Friday, December 10, 2021, was a night to behold indeed as the human rights commission recognised governor, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his counterpart in Borno State, prof.Babagana Zulum who emerged top as the best performing governors in the area of improving the livelihoods of citizens and providing the enabling climate for protection of their human rights in the northern and southern regions of Nigeria respectively
The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib led his management staff to received the award as his agancy was voted as the best human rights compliant government agency of the year. NPHDA had work tremendously to impact in the lives of Nigerians in protection and enhancement of citizens human rights.
No wonders, voters across the country gave the agency overwhelming votes to emerged as the MDA of the year.
Women Advocacy Research and Documentation Center (WARDC) painted the venue of the dinner night with colour as they troop in their numbers to receive the award as the best Civil Society Organization in promoting and advancing human rights in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu (SAN) while commenting the human rights award recipients said it also served for commemoration of the 2021 International Human Rights Day celebrations.
According to him, “The objective of the award was to among other things, encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in all spheres of life, as nations are judged today by their human rights records.
“I therefore, call on Nigerians to play a role in building a culture of respect for human rights in order to have an egalitarian society because human right is justice and justice is peace,” Ojukwu added.
The runners-up: Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Action Aid Nigeria, Global Rights Nigeria, Project Alert on Violence against Women were also dully recognised.
Earlier the governor of Kogi State, Gov. Yahaya Bello enjoined Nigerians to leverage on the competent leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari who has given the commission the free hand to drive the process of Nigeria becoming a complete human rights compliant nation and work towards attaining it as enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and the 1948 United Nations declaration on human rights.
Gov. Yahaya Bello who was represented by his chief of staff, Abdulkareem Asuku said Kogi state has acted in line with the theme of the human rights celebration by focusing on the well-being of girl child in the State, the reason he said women are occupying several key positions in his government.
