Nigeria reaffirms commitment to human rights of older persons by ratifying Protocol to African Charter: UN expert

GENEVA (26 October 2023) – Nigeria’s ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the Rights of Older persons is another remarkable milestone towards equality in older age, a UN expert said today.

On 23 October 2023, Nigerian President Ahmed Tinubu approved the ratification, after the former Government signed the Protocol in February 2020.

“By becoming the 13th state to ratify the Protocol in the African region, Nigeria reiterated its recent and solid commitments to guaranteeing and safeguarding the human rights of older persons,” said Claudia Mahler, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons. “This ratification sends a hopeful and positive message to all older persons in the country, that their rights are valued and will be prioritised.”

“During my visit in September 2022, I witnessed the resilience and relentless efforts to advocate for such ratification from key stakeholders including the National Senior Citizens Centre and the National Human Rights Commission, along with civil society and older persons to advance the human rights of all older persons in their full diversity,” Mahler said. “This is also their victory.”

“As recommended in my recent visit report and in accordance with Article 2 of the Protocol, Nigeria should then fully incorporate these regional standards into legislation and policy, to lead its actions at federal and state levels,” the expert said. “The bill on older persons (rights and privileges) would offer such comprehensive protection regime and has been awaiting assent since December 2021,” she said. “I call on Nigeria to ensure that appropriate resources be allocated to facilitate the implementation of the Protocol to the African Charter on older persons at national level.”

The Protocol to the African Charter on older persons provides guidance to accelerate age appropriate and transformative changes to ensure a society respectful of older persons’ rights. It provides standards to combat age-based discrimination and ageism. As 15 ratifications are needed for the Protocol to come into force, the Independent Expert called on other African States to follow Nigeria’s example.

“Nigeria’s role at global and regional levels has been instrumental and I look forward to continuous dialogue and engagement with the Government, especially with regard to the implementation of the Protocol,” Mahler said.

To read more about the human rights of older persons in Nigeria, check out the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons’ 2023 report to the Human Rights Council available here.

Ms. Claudia Mahler (Austria) was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons in May 2020. She has been working for the German Institute for Human Rights as a senior researcher in the field of economic, social and cultural rights since 2010. She was also a visiting professor at the Alice Salomon Hochschule in 2020-2021. From 2001 to 2009, Ms. Mahler conducted research at the Human Rights Centre of the University of Potsdam where her main fields were in human rights education, minority rights and the law of asylum. In 2000, she received her doctoral degree and was appointed as Vice President of the Human Rights Commission for Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Her mandate covers all countries and has most recently been renewed by Human Rights Council resolution 51/4.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, country page – Nigeria