The International Human Rights Commission, Relief Fund Trust (IHRC-RFT), Nigeria Chapter, has thrown its full support behind a bold and transformative proposal by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, who represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in Abia State.
The proposal seeks to make it mandatory for all government officials to enroll their children in public schools and receive medical care in public hospitals.
According to IHRC-RFT, the initiative is not only timely and necessary but also rooted in the principles of justice, equity, and human rights.
For decades, the commission noted, government officials have distanced themselves from the very institutions they are tasked with managing, sending their children to expensive private schools, seeking treatment in private hospitals, or even flying abroad for healthcare, while the public education and health sectors deteriorate due to neglect and lack of accountability.
“A headmaster enrolls his child in a private school. A government-employed doctor avoids public hospitals. A commissioner boards a flight for medical treatment overseas. Under such circumstances, how can our public institutions ever improve?” the IHRC-RFT stated.
Hon. Ogah’s proposal, the Commission argued, will help restore accountability by compelling public officials to experience firsthand the conditions of the services they oversee, thereby motivating them to drive improvements and ensure delivery of quality services to all Nigerians.
The IHRC-RFT emphasized that this proposal aligns with key principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
Article 25: The right to adequate health and well-being.
Article 26: The right to free and quality education.
Article 21: The authority of government is based on the will of the people.
The Commission called on all members of the National Assembly to support and swiftly pass the bill, stressing that Nigeria deserves leadership that shares in the lived realities of its citizens.
“This proposal represents a step toward a more just, inclusive, and accountable society.
“We urge our lawmakers to act decisively in the interest of the people,” the statement concluded.
