By Mercy Gadia Adi
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the National Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill (HB 1876) for second reading.
The bill, sponsored by Hon. Abiola Makinde and Hon. Mudasiru Lukman, aims to provide a comprehensive legal framework to recognize and protect human rights defenders in Nigeria.
According to Hon. Makinde, “This bill seeks to ensure that Nigeria upholds its duty to protect the lives of those who have been protecting us. Human rights defenders have gone through a lot of intimidations, harassment, and are not well recognized. This bill is the right thing to do, and it will connect us to international standards.”
The bill guarantees the right to work without fear, access to information, and freedom to form organizations and communicate with national and international human rights bodies. It also ensures that no person shall be subjected to intimidation, reprisal, defamation, or any form of discrimination because of their human rights activities.
Hon. Makinde emphasized the importance of recognizing and empowering human rights defenders, stating, “We really want them to function. Almost all the embassies in Nigeria work with CSOs, and it’s our duty to recognize them and empower them.”
The bill has received widespread support from members of the House of Representatives, with Hon. Makinde expressing appreciation for the support. “I want to appreciate all the members from all the six geopolitical zones for supporting this bill today on the floor of the house.”
The passage of the bill is seen as a significant step towards upholding human dignity, democracy, and the rule of law in Nigeria. As Hon. Makinde noted, “By enacting this law, Nigeria will join the ranks of progressive nations that value and protect human rights defenders.”
The bill will now proceed to public hearing, and Hon. Makinde is hopeful that it will become law soon. “We have a lot of work to do, but I’m hopeful that we will do our best to ensure that Nigeria is safer and our rights are protected.”