The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged residents of Kano State to know their fundamental rights and seek redress from appropriate authorities when those rights were violated.
Speaking on Thursday at a consultation forum on the 2026 implementation plan of Nigeria’s National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the State Coordinator, Shehu Abdullahi said the forum brought together key stakeholders to advance human rights.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives from the State Ministry of Justice, State Ministry of Women Affairs, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), security agencies and civil society organizations (CSOs) were in attendance.
“The programme presents the NHRC’s National Action Plan for 2024–2028 and reviews its implementation from 2024 to date.
“Protecting and promoting human rights is not the commission’s sole responsibility. It requires the involvement of all stakeholders.
“This allows them to assess their contributions to the action plan and identify areas for improvement,” he added.
Abdullahi noted that stakeholders performing below average must recognize the gap and take steps to improve implementation of the National Action Plan.
He stressed the need to involve the business community in human rights, particularly in addressing workplace and commercial violations.
“When discussing business and human rights, the business community must be included, as many violations occur in that sector but often go unnoticed,” he said.
Abdullahi advised the public to report rights violations to the relevant authorities, noting that redress mechanisms exist at federal, state and local levels.
“The public must recognize when their rights are violated and report such cases to the appropriate authorities for redress,” he advised.
Stakeholder representative, Mr Stephen Nwosu said many people remained unaware of their fundamental rights, leaving them vulnerable to abuse.
He urged the public to be more proactive in defending and asserting their rights. (NAN)
