By Abubakar Yunusa
The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) has called on the Nigerian government to return to the path of respect for human rights and the rule of law in order to preserve its democracy.
PLAC stated this in it’s 2023 human right report released recently.
The report issued by the Executive Director of PLAC, Clement Nwankwo, said practices that impinge on personal freedoms need to be expunged.
“For years, police abuse of human rights has remained a challenge in the country. The government will need to implement Police reform in order to bring the Police and other security agencies into conformity with international and national laws and best practices that emphasise respect for human rights.
“There is also an urgent need for the government to respond to the worsening insecurity in the country and improve the nation’s security environment. Special reforms need to be introduced to strengthen the ability of security forces to fulfil their responsibility of securing citizens and the nation. It will also be important to hold security officials to account for abuse of human rights and of their positions.
“Again, government institutions need to be made more accountable and responsible, obeying established laws that safeguard human rights and civic space. Provisions of the law, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), which impose undue burden on non-governmental organisations and affect their ability to operate freely, need to be reviewed,” PLAC said adding that there is also an important need to ensure that regulatory agencies supposedly responsible for the media in the country are reined in, away from their arrogant and arbitrary use of regulatory powers to infringe on the right to free press and of expression.
“Citizens’ trust in the Judiciary needs to be reinstated and measures taken to ensure that the Nigerian Judiciary is able to operate without political influence and interference. It is also important to ensure that judicial officers who abuse their office or use the same for pecuniary gains are held to account.
“Nigeria’s electoral process and institutions responsible for election management need urgent reform. The 2023 elections in the country show declining confidence in the election system. Citizens’ confidence in the electoral process needs to return. This can only happen if the process of nominating and appointing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is made to be truly independent, excluding partisan political interests and representation in the Commission.
“Nigeria’s economic and social conditions are worsening owing to poorly implemented reform measures. While the removal of fuel subsidy and flotation of the country’s currency may appear to be desirable and bold measures to revamp the economy, these need to be well managed to give the desired results. The government will need to introduce measures to counter the current huge level of unemployment and failing businesses, rising inflation and worsening living conditions of citizens. In popular Nigerian parlance, the delivery of ‘democracy dividends’ is imperative for citizens to continue to have faith in Nigeria’s democratic process,” PLAC added.
