Rasul Mirzoev, Christian Chidebe Ezenwa

Name of the project/report:
How Insecurity of Life Undermines Human Rights in Nigeria

Tell us about the report and why did you choose to write about this subject?
The title of my report is ”How Insecurity of Life Undermines Human Rights in Nigeria”. The reasons for choosing this topic are based on the fact that we now live in a time when safety of life is not guaranteed in many parts of the world. Of course, the right to life is the first condition for every other right; human rights for the living, not for the dead.
In addition, in order to narrow this broad topic to a specific locality, Nigeria was considered as a good option since there is a high level of insecurity and threat to human life there, which invariably undermines other basic rights. Thus, other basic rights are not being discussed because of a general notion: ”Life first”. Finally, the involvement of one of the report writers who is a concerned Nigerian citizen contributed towards making this subject a choice.

Did you work in team or independently? How was it to work in team/independently?
We worked in a team (Christian Chidebe Ezenwa and Rasul Mirzoev) who have a similar notion that the threat against life poses a great challenge to the fundamental human rights in our today’s world. Working as a team helped to broaden our horizon. At some points we had different ideologies, however, reconciling them while discussing them in details was and remains a great experience to both of us.

What was challenging in the process of writing the report?
The challenges experienced in the process of writing the report are:

a. difficulty in getting necessary personells interviewed. Some of the persons we approached out rightly declined granting the interview for security reasons. Some consented but their tight schedules and the limited time frame for this report could not permit them.
b. Another challenge was technical and network issues. Poor technological apparatus and poor internet, especially from the Nigerian side, also made the interviews, as well as the report writing very challenging.
c. Engaging in field work was also a challenge, owing to distance and time constraints.

What skills and experiences from previous courses in human rights were helpful during your work with the report?
The various skills and experiences drawing from previous courses significantly enriched our work on the report regarding the impacts of insecurity on human rights in Nigeria. Among these, a foundational understanding of international human rights frameworks provided the necessary lens through which the issue was examined, ensuring that the analysis was grounded in globally recognized standards. Critical analysis and research skills, honed through rigorous coursework, enabled me to navigate a vast array of literature and data, extracting relevant information and identifying patterns specific to the Nigerian context.

Furthermore, it also instilled in us the importance of ethical considerations, particularly when dealing with sensitive topics like insecurity and its human rights implications. This ethical grounding was critical in ensuring the research did not inadvertently harm participants or exacerbate the situation. The ability to effectively communicate complex ideas; a skill developed through numerous report-writing assignments, proved invaluable. It allowed us to articulate the findings clearly and persuasively, making the report accessible to a broad audience, including policymakers, stakeholders, and the public.

What skills and experiences from this course will help you in the future?
Obviously, the overall experience of the report writing and the presentation have helped equip and get us more prepared for the task ahead, owing to the fact that human rights pursuit involves public presentation/address.
In a more specific way, the interviews ethics while writing human rights reports is a great addition to our previous knowledge.