By Prudence Arobani
New York – Nigeria’s re-election to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has placed the country under human rights’ self-scrutiny.
Prof. Tijjani Bande, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that with the election, Nigeria now has added responsibility to respect the rights of its citizens.
Nigeria was on Monday re-elected by the UN General Assembly in New York to the UNHRC in Geneva alongside 14 other countries for the 2018 to 2020 term.
NAN reports that Angola, Senegal, Slovakia, Ukraine, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Australia and Spain were also elected to the body, while Nigeria and Qatar won second terms.
The UNHRC is the highest intergovernmental body in the UN system for matters relating to protection and promotion of human rights worldwide.
Bande said: “the fundamental issue is that if we are on a Council that should advocate and defend rights of all human beings.
“We must therefore always remember that we have an added responsibility in our own country to respect rights of citizens and it’s a commitment.
“When you’re in that Council, you’re putting yourself forward for scrutiny and then that tells you that Nigeria is ready to scrutinise itself in regards to respect for human rights”.
He said Nigeria’s re-election really underscored that around the world a lot of people and countries have seen that the country has something to offer on that Council.
“Nigeria is a very important member of the global family and when it comes to rights, we have very robust documents from the Constitution to other documents that speak to our respect for rights.
“Going beyond the shores of Nigeria, we have produced some of the finest minds relating to the defence of rights of citizens, of individuals and of human beings generally.
“So it is important that we are on that Council to continue to develop not only the push for the protection of rights.
“But where possible, if certain countries appear not to push in the same direction, we ask them to join all other countries in the world in respecting the rights of human beings”.
Ghana and Nigeria are currently serving out their tenure for the 2015 to 2017 term while Ghana, which initially sought re-election, stepped down alongside Sierra Leone, for Nigeria to get on board for another term.
Nigeria has illustriously served the global community on the UNHRC for three terms since the establishment of the Council in 2006.
These are 2006 to 2009, 2009 to 2012 and currently, 2015 to 2017, and with the reelection, would remain on the Council till 2020.
NAN reports that the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN hosted a reception for envoys to launch Nigeria’s re-election bid on Friday in New York and solicit countries’ “firm support” for Nigeria’s re-election on the council.
The 47-member council was created by the General Assembly in 2006 to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe, address situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.
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