National Confused Human Rights Commission?

By Eze Eluchie

In a country where:

i. over 90% of the  prison population  is comprised of persons awaiting trial (not convicts), several of whom have spent over a decade in this most unfortunate situation;

ii. where several episodes of mass executions (such as the Ezu River massacres and the 'Apo-6' killings and countless others), have remained un-addressed;

iii. where State authorities, and at times individuals associated with 'power', routinely seize and or destroy private properties of the citizenry with impunity without any efforts or attempts at compensating the victims; and numerous extreme human right issues,

It is astonishing to observe the Human Right Commission seemingly obsessed, ready to close shop and devote its entire resources and staff, inclusive of its Chairman and Executive Secretary, towards what is ostensibly inquiry into matrimonial and domestic relationship of a couple, revolving on care for a medically challenged spouse and into political melodramas, correspondences and publicity stunts.

In other countries where the populations had suffered human right abuses and deprivations similar to what we have and are experiencing in Nigeria, such as Chile, El Salvador, and Cambodia, the interventions of their respective Human Right Commissions have  led to life changing, far reaching positive changes in human right environment, inclusive of bringing perpetrators of mass atrocities to justice and ensuring closure for their populations - ours seem to revel in politically influenced soap-opera's.

From the moment when the Board of the Human Right Commission gave, as its excuse for a lengthy period of inactivity, the fact that they had not been 'officially inaugurated', to the despicable and treasonable 'interim report' (they have never bothered to work on or issue any other report on the issue ever since) in which they sought to lampoon our heroic military forces for their routing of terrorists elements in Baga, Bornu State, I knew Nigeria had terribly been short-changed with the composition of the leadership of its Human Rights Commission.

How did we get to this sorry state we find ourselves in most sectors of human endeavor?

How is it that State agencies which ordinarily serve the needs of populations in other lands fail our people?

Is the fault is our stars or are we merely putting our worst foots forward?

Nigeria deserves a responsible and proactive Human Right Commission!

media report on HRC's overzealous response to a domestic issue:  
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/149342-compromise-enugu-governors-wife-human-rights-commission-says.html

Picture: Logo of National Human Rights Commission