By Abuja, Nigeria
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for stronger collaboration among government agencies to promote good governance across all sectors of the country, noting that the protection of the civic space has been identified as a key priority in the Commission’s work, adding that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) must be allowed to freely carry out their mandates without hindrance.
The Executive Secretary of (NHRC), Dr. Tony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN, made the call while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, who paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to Dr. Ojukwu, effective inter-agency collaboration is critical to strengthening transparency, accountability, and the protection of citizens’ rights, particularly within the extractive sector, which he said is vital to national development.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, explained that the partnership was deliberately conceived to complement the mandate of the NHRC and ensure the delivery of measurable impact. He reiterated that the collaboration aligns with NEITI’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the extractive sector while supporting the promotion and protection of human rights.
Also speaking, the representative of Civil Society on the NEITI Board, Dr. Erisa Danladi, pledged the commitment of CSOs to the partnership, describing the civic space as a fundamental pillar of society that enables civic participation, data gathering, and the expression of concerns, including those related to the extractive industry.
She reaffirmed the commitment of CSOs to advancing and protecting the civic space in Nigeria and expressed optimism for an actionable and impactful collaboration.
