Global Rights, a top Human Rights organisation with a branch office in Nigeria has organised a one day training in Abuja for the media practitioners in Nigeria for effective reportage on Business and Human Rights today 26th March, 2018.
According to the Global Rights, Country Director, Abiodun Baiyewu-Teru, while speaking at the Training, stated that the training became crucial at this critical period in our nation where citizens and non-citizens, organisations both Transnational and local ones flagrantly disregard fundamental Human Rights of the Host communities with impunity.
“Protection of the rights of the most vulnerable people in our community lies with you, and I am doing my part in challenging you in ensuring that the human rights issues in Nigeria should longer be seen as bussiness as usual” she said while addressing the media practitioners drawn from both conventional and new media platforms based on their experiences and professionalism.
Bayeiwu added that corruption has been the clog in the wheels of progress in Nigeria in which multinational companies have siphoned billions of Naira out of Nigeria through evasion of taxes and in other forms which still continues unabated.
“Communities that should enjoy benefits through these taxes do not. As a nation, we know how much we have lost to Ajaokuta Steel Company in 34 years, it is more than 10 billion Naira. Yet we continue to watch our commonwealth being stolen by these multinational corporations while communities like Okobo and many others suffer dearth of potable water and basic social infrastructure” she lamented.
Tunde Ajala, one of the facilitators at the Training who took session on the Development Nexus: Business, Human Rights, Corporate Social Responsibility and Accountability shared extensively on how this topic, if taken seriously could impact positively on Nigeria’s overall development particularly as its concerns protection of Human Rights.
He threw more light on Voluntary Principles and United Nations Guiding Principles on Human Rights as veritable tools for media practitioners in holding both government and private entities accountable on Business, Security and Human Rights.
“The Voluntary Principles are the only human rights guidelines designed specifically for extractive sector companies. Participants in the Voluntary Principles Initiative — including governments, companies, and NGOs — agree to proactively implement or assist in the implementation of the Voluntary Principles” he said.