By Raphael Ekpang
The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu Esq has urged Nigerians not to relent in their efforts to fight for their rights, saying that anyone whose rights has been violated has the right to challenge the violation of such rights.
Ojuckwu made this known on Thursday while leading other stakeholders for an International Human Rights Day Awareness walk in Abuja in commemoration of the international human rights day with the theme; ‘Recover Better, Stand Up for Human Rights’.
He said the world could be a better place if there will be equal rights for everybody.
According to him, during the military era, challenging of human rights violation was a difficult task but under the democratic dispensation, a lot of persons are challenging the violation of their rights.
“We can now challenge the violation of our rights now because we are no longer in the military era where no one could boldly challenge the violation of his or her rights. We can see this in the EndSARS Independent Investigative Panel set up to try cases of police brutality in Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet in a message said, this year human rights day falls at a time the world would never forget, saying that COVID-19 took the world by storm.
Bachelet noted that COVID-19 is a tragedy followed by an extraordinary opportunity to recover better.
Bachelet however, said there is need to end discrimination of any kind, stressing that the world must reduce widespread inequalities while saying that universal social protection, health coverage and other system for delivery of fundamental rights are not luxuries, rather they keep societies standing and can shape a more equitable future. He added that all voices have a right to be heard.
