The Freedom of Information (FOI) Council, a rights group, on Friday urged the Federal Government to incorporate human rights education and training in secondary schools’ curriculum.
The Executive Director, Mr President Aigbokhan, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, in commemoration of the 2020 Human Rights Day.
The theme of this year’s Human Rights Day is: “Recover Better – Stand up for Human Rights”
Aigbokhan, also urged the government to eliminate discrimination against persons with disability, women and minors and establish a culture of respect for human rights, good governance and rule of law.
He advised that the rights response to COVID-19 should ensure accurate and up-to-date information about the virus, access to services, service disruption and that other aspects of the response to the outbreak be readily made available and accessible to all.
“We have so many laws in Nigeria not only for the protection of fundamental rights but also socio-economic rights.
“There are existing gaps in the prevention of human rights breaches. The preventive cover for human rights is still a mirage.
“We urge the government to always register crimes, including video recording and interrogation, which must be publicly accessible.
“There should be regular visitation and monitoring of places of detension by independent bodies, support for diverse civil society and pluralistic media to eliminate corruption and manage diversity constructively,” he said.
He, however, emphasised the need for rights to good health care, privacy and freedom of thought to be high even in the face of the pandemic.
On security, Aigbokhan advised that appropriate steps should be taken to ensure incidences of human rights breaches by security officials were investigated, punished and victims compensated.
“Government Policing in Nigeria must go hand in hand with human rights impact assessment to forestall breach and provide redress.
“The need for legitimate and accountable security institutions cannot be over emphasised.
“Security officers who commit torture and inhuman treatment on the people must be investigated and prosecuted,” he said. (NAN)
