Prof. Bem Angwe
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor
As more and more African countries are confronted with security challenges, the President of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA), Prof. Bem Angwe, has called on them to provide educational opportunities and employment for youths so as to check insurgency.
Prof Angwe, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission, spoke at the 2016 Annual General Assembly of the Network in Abuja in Abuja, during which he condemned the high level of violation of rights to education and employment in the region.
Prof. Bem Angwe
Angwe noted with dismay the growing vices which he said had combined to erode the rights and dignity of the people.
Prof. Angwe said each country in West Africa was confronted with diverse forms of security challenges thereby distracting them from providing the needed support and opportunities for their nationals.
Angwe said: “Basic rights like freedom of association and assembly, freedom of expression and the press are routinely trampled upon.
“Press freedom remains under siege in many countries. The right of women to equality and freedom from fear of discrimination is common. Religion and cultures combine to undermine the realization of equality in West Africa”.
“Prison conditions are dire with overcrowding, poor feeding and absence of rehabilitation facilities are key issues. Poor prison conditions violate numerous human rights and this must be addressed urgently.
“The rights to education and employment are violated without remedies. Youth unemployment is dangerous trend that must be arrested. The use of child labour in plantation farms and an artisanal mine violate international law and dehumanises the child. In Nigeria, Niger and Mali, the use of children for the promotion of insurgency is deplorable and regrettable”.
Prof. Angwe also condemned what he called “the serial violation of the right to participate in government as required under Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the applicable ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
The Executive Secretary if the NHRC noted that when the right to participate in public affairs is violated, it means that community citizens are unable to vote for the candidates of their choice during elections.
The President of ECOWAS, who was represented by Mr. Eyisan Okorodudu, said that the Commission had taken steps to improve the process of monitoring human rights framework with a holistic outlook from the perspective of the ordinary community by taking time to bring CSOs to produce reports on human rights situation in West Africa.
He noted that by 2017, the first of the reporting would be circulated in the region with a view to addressing the gaps noticed across the region and pleaded with the member states to work with the secretariat in promoting thematic issues especially rights to education, employment and good health.
Meanwhile the secretariat of the NNHRI-WA, headed by Mr. Saka Azimazi said that the objective of the meeting was largely to examine the human rights situation in West Africa and the challenges faced by national institutions in upholding their mandate and offering remedies for human rights violations.
In his opening statement, the Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for West Africa, Mr. Andrea Ori advocated for credible and effective national partners that can contribute on the side of or jointly with governments and civil society in the effective implementation of international human rights instruments, and the expansion of the human rights culture among the public in general.
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