The role of non-governmental organization in the promotion and protection of human rights in nigeria

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p><strong>G</strong><strong>ENERAL</strong>&nbsp;<strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>Background</strong>&nbsp;<strong>to</strong>&nbsp;<strong>the</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Study</strong></p><p>This work examines the role of Non-Governmental Organisation in the promotion and</p><p>protection of Human Rights in Nigeria. The importance attached to the concept of human rights</p><p>has assumed phenomenal dimension since the Second World War when it became clear that</p><p>universal respect for human rights is<em>Condicio</em>&nbsp;<em>sine</em>&nbsp;<em>qua</em>&nbsp;<em>non</em>&nbsp;for world peace and process. At the</p><p>local level, the malevolent dictatorship of military juntas sensitized Nigerians to their human</p><p>rights and the need to defend them. This era of military dictatorship also witnessed an upsurge in</p><p>the emergence of non-governmental human rights organization across the country particularly in</p><p>the South.</p><p>The expression “human rights” in its widest connotation embraces those civil, political,</p><p>economic, social, cultural, group, solidarity, and developmental rights which are considered</p><p>indispensable to a meaningful human existence. “Right”, here is used in composite sense and not</p><p>in the strict legal sense. Legal human rights are those human rights that are guaranteed by</p><p>positive law (lexlata). Thus, Osita Eze defines human rights as representing demands or claims</p><p>which individuals or groups make on society some of which are protected by law and have</p><p>become part of <em>ex</em>&nbsp;<em>lata</em>&nbsp;while others remain aspirations to be attained in future.1</p><p>Human rights are inherent rights to be enjoyed by all human beings of the global village</p><p>and not gifts to be withdrawn, withheld or granted at some one‟s whim or will. In this sense, they</p><p>1 Osita Eze (1984): <em>Human</em>&nbsp;<em>Rights</em>&nbsp;<em>in</em>&nbsp;<em>Africa:</em>&nbsp;<em>some</em>&nbsp;<em>selected</em>&nbsp;<em>problems</em>&nbsp;<em>(Nigerian</em>&nbsp;<em>Institute</em>&nbsp;<em>of</em>&nbsp;<em>International</em>&nbsp;<em>Affairs)</em>, Lagos, in Cooperation with Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Ltd. p.38.</p><p>1</p></div><div><p>are said to be inalienable, imprescriptible. If they are removed from any human being, he will</p><p>become less than human. They are part of the very nature of human being, and attach to all</p><p>human being everywhere in all societies, but as much as do his arms and legal, Constitutions and</p><p>other codes do not create human rights but declare and preserve existing rights, perhaps, this is</p><p>why statutory provisions for the first generation human rights are couched in negative terms, for</p><p>example, to say that no person shall be deprived of his personal liberty pre-supposes that</p><p>personal liberty is an existing right.</p><p>However, the justification for this research is that “human rights” has become not only a</p><p>topical issue in Nigeria but the language of both the oppressors and the oppressed. Yet little is</p><p>known of its meaning and ramifications because practically human rights is not fully observed in</p><p>Nigeria. This is evident in the fact of recent Nigeria has witnessed serious breaches of Human</p><p>Rights such as the kidnapping, abductions, unjust killing and terrorist attacks. On this note the</p><p>objective of this research is to identify reasons for the occurrence of these events in relation to</p><p>the adequacy or otherwise of the provisions of the existing laws in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>1.2</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<strong>Statement</strong>&nbsp;<strong>of</strong>&nbsp;<strong>the</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Problem</strong></p><p>Principal statement of problem in this research is that in Nigeria there is gross and</p><p>massive violation of people‟s right have led to total lost of confidence in the government by her</p><p>citizenry. For example the senses of insecurity have led to individuals devising private means of</p><p>protection.2 The consequence is total disrespect for the government.</p><p>Another related problem is the denial of economic right of human beings is tantamount to</p><p>denial of right to life because it is the means of livelihood that keep a man alive, deprived a man</p><p>2 Instances of insecurity in Nigeria are numerous, and this</p></div> <br><p></p>