We’ll Give Priority To Human Rights Issues –- Gbajabiamila – TheNigerialawyer

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi
Gbajabiamila has said that the 9th House would give priority to
issues related to human rights.

As such, the Speaker said, the House would work closely with the
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure that the rights
of Nigerians are protected.

Gbajabiamila, who spoke when he hosted the management of NHRC
during a courtesy call in his office in Abuja on Wednesday, said
the House would support the commission in any way possible to
enhance its work.

“We commend you for what you’ve been doing as a commission. Your
work is unquantifiable. It’s important that we have a watchdog on
human rights. In the House, we take the issue of human rights very
seriously.

On the request by the Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr
Tony Ojukwu, that the House should consider issues of human rights
in all the bills before it, the Speaker said the House needed more
explanation on that.

Similarly, the Speaker tasked the commission to work closely
with the House Committee on Human Rights and forward a copy of the
Kampala Convention on Human Rights to the House for possible
domestication.

Responding to the issue of the possible creation of quota for
more women in politics, the Speaker agreed with the Executive
Secretary that unless the constitution is amended to address the
issue of non-discrimination against anybody, such could not be
achieved.

The Speaker said the House is interested in the issue of the
rights of the elderly as raised by the Executive Secretary, saying
the House would need a full brief on that.

Earlier, Mr Ojukwu, who congratulated the Speaker on his
emergence, said the commission was concerned that the Kampala
Convention on Human Rights has not been domesticated in
Nigeria.

He said if the House domesticates it,that would go a long way in
addressing some of the challenges Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) and other vulnerable Nigerians face.

“We are also bothered by the low level of women participation in
elective offices. We’ve observed a decrease in the number of women
coming to the National Assembly. We wonder why this happens,” he
said.