitution of Nigeria guaranteed access to justice for everyone, and provided for pro bono legal assistance to indigent persons in the enforcement of their fundamental rights. The law provided access to justice for women who were victims of violence. Nigeria had implemented many initiatives to improve the effectiveness, accessibility, accountability, transparency and fairness of the justice system, such as the development of justice sector reform action plans and the establishment of judicial research and training centres. Several measures and initiatives had been adopted to strengthen civil and military cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, such as the appointment of a Human Rights Adviser in the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of a Human Rights Desk in the Army Headquarters and Divisions of the Nigerian Army. A human rights curriculum had been introduced in the training institutions of the various armed forces, the Nigerian Police Force and other law enforcement agencies. This aimed to inculcate in the trainees universal human rights values.
Mr. Kadiri stressed that the Nigerian Government was firmly committed to promote and protect the human rights of Nigerians. While much had been done in this regard, across a broad range of fields, the Government acknowledged that challenges remained.
Questions by the Committee Experts
Committee Experts thanked the delegation for its presence and emphasized that the purpose of this dialogue was to find common ground. The Committee sought to formulate...
To continue reading
Request your trial