The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday met with stakeholders in Abuja to evolve measures to further ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of every Nigerian for the next four years.
The stakeholders met at a workshop to validate the Strategic Plan of the commission for 2019 to 2022, aimed at injecting fresh ideas into its operations.
Mr Tony Ojukwu, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, said that the four-year plan document was developed to chart a new and defined course for the conduct of the affairs of the commission in line with identified strategic priorities.
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“The current administration on assumption of leadership assessed the situation on ground with respect to the operations and effectiveness of the commission and saw the need to inject fresh ideas and strategies that will reposition the commission to realise its expanded mandate enshrined in the NHRC Act 2010.
“The act has given the commission enormous powers, and we cannot exercise the powers without knowing how to do so. So a key priority for us is to build the capacity of staff of the commission to be able to deliver on the mandate specified in the act.”
The executive secretary noted that the commission was not oblivious to challenges that it might face, particularly that of funding.
“We have tried to factor in these challenges as we carefully address risk mitigation in the document. The commission also relies on the support and collaboration of its partners in the implementation process.”
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Chinonye Obiagwu (SAN), noted that the plan was basically a way of having a framework to operationalise the vision and mission of the commission particularly by ensuring that the staff were made professional.
“The vision and mission of the commission is to provide access to human rights to all Nigerians. So the plan is about what the commission needs to do to achieve these goals by succinctly measuring each goal with achievable targets.”
Obiagwu, who was one of the consultants that assisted the commission in preparing the plan, noted that the plan was flexible and would adjust to circumstances as those implementing it saw fit.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the strategic plan for 2019 to 2022 was put together through a partnership between the commission and some consultants. (NAN)
