The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Rivers State Office, has expressed concern over inadequate funding and poor collaboration with relevant bodies, which it says have hampered its efforts to promote human rights awareness across the state.
The State Coordinator of the Commission, Dr. Okoroji Chiwe, made this known on Monday, September 29, 2025, when the National Chairman of Defence for Human Rights and Democracy (DHRD), Clifford Christopher Solomon, paid a solidarity visit to the commission’s office in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Okoroji lamented that financial constraints and poor cooperation from community and religious leaders had limited the Commission’s outreach to rural communities.
“We need funds to run the office and ensure security during field activities. The budget is minimal, and we rely on collaborations with civil society organizations like DHRD to carry out our tasks,” she said.
She revealed that attempts to partner with traditional rulers and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Rivers State to host sensitization sessions had often failed.
“Sometimes they ask what we are coming to share, or they simply don’t give us audience. Even our last sensitization exercise was made outright impossible,” she disclosed.
Dr. Okoroji also lamented that corporate bodies had not been forthcoming in their promises of support, citing an unfulfilled pledge from Shell Petroleum Company made over two years ago.
She noted that as the International Human Rights Day approaches, the Commission should ideally lead awareness campaigns, especially to empower women on their rights, but it currently lacks the capacity to do so effectively.
“Despite the challenges, we still go to schools, markets, and bus stops to carry out sensitization exercises,” she said, calling for increased funding and stronger institutional collaboration.
