Amnesty Intl faults Tinubu’s human rights record
By Emma Ogbuehi
The human rights record of the President Bola Tinubu administration, came into focus on Wednesday, with leading global human rights body, Amnesty International, scoring it below average.
The International human rights body gave the verdict at a public presentation of a document titled, “Nigeria: Human Rights Agenda 2023,” in Abuja.
The document details various areas of human rights violations in Nigeria.
The group, among others, accused Tinubu of unveiling new government policies that do not address rampant human rights violations across the country.
It however admitted that the President has the chance to ensure that everyone enjoys their human rights, urging him to “hold perpetrators of past rights violations to account.”
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Amnesty International further implored the government to make human rights protection its priority by ensuring that everyone Nigerian’s rights are protected, and that perpetrators of rights breaches do not go unpunished. The group stressed that it was not anti-government, but opposed to egregious rights violations that are rampant in the country.
In an opening statement, Isa Sanusi, country director, Amnesty International Nigeria, said it was imperative to set an agenda for the Tinubu-led administration in the area of human rights protection.
Sanusi disclosed that copies of the agenda had been sent to President Tinubu and other top government functionaries with a view to helping them chart a new course of action against rights violations.
He said; “We implore the government to make human rights protection its priority by ensuring that everyone Nigerian’s rights are protected, and that perpetrators of rights breaches do not go unpunished.
“We appeal to the government to study the document and come up with a plan on how to implement it”.
In a similar tone, Auwal Rafsanjani, board chairman, Amnesty International Nigeria, said the human rights body was not “anti-government,” but opposed to egregious rights violations that are rampant in the country.
Rafsanjani urged the government to prevent rights violations, and “if they occur, the government must investigate and bring perpetrators to justice.”
Rafsanjani decried the worsening economic status of the citizens, a situation he blamed on political corruption.