MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, said Nigeria has been straightforward on human rights issues ever before the advent of colonialism and for this reason, the country should not be apologetic about the subject.
He said rather, it was the international community that should apologise for the atrocities of the past committed.
The minister, who spoke in Abuja Tuesday at the international conference on human rights, human security and conflict organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), stressed that the European powers only came to Africa to disrupt the development of the continent.
“So, I don’t want us to be apologetic about human rights; we already had human rights entrenched in our society ever before the modern day champions. So, when you discuss, you should be unapologetic. This is to demonstrate the fact that the country does not only respect human rights but it will also remain committed to its promotion in all facets,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to beware of modern day defenders of human rights, saying “for scholars and experts, it is good to talk about human rights but have you asked them to also look into their own past? How they came to Africa and took us as slaves across the ocean, disrupting the development of our own continent, disrupting our societies. Have you asked them to account, to apologise for the atrocities of the past? But today, they are the champions. Have they atoned for their sins of the past?
“I think these are questions I will want the experts that are gathered here to also find time to discuss. Because when you look at our own society in Africa, we take pride in some of these things they were talking today; we were doing them in our own society at that time before the disruption came. We had values for family lives to belong to membership of society, freedom of thought, of speech, of belief, among others. They were all entrenched in our society and were guarded jealously. Then you have the advent of those who came and are now discriminating.”
The Director General of IPCR, Dr. Joseph Golwa, who said peace was a human right, explained that part of the mandate of the institute is how best to nurture the existing relationship between human rights and conflict.
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