Today, the Nigerian Bar Association celebrated the International Human Rights Day Workshop, commemorating the 77th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Today, 10 December 2025, the world paused to reflect on that historic moment in 1948 when the global community, emerging from the ashes of war and unimaginable atrocities, declared in one voice that every human being is born free and equal in dignity and rights. Seventy-seven years later, that declaration remains both a beacon of hope and a constant reminder of the work that still lies ahead, particularly here in Nigeria and across the African continent.
As lawyers, we are not mere spectators in the struggle for human rights. We are custodians of justice, defenders of the rule of law, and the first line of resistance against impunity and oppression.
The NBA has always taken its role in this regard seriously, and today’s workshop is yet another testament to our unwavering commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.
This year’s theme: “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials” could not be more timely. We gather at a moment when democratic institutions are under strain, when economic hardship tests the resilience of our people, and when new technologies present both opportunities and threats to fundamental freedoms. It is therefore fitting that we assembled some of the finest minds in human rights law, governance, technology, and activism to interrogate these issues and chart a way forward.
This day reaffirmed that the Nigerian Bar Association inder the leadership of Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN and the NBA Human Rights Institute under the leadership of Sebastian Anyiam, Esq. remains vibrantly alive to its sacred duty of speaking truth to power and standing with the most vulnerable in our society.
Over the course of the workshop, our carefully selected panelists engaged in robust, candid, and solution-oriented conversations.
As the moderator of the session, I urged the audience to speak freely, listen actively, and commit to translating the ideas we generated here into concrete action long after we leave this venue.
Let us make this International Human Rights Day not just a commemoration, but a renewed pledge to build a Nigeria where the rights and dignity of every citizen are respected, protected, and fulfilled.
Emeka Obegolu, SAN
Moderator.
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