The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday passed the National Human Rights Commission bill into law.
The passage of the bill would allow increase in funding of the agency.
The bill emtitled: “National Human Rights Commission Act 2004 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2022, if signed by the president, will address inadequate funding that has hampered the effective operation of the agency over the years.
Adequate funding of the Commission, the Senate said, will sustain the grade ‘A’ of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission as rated by the United Nations General Assembly.
Objectives of the bill as contained in the report presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, is repositioning and streamlining the Institutional framework of National Human Rights Commission.
Speaking on the bill, Chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi, said adequate funding of the Commission as envisaged in the bill would strengthen the Commission’s investigative capacity.
“The signing of this bill into law, will further guarantee the grade A status granted to Nigeria by the United Nations General Assembly in recognition of its compliance with the provisions of the Paris principles.
“The bill also makes specific provisions to provide for the establishment of the National Human Rights Fund in the National Budget as well as provide effective means of sustaining contributions to the Fund.
“A virile and enduring democratic value system cannot be fully entrenched in Nigeria , if we do not have an Independent and incorruptible human rights Institution with adequate funding mechanisms free from unnecessary interference from the Government”, Opeyemi said.