In its quest to continue promoting and enjoying human rights in the country, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has scheduled December 10, 2021, for the third edition of the Annual National Human Rights awards.
Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN) said the essence of the annual national human rights awards was to recognize and encourage government institutions and civil society organizations as well as private individuals who have over the year work in promoting and protecting human rights in the country.
Ojukwu said, “These awards are in the realization of the fact that the human rights situation in the country despite these daunting challenges can maintain a steady improvement if individuals and organizations are encouraged to do more by appreciating their efforts in advancing the course of human rights in Nigeria.
“The commission, therefore, deems it very crucial to encourage federal government agencies, state governments and Civil Society Organisations to continue to advance the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria in order to have a better and egalitarian society void of all forms of human rights violation and a people imbued with the culture of respect for democratic norms and social justice.
However, Ojukwu said the commission has dedicated a special web domain www.nhrcawards.ng for public voting, which he said was a demonstration of the commission’s commitment to public participation and transparency in the whole exercise.
He explained that the awards will be in three categories; the federal government, state governments and the civil society organizations
“The indicators for selecting deserving MDAs for the award include, the impact of the enjoyment of human rights in Nigeria, the level of compliance to court judgment among others.
“For civil society organisations, there will be selected for their impact in improving the understanding and respect for human rights in Nigeria among others,” he said.
