The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on lawmakers to strictly adhere to fundamental human rights and the principles of the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) at every stage of the legislative process in the country.

NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tony Ojukwu, made the call on Friday in Maiduguri, during the training of legislators on mainstreaming human rights and HRIA into legislation in Borno State.

Ojukwu, who also serves as the president, Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA) said: “This training is to ensure that laws protect citizens’ dignity, freedoms and legitimate aspirations.”

Ojukwu, represented by the State Coordinator of the NHRC, Jummai Mshelia, said the commission was established under the NHRC Amendment Act 2010 to promote, protect and enforce human rights in Nigeria.

She said the commission was also empowered to review proposed legislation and administrative measures to ensure their consistency with the Constitution and Nigeria’s regional and international human rights obligations.

According to her, the quality of democracy should be measured not by the number of laws enacted, but by their quality, inclusiveness and compliance with human rights standards.

Jummai added that legislation influenced access to justice, education, healthcare, housing, security, livelihoods and civic participation, stressing the need for rigorous scrutiny of every bill before passage.

Ojukwu said HRIA would enable lawmakers to identify potential risks and prevent violations at an early stage.

“Particularly those that could disproportionately affect women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups,” he said.