By Khadijah Aliyu
The Kano State House of Assembly has vowed to continue passing laws that will have meaningful and positive impacts on the lives of citizens.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Jibril Isma’il Falgore, stated this at a one-day training for legislators on mainstreaming human rights and Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) into the legislative process and legislation, organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Kano.
Falgore, represented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rural and Community Development, Salisu Ibrahim Muhammad, described the legislature as a critical component of democratic governance.
He said the training was timely, given the importance of human rights in the legislative process, effective representation and good governance.
Muhammad, who represents Doguwa State Constituency, said bills addressing healthcare and other areas affecting the wellbeing of citizens had been presented and considered during plenary.
He explained that proposed laws undergo thorough scrutiny before being passed, noting that legislation covers various aspects of human endeavour and must respond to the needs and aspirations of the people.
The lawmaker stressed the need to sustain capacity-building initiatives for legislators, particularly members of new legislatures, to enhance their understanding of human rights and strengthen the quality of legislation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, , represented by the Coordinator of the Commission’s Kano State Office, Shehu Abdullahi, commended the lawmakers and other participants for attending the training.
Ojukwu said the Commission was empowered to review proposed legislation and administrative measures to ensure their consistency with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as Nigeria’s regional and international human rights obligations.
He described the legislature as a guardian of democratic governance, stressing that the quality of democracy is determined not only by the number of laws enacted but also by their quality, inclusiveness and compliance with human rights standards.
According to him, the NHRC remains committed to collaborating with the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and other relevant institutions to strengthen rights-based governance in Nigeria.
The training featured presentations on international, regional and national legal and policy frameworks supporting Human Rights Impact Assessment.
Other sessions focused on the definition, purpose and scope of HRIA; practical HRIA templates and guidelines; and the role of legislators in advancing human rights through legislation, oversight, representation and budget approval.
Participants also examined Nigeria’s legislative process, systematic barriers to mainstreaming human rights and HRIA, as well as practical approaches to addressing the challenges.
The training was attended by the Deputy Clerk of the Legislature, Director of Legislature, Director of Administration and Human Resources, Deputy Director of Legislature, representatives of the State Public Service Commission, members of civil society organisations and clerks of various committees of the Assembly.
Editing by Khadija Kubau
