By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee have ended two-day capacity building for staff, asking Nigerians not to show hostility to asylum seekers, who flee their countries or places of origin to Nigeria for political or religious reasons.
The NHRC and UNHCR also stated that provision of refuge to refugees is one of the responsibilities which the nation owes asylum seekers as stated by international law.
The duo made the appeal during a two-day capacity building and training workshop which ended in Calabar during the the week.
Speaking on the theme ‘Human Rights Monitors and Community Protection Action Groups,’ HRM/CPGAs, selected majorly from host communities to refugees, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, stated that if asylum seekers are given fair treatment Nigeria will be a better place to live.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the Executive Secretary on Monitoring, Ojukwu stated that fair treatment is essential, in as much as the refugees had met with entry requirements to take asylum in the country.
He said, “The training organized in collaboration with the UNHCR became necessary so that staff of the commission can improve on the way and manner that they handled asylum seekers with dignity.
He added, “Not everyone who flee his country to the nation is a criminal, some of these people may have ran away from their country to ours for religious or political reasons that threatened their lives.”
The project is for a three-year duration, aimed at enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights of IDPs, asylum-seekers, fefugees and returnees in Nigeria.
This project is being implemented by the NHCR with the support of the United
Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. This will be implemented in 11 states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
Others include Taraba, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Benue; and will adopt a multifaceted intervention, encompassing human rights rights-based approach to research, information/data collection, analysis and reporting, advocacy, capacity building and generally, improved access to human rights promotion and protection in Nigeria.
