Abasibiangake Akpabio
Nigerian Legal Practitioner with the Department of Public Prosecutions in the Imo State Ministry of Justice.
Interested in Diplomacy, Public International, Criminal, Human Rights, and Humanitarian Law.
Location Nigeria
Achievements
Activity
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
What I noticed was that if each of them had the choice or the opportunity to stay in their country, they would, but circumstances do not permit that. Again, they are all coming with the aim to work and cater for their needs and contribute to society. They aren't there to be a burden to the government or taxpayers.
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Commentators could be very unempathetic when they label people with these kinds of names. Through no fault of his own, he is forced to flee his own country to another. For a crisis that could happen to any nation at all, I think we should be more human in our assessment of "stateless persons".
I was taught about the World Wars in history, and I know that...
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@EmmieM thank you for this resource. The BRC made some very great suggestions. I hope that policymakers can align with them on these points. Unfortunately, many states do not regard this group as people with rights, and they are usually reluctant to implement concrete solutions. I trust this all changes.
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I believe that persons facing such limitations as to their status live at the mercy of the government in power. If there is a government that comes onboard that is somewhat populist and anti-immigration, these folks will be the immediate target of hate speech, incarceration, forcible deportation and maybe possibly be used as pawns in a broader power struggle...
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@EmmieM, Please see Article 24 (1) b which provides for healthcare for refugees.
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These rights essentially make refugees not to suffer unduly because of their status, and to enjoy the same rights as citizens of their host countries.
I cannot at this time find anyone that was missing.
I am surprised that states are meant to accord this much respect to the rights of refugees. It is sad that so many states do not follow through with...
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This is very true. Children who grow up under these conditions tend to be negatively affected. They would need special care and attention to defeat the debilitating circumstances of their childhoods.
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Camps like these mean that rights to decent and comfortable standards of living are violated. Additionally, people here are not guaranteed the right to work. Again, they are probably not given an education at the basic primary level or even the secondary level. The core minimum contained in ICESCR are not enjoyed by refugees under these conditions.
These...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I researched on a camp on the Greek Island of Lesbos. Although it was constructed to hold about 3,100 people, over 20,000 people live there now.
There is no specific time for the stay of migrants in this camp. Owing to the non-refoument principle, they cannot be returned. Asylum grants to a lot of them have not happened and some have been there for well up...
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If we can't meet our ambitious climate change targets, we will have to cope with more climate refugees.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
The causes of forced displacement are numerous. In the context of the Refugee Convention, persecution, conflict, violence and human rights abuses are the clearest causes.
Furthermore, forced migration could result from adverse climate change (for instance when farming communities are forced to move in search of agriculturally viable land and water, or away... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
The Nigerian Government implemented some social investment and welfare policies which included a large-scale school feeding programme, a conditional cash transfer to the poorest and most vulnerable, a temporary contract on special infrastructure works involving 774,000 youths, and the recruitment on a temporary contract basis of teachers in Primary and...
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This is quite revealing Anne. I too was fooled by the glitters of Hong Kong in the news and from global financial reports. It is surprising to learn that inequality is so widespread and can affect any country at all.
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In my studies, I looked at poverty and inequality in Nigeria. I was surprised to discover that about $20 Trillion was misappropriated from 1960 to 2005 (https://www.oxfam.org/en/nigeria-extreme-inequality-numbers). This sought of misfortune and mismanagement contributes significantly to the problem of poverty and inequality currently affecting the nation, as...
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Thank you, Carmen. It appears that scrutiny and collective assistance and focus are the best strategies in this respect.
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The focus on minimum entitlements is necessary to offer citizens some basic guarantee of economic and social despite the pending implementation of the whole Covenant. Again, it prevents an all-or-nothing treaty, where states feel that they are required to either fulfil their entire obligations or not. This is in line with the spirit of the Covenant’s...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
The ICESCR maintains that everyone is entitled to decent work and compensation in the form of wages for services they render. Being poor could result from a lack of access to work, and the failure of States to cater for this right of their citizens is (within the context of the ICESCR) a violation of the rights of a poor person within that covenant.
Economic... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Poverty should not be necessarily attributed to the individual. This is in contrast to my thought that there are always opportunities, and one needs to just grab them.
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I am glad to hear that schools are part of this. it is best to correct societal issues at the early stages of child development, and this is no exception.
It is sad, however, that nurses are not very involved. What could be done to remedy this in your view?
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I researched the prevalence of child marriage in Nigeria. This is an issue that our Women Affairs and Health Ministries have been raising awareness about tirelessly. According to reports by Save the Children, about 78% of girls in Northern Nigeria are married off before they turn 18. It is shocking that about 48% per cent of these girls are married off before...
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The lockdowns revealed how these issues are still lurking under the surface. And sadly, as Emmie pointed out, measures deal with the problem after the fact. We hope that policymakers develop better strategies to prevent rather than punish SGBV.
I am glad to hear that a Domestic Abuse Bill is before Parliament. I would be following updates on this bill in the... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
According to data from UN Women, about 48% of Nigerian women experienced violence against them in 2021. This is not unrelated to the COVID-19 lockdowns, restriction of movement and the increasing phenomenon of working from home. I am worried that the numbers are so high. This translates to almost half of all women in our country.
The Nigerian Government has... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio replied to Gemma C.
@GemmaC. States are eager to cite financial constraints and the absence of tangible short-term results as excuses for the non-implementation of socio-cultural reforms on a wide scale as this.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
My comment is on Art 9 which relates to the change in the nationality of the female based on marriage. I want to approach this from the view of the state or region of origin of the woman within the same country. In Nigeria, women have to change their states to their husbands upon marriage. This extends to the children, as they automatically take on their...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio replied to Emmie M
@EmmieM I am quite shocked to hear all this. As I mentioned myself, we have this idea that Europe is a bastion of gender equality. De facto situations differ significantly from advertised de jure ones.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I am still shocked that in western countries, women are still talking about institutionalised discrimination. I had grown up thinking about it as a problem for developing countries alone.
In some cases, particularly in Nigeria, the law has not been too gender neutral. For example, Nigerian Criminal Law punishes Abortion, ignoring the rights to the woman’s... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
This week, I saw in great detail how well the UN sets standards and monitors states' implementation of the same.
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@DAVIDISAACJERE Yes. These steps are notably absent in the other systems (the African and Inter-American ones).
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Courts with binding jurisdiction ensure that the rights of individuals are safeguarded even in instances where their states fail to protect them. By so doing, they become the last resort indeed for redresses which their national courts are either unwilling or unable to provide.
In Europe, the Council of Ministers is tasked with enforcing the decisions of...
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Thank you Mr Emmanuel for the comment you made. We hope to have a quicker international justice system, and it could be very frustrating when the administrative and remedial wheels turn slowly, but until then, we have to make do with what we have at the UN.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I agree that Special Procedures make a difference
They assist the Human Rights Council by preparing human rights standards, organising Panels during the sessions of the council, consulting with wide stakeholders across national and multilateral levels, as well as raising awareness on specific human rights issues.
There is always a need for independent and... -
This was indeed very historic.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
The European Court of Human Rights in the Mamatkulov and Askarov decision, sought to determine whether extradition in the context of reasonable suspicion of torture and ill-treatment (occurring at that time in Uzbekistan) were justifiable in respect of the Applicants.
The work of the Human Rights Committee (considered along with precedents from the... -
The problem is that these states really did not want to be held accountable for their failures in implementing these rights at home.
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I agree that in some instances, states feel that submitting to a powerful international organisation would undermine their sovereignty. An example is when the US Congress withheld approval for President Wilson to incorporate the US into the League of Nations. Citing a conflict between their constitution and the new international legal order they sought to...
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Art. 55 (relating to the principles guiding the UN) and Art. 73 (stipulating that citizens in territories held in trust would be guaranteed of basic rights and freedoms).
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The language of the international community and the UN officials show that they are majorly concerned with the setting of standards and monitoring its implementation by states parties.
The UN cannot necessarily enforce its laws, especially among the 5 permanent members of the Security Council. -
I agree with this.
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Thanks for your thoughts, Carmen.
If states have agreed to a treaty, it is only logical that other states remind them of their treaty obligations.
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The State responded by violently cracking down on protesters, and security forces exercised little restraint in their engagement with civilians.
As much as I hate to admit it, the Chinese government is exercising their sovereignty as an independent nation and member state of the UN.
I do not think that sovereignty should be used as a basis for eroding...
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I heard that the Johnson Administration is planning to introduce a new British Bill of Rights. How is that coming along?
Do you think it could offer some form of codification for these rights?
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The Preamble to the Nigerian Constitution speaks of the promotion of 'the principles of freedom, equality and justice'. Furthermore, chapter IV is dedicated entirely to Fundamental Rights which every Nigerian has. It lists about 14 rights directly found in the UDHR.
This is significant because it shows that our rights meet the standard set by the UDHR, the...
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One reason why nations like the USSR and South Africa abstained from voting is that they still had governments and systems which could not possibly implement these rights in their nations.
It appears that these countries who abstained have had human rights develop at a slower and less even pace than in nations that adopted it earlier. It is as clear as the...
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Thank you David, it is true that state sovereignty has hampered the universal enjoyment of these rights and ideals.
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I find that these principles are in some way tied to each other. I have seen that, for instance, the freedom from want appears in all three documents.
These principles form the basis for liberty and freedoms today. The Atlantic Charter for one gave colonised states the opportunity to be independent, and for all states to cooperate and trade. The ILO...
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I find that these principles are in some way tied to each other. I have seen that, for instance, the freedom from want appears in all three documents.
These principles form the basis for liberty and freedoms today. The Atlantic Charter for one gave colonised states the opportunity to be independent, and for all states to cooperate and trade. The ILO...
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In situations like these, one is compelled to think seriously on the enforceability of human rights against rogue states.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I choose to speak about the rights to equality of men and women.
I believe that views differ sharply because of diverse cultural backgrounds. I come from Nigeria, which is a primarily patrilineal society. Over here, women change their place of origin once they marry someone from another place. Just recently, our Supreme Court tried nullifying customs which...
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Thank you for your thoughts, David.
I know that some places have more respect for rights than others, but at least, as you had noted, these rights also apply in Africa, howbeit selectively.
It is the fact that they apply at all that makes them universal, and not whether they are fully respected by the current governments. -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I chose III.
This choice was because no matter how distinct some world cultures are, some very basic human rights are applicable and agreeable across these cultures.
Again, the fact that these rights seem to be abundant in European history does not mean that they did not occur in other civilisations which had not as much influence as Europe. -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I studied the American Declaration of Independence, 1776.
I learnt that governments are instituted primarily on the basis of the protection of human rights.
I learnt that the liberties which states strive to protect are guarantees each of us has by ‘divine providence’ and not by the will of the governing authority.
I was not further surprised by any...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Before this week, I felt that human rights were a response to the horrors of WWII, but after this week, I am convinced that it has deeper roots in history.
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This is very true Miyo. Regardless of their fighting in different uniforms and under different banners, all soldiers are human beings.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I am not surprised by anything in the treaty.
I believe that Dunant and his founding colleagues felt that all humans are essentially entitled to life, and the fact that a soldier is fighting for a belligerent nation does not erode from his basic entitlement to preserve his life as a human.
The significance of GC I was that it created the consciousness of...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I am surprised that Dunant was a businessman.
Businessmen are usually thought of as being opportunistic and profit-driven. Monsieur Dunant changed this perspective and is an exception to this bias. -
This is an interesting perspective. The Reformation challenged the monopoly of the Church in favour of the rights of the laity. It was essential in defining and guaranteeing the modern right to freedom of religion.
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The Enlightenment stands indisputably as the period in history when radical ideas that changed the world as we know it emerged. These ideas influenced that generation to challenge inequalities at that time and even institutions which existed for ages. In this context, the American war of Independence was based, among other things, upon the fact that the...
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Thank you Saniya. Art. 16 definitely has more relevance in regions where womens' rights are not fully protected.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
In Art 12, the UDHR protects privacy rights and the dignity of persons from humiliation. I am surprised that this was there because I felt it was a matter for nations to specifically protect. It also means that cyber-bullying and hacking were foreseen by the UDHR.
I am concerned about Art 16. It protects the rights of spouses and intending couples to freely...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I was not surprised by the results.
The horrors of WWII helped to bring HRL to the consciousness of the international community. -
Apt!
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Human dignity in my view is not an empty concept. It underpinned the basis of our modern human rights regime. Since a person has dignity, he/she should not be treated or subjected to conditions that undermine that dignity. Dignity is a very deep concept, although it may never be sufficiently explained by scholars. In this regard, I would simply align my...
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@JuliaVieiraBranco Thank you for the comment.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I particularly thank the Secretary-General for identifying modern forms of slavery. He was clear that "racism" is the "new form of slavery".
Apart from this, we have seen further commitment on the part of the UN system, demonstrated in the recent unveiling of the permanent monument called the "Ark of Return" to commemorate slavery and its abolition (as well... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Human rights transcend religious and political considerations. However, at its origins, philosophers have thought that we have these rights and dignified status because we were created in the image of God.
Others have simply come to think that these rights accrue from our humanity, and not because of an external creator. In this regard, the quote "we all... -
I looked at the country report on Nigeria by Amnesty International covering the years 2020/2021. The report highlighted that rights to freedom of expression were being undermined due to media censorship and a temporary ban on Twitter; rights to life were at risk due to extrajudicial executions by security forces; the right to liberty was again threatened due...
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Art 2(1) lays the rule that in the operation of the treaty, there would be no distinction as to its application to and coverage of different sets or groups of people on grounds of diversity.
Art 7 places a bar on human torture, degrading treatment and forceful scientific experimentation.
While Art 19 guarantees the right of freedom of expression and...
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In this statement, Mr Tony Ojukwu, the Secretary of Nigeria's Human Rights Commission, calls for greater action by government, security forces and non-state actors who continue to perpetrate human rights violations within the...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Before reading this document, I never knew that International Law affected such a wide range of everyday life occurrences.
I think my greatest surprise was the standardisation of the second. Wow. I never knew that such a fundamental part of our day was fixed by the agreement of other nations. I took it for granted completely.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Hello everyone.
Greetings from Nigeria. I am Abasibiangake Akpabio (but you could call me Abas'e). I am a lawyer working as a Prosecutor with the Ministry of Justice in Imo State.
I majored in Public International Law and Humanitarian Law. I am hoping to expand my knowledge and pursue a career in the field of International Criminal Law and Human Rights Law... -
@JulietCornford Thank you for the additional link.
I have looked at it and read through the innovations in the Reasonable Adjustment Legislation. It is exactly what we need down here. I hope to push for this kind of legislation even in my state parliament.
Before now, I left out the situation where lawyers are restrained from visiting their clients to take... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Thank you for an amazing course.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I feel like a proper policy-maker already.
Thank you British Council.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I have completed my template, and I would like for us to see it and give our comments. The link is attached below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pMWpxZZeRlPFW0REoyI9C3bkbi7kIf5a0a9lBypStlg/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you so much in advance. -
Regrettably, I left out the Ministry of Labour and employment. But I would like to suggest the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, as well as that of Budget and National Planning.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
- The Ministry of Budget and National Planning
- The Ministry of Finance
- The Central Bank of Nigeria
- The Ministry for Industry, Trade and Investment
- The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development
- The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development -
High-level political participation is a great booster to the social enterprise strategy.
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Most notably, in the case of Scotland, there was high-level political buy-in and support. Again, the decision of the government to work towards a 10-year strategic plan rather than a shorter-term (3-5 year) plan was very helpful.
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@HARRIETAFANDI Thank you so much. I deeply appreciate this comment.
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- Governments facilitate but are not the primary actors.
- Nations like Canada and Scotland have fascinating models to learn from.
- Social stock exchanges are interesting concepts in the social investment policy drive.
- The part of the government that drives change is not as important as having the policies take off in the first place. It is usually a... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
- Inclusion for persons living with disabilities and women have been a huge challenge around the world.
- Social enterprises are doing much to close these gaps and reduce inequalities, despite the fact that they face funding shortages and other challenges.
- Governments and citizens alike can do a lot to achieve gender parity and inclusion. -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I have been affected by the British Council's report highlighting the role of social enterprises in supporting women's empowerment. I had assumed that countries like the UK and the US had achieved greater gender parity, but it seems not so. More needs to be done until the girl feels no inferiority to the boy, and until the man loses the idea of superiority to...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I am of the mind that inclusive businesses and socially responsible ones can lead by example. They can demonstrate that the myths associated with employing women or PWDs are being busted. The more we see these examples abounding, the more the societal mental construct would be adjusted to supporting gender equality on a larger scale.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I find myself attracted to Peru's law prohibiting wage discrimination in the private sector. In contrast, the Nigerian informal economy is not as easy to regulate, and enacting similar legislations (though useful) might be difficult to implement.
Perhaps the easiest policy would be the reservation of 30%-40% of public procurement as Kenya did, to businesses...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Equity would involve crafting policies that consider the specific experiences women and men go through. For instance, in Nigeria, the maternity leave for federal workers is set at 3 months, while the paternity leave is set at 3 weeks.
This shows an example of equality not necessarily being fair to all parties since the women need more time to recover and... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
In my context, we have been working to combat domestic violence and other incidences of SGBV. In 2015, we enacted the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act. This was meant to make it easier for prosecutors to secure convictions in SGBV cases.
Incidentally, Nigerian jurisprudence requires that states ratify or domesticate these laws before they can be... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I had always felt that gender disparity was quite wide. I knew that female participation in leadership, managerial and entrepreneurial positions in Nigeria had been very low, but these statistics have shown just how unequal both genders are.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Within my context, I agree that high levels of gender disparity and non-inclusion have led to noticeable underperformance in national development. No nation can advance with a huge percentage of its population left out of the economic and social development process. This is unfortunately the prevailing story in the African sub-region.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
First, the numbers for my region represent the enormous task we still need to finish in breaking the gender gap. It shows that the gap is being bridged faster than average, but we should not relent.
I am not entirely surprised. The nation has had an upsurge in gender activism and there has been greater consciousness of the huge disparity in the gender gap.... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
I was most affected by the staggering statistic that about 7% of GDP is lost on average due to the non-inclusion of persons with disabilities.
I looked at the statistics by the International Labour Organisation and reviewed the rankings of countries according to inclusion for PDs. I was not impressed with my country's position there.
However, I believe...
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Social enterprises, inclusive businesses and socially responsible businesses to my mind help to demonstrate just how feasible it is to have persons with disabilities live and work as a crucial and need-satisfying part of society.
I would say that the cost of supporting persons with disabilities might not be monetary or physical but be seen in terms of an...
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After a very in-depth training session, I am pleased to present my sample policy document to the house. I hope you enjoy it.
Please leave a comment on the policy, as it would greatly help me to improve.
Thank you so much.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BTo2us8isroYOB5Riyq2fqSsZmtoUxagU4zRb1j6mwM/edit?usp=sharing
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I would be working on the lack of universal access in buildings, factories and offices in Nigeria. The document should be ready for viewing in the next steps.
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
The models in the various case studies here are absolutely amazing. Nonetheless, the example that most accurately fits my context is the situation in France where employing PDs is governed by criminal law. We could make modifications to ensure that the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission and the National Industrial Court actually implement the sanctions...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
In the context of Nigeria, getting persons with disabilities (PDs) to be part of businesses would be best achieved through legislation. It seems the government would have to require that companies retain a quota for PDs.
My reason for saying this is that many people may be unwilling to allow the government to spend money on financing businesses run by PDs,... -
Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Although no institution readily comes to my mind, I am of the mind that having persons with disabilities in a workforce helps other persons there to be more empathetic, and relatable with the idea of working with PDs. I believe that in the long term, these persons and PDs could rise to managerial positions and implement more policies of inclusion and...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
My country is a developing nation, and according to UN data, about 80%-90% of persons with disabilities(PDs) here are likely unemployed.
There seems to be this belief among employers that PDs might not have ease while commuting to work, and therefore their punctuality to the office may be a problem; again, they may need assistance in carrying files and...
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Abasibiangake Akpabio made a comment
Looking at well my country has implemented the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), I would say we have not reached 45% implementation.A lot of public infrastructures (like schools, government offices, etc) have too few access points for wheelchairs. it is until recently that newer government buildings started taking the needs of...
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Community Interest Companies would most likely be registered either as Companies Limited by Guarantee or as Incorporated Trustees.
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@JamiuYusuf Thank you and you are quite right. Exigency requires innovation to meet a rising challenge, but we must be aware that innovative legislation is not something we are good at. You know how long we had to wait for the existing amendments. We may be better off starting out with the existing structures we have now, rather than wait for conditions to be...
