THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS INVESTIGATION COMMISSION OF NIGERIA 20 YEARS AFTER: CHALLENGES, LESSONS AND PROSPECTS
The Information Aid Network (IFAnet) in partnership with the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) is convening an international conference in commemoration of two decades after the inauguration of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission of Nigeria in the summer of 2019 between the 19th and 22nd June. The Nigerian State has witnessed different regime transitions in its 56 years of existence. The great expectations and hopes that greeted its independence on October 1st, 1960 was thwarted by corruption, political violence and several military coups resulting in years of instability. The post independent years thus witnessed several intra-state and religious agitations among the over 400 ethnic groups in the country. As with all unstable polities, there have been massive violations of human rights in the forms of unlawful arrests, convictions and incarcerations, sporadic disappearances, destruction of valuable properties, kidnappings and arbitrary killings. These abuses further fanned the embers of mistrust and acrimony among Nigerian citizens who then sought to emphasize what differentiates from the ‘other’. However, the return to democracy in 1999 ushered in new aspirations as the government began the fourth republic with the inauguration of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC), which was modeled after the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In inaugurating the seven-man commission chaired by the Late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (rtd), the then President Olusegun Obasanjo charged the commission to reconcile misunderstandings among the different aggrieved and marginalized factions in order to move the country forward. The commission, well received by Nigerians, was religiously monitored through the televised public hearings, which sought to reconcile both the victims and the perpetrators. Nevertheless, two decades after the conclusion of these public hearings, Nigerians have remained divided on the importance, impact and gains of the HRVIC. This conference is thus designed to bring academics, public analysts, lawyers, researchers, public office holders, media practitioners, civil society advocates, non-governmental organizations, government parastatal and agencies, international organizations and the Nigerian public together to take stock of the challenges, prospects and gains of the commission. It poses important questions such as: How has the Nigerian state benefitted from the commission? What happened to the recommendations of the commission? How effective was the implementation committee? What cues can be taken for national unity and ethnic integration? Consequently, IFAnet is soliciting for paper presentation and roundtable proposals from intending participants on the following areas:
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