The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has appealed to the National Assembly to boost its 2025 budgetary allocation up to N19.55 billion to enable it cope with the increasing demands of the Commission’s responsibilities.
The Executive Secretary of NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN made the request at the joint session of the Committees on Human Rights of the Senate and House of Representatives while giving account of the Commission’s implementation of 2024 N5 billion allocation.
This is even as the Commission has proposed N8 billion for 2025 budget.
While making presentation, Dr. Ojukwu highlighted the need to establish more state offices in addition to the 8 state offices built in 2024, describing the move as a critical step toward addressing human rights concerns across the country.
He outlined the Commission’s strategic priorities including expansion of its presence to ensure that individuals in remote and marginalized communities can access its services.
He emphasized that these offices would significantly enhance the Commission’s capacity to respond to complaints and promote human rights awareness at the grassroots level.
Saying that the NHRC achieved a remarkable 100% implementation rate of its ₦5 billion 2024 budget, he said: “To sustain and build on this progress, the NHRC is proposing an ₦8 billion budget for 2025, with a key focus on establishing additional state offices to enhance effective service delivery by the Commission to every region of the country.
“The establishment of more state offices will bridge the gap between the Commission and communities that need our services the most. This expansion will enable us to address human rights violations more effectively and foster greater trust and collaboration with the public.”
Dr. Ojukwu further explained that the proposed budget would also address other pressing human rights challenges, including terrorism, communal conflicts, insurgency, and the rising costs of operations due to inflation.
However, he appealed to lawmakers to consider increasing the budget from ₦8 billion to ₦19.55 billion to meet the growing demand for the Commission’s services.
He said: “Over 2 million complaints are received annually, and the cost of investigating each case is approximately ₦8,000. To investigate these cases effectively, the Commission would require ₦16 billion. Expanding our resources will allow us to deliver justice to more Nigerians.
“The proposed budget, if approved, will significantly enhance the NHRC’s ability to tackle issues such as gender-based violence, child rights violations, police brutality, and other human rights abuses.
“It will also reinforce the Commission’s independence and operational effectiveness as it continues to uphold its mandate of promoting and protecting human rights in Nigeria.”
Members of the Joint Committees commended the NHRC’s on increasing accessibility and its impressive performance despite resource constraints.
They acknowledged the importance of expanding state offices to strengthen the Commission’s outreach and ensure that no community is left behind.
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