NHRC Flags Implementation Gaps, Moves to Reset Human Rights Strategy
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday launched a comprehensive review of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, admitting that while significant progress has been made in expanding human rights protection across Nigeria, implementation gaps, weak monitoring systems and limited institutional capacity continue to hinder the full realization of its mandate.
The commission said the mid-term assessment marks a decisive effort to recalibrate its strategy midway into the four-year plan, with a renewed focus on improving access to justice, strengthening accountability and enhancing protection for vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Opening a consultative stakeholders’ meeting on the presentation of the Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Plan in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), described the exercise as a critical turning point in determining whether the commission is delivering on its promises to Nigerians.
He said the review was not intended as a routine appraisal but as an opportunity to honestly assess achievements, confront implementation challenges and adopt practical measures that would strengthen the commission’s performance over the remaining period of the strategic plan.
“The consultation offers an opportunity for constructive dialogue. Your contributions and recommendations will enrich the review findings and guide implementation during the remainder of the Strategic Plan,” Ojukwu told participants drawn from government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, the diplomatic community and the media.
He explained that the NHRC Strategic Plan, which runs from 2024 to 2027, was designed as the commission’s roadmap for building a stronger institution capable of delivering better services, expanding access to justice and protecting the rights of all Nigerians, especially those most vulnerable to abuse and discrimination.
According to him, the mid-term review showed encouraging institutional commitment, with all departments and units at the commission’s headquarters as well as its offices in the 36 states actively participating in implementing the plan.
However, he acknowledged that the assessment also exposed areas requiring urgent attention.
Among the key concerns identified are the need to strengthen implementation mechanisms, improve monitoring and reporting systems, build institutional capacity and ensure more efficient use of limited resources.
Ojukwu said addressing these shortcomings would be critical to improving the commission’s effectiveness and ensuring that its interventions produce measurable results for citizens.
He noted that the findings of the review provide a strong foundation for repositioning the commission to respond more effectively to Nigeria’s evolving human rights challenges.
The executive secretary also praised the commitment of staff, state coordinators and partners whose contributions made the review possible, urging stakeholders to use the consultation to provide frank recommendations that would shape the next phase of implementation.
The review comes at a time when concerns over human rights, access to justice and the protection of vulnerable populations remain central to national discourse, with increasing calls for stronger institutions capable of responding to emerging challenges.
The review, which assessed implementation from January 2024 to December 2025, found that all 36 state offices and 20 headquarter departments and units participated in the exercise, collectively recording 90,627 implementation outputs against 160 validated performance indicators.
State offices accounted for 48,980 outputs, representing 54 per cent of the total, while headquarters contributed 41,647 outputs, or 46 per cent, underscoring broad institutional participation in implementing the commission’s strategic agenda.
According to the report, the commission recorded its strongest performance in the areas of protecting vulnerable populations and promoting human rights education and awareness.
These two strategic priorities alone accounted for nearly three-quarters of all implementation outputs, reflecting the commission’s sustained focus on safeguarding vulnerable groups, expanding public awareness of human rights and improving access to justice across the country.
Other areas, including economic, social and cultural rights, access to justice and treaty reporting, posted moderate achievements, while specialized areas such as research, resource mobilisation and knowledge management were identified as requiring greater attention during the remaining implementation period.
The evaluation also highlighted disparities in implementation across state offices and headquarter departments, attributing the variations largely to differences in operational mandates, programme portfolios and institutional capacity rather than organisational effectiveness.
It recommended targeted resource allocation to lower-performing strategic priorities, stronger monitoring and evaluation systems, improved data quality assurance, continuous capacity building for state offices and the institutionalisation of periodic management dashboards to support evidence-based decision-making.
The consultative meeting is expected to validate the review findings and produce recommendations that will guide the commission’s work through the final phase of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, as it seeks to deepen public confidence and strengthen the protection of human rights across the country.