National Human Rights Commission Urge Businesses, Service Providers To Promote, Protect Human Rights

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday urged business operators and service providers to ensure promotion and protection of human rights in their quest for maximum profits.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, made the charge while declaring open a two-day training of regulatory agencies on access to remedy for business related human rights abuses.

The training was organized in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and Network of African National Human Rights Institutions. It was designed to build the capacity of agencies that regulate business activities, to offer redress when human rights abuses and violations occur from such business activities.

According to Ojukwu, “Promotion and protection of human rights is not a job for the National Human Commission alone, but for all persons providing one service or the other which impacts the lives of people.

“Businesses are basically profit oriented and may over look the ways in which their quest for maximum profit affect people around them. They may impact human rights in ways that include exploitation of workers, unsafe working conditions, discrimination at the workplace, environmental degradation, land grabbing and unethical business practices.”

He cited that a business may exploit its workers through low or unpaid wages, poor working conditions, inhumane working hours, threats, coercion and abuse or through the use of child labour.

“There may be issues of discrimination based on sex, colour or any other classifications that are against human rights norms and standards. Environmental challenges could arise due to poor disposal of effluents, spillages, excavations, emissions and depletion of natural resources, all of which cause damages that affect the right to food, safe water, health and safe environment”, he added.

Chief Ojukwu explained that the agencies selected for the training play important roles in various sectors of lives and almost every person in the country is affected by the sectors which they represent. Among the agencies selected are the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and so on.

He maintained that these three agencies play vital roles in the lives of citizens by ensuring that business activities bring the desired outcomes to people and that undesired outcomes are minimised.

He said that the National Human Rights Commission pursuant to its mandate to promote and protect human rights in Nigeria, has carefully chosen these agencies with remedy framework, to build their capacity to facilitate and provide speedy remedy to victims of business related human rights abuses and violations.