What you should know about The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC).

The National Human Rights Commission was established by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act, 1995, as amended by the NHRC Act, 2010, in line with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly which enjoins all member States to establish national human rights institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights.

The Commission serves as an extra-judicial mechanism for the enhancement of the enjoyment of human rights. Its establishment is aimed at creating an enabling environment for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights. It also provides avenues for public enlightenment, research and dialogue in order to raise awareness on human rights issues.

The Commission is headed by the Executive Secretary who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). There are six departments in the administrative structure of the Commission namely: Admin, LID, Finance and Accounts, Public Affairs and Communications, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Monitoring and External Programmes. There are three Units under the Executive Secretary's Office, namely, the Council Secretariat, Audit and Public Interest litigation Units.

The Commission also has six zonal offices representing the six geo-political zones of the country, namely; North West Zone (Kano), North East Zone (Maiduguri), North Central (Jos), South West (Lagos), South East (Enugu) and South South (Port Harcourt)

Reference: NHRC