Impact story: Nigeria
Advancing Change with Data: Building a Freer Future for Nigeria
No one in Nigeria should be denied their right to freedom and equality. Without sound and accurate data, decision makers in the government cannot effect proper policy change. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) works to fill human rights data gaps. In 2025, our latest data on Nigeria sparked conversations in the media and educational institutions on Nigeria’s very low scores.
The data
2025 marked the first year that HRMI produced civil and political rights data for Nigeria and the scores provided are troubling, showing that Nigerian government still has a long way to go in achieving its human rights commitments. Furthermore, all of Nigeria’s economic and social rights scores fall within HRMI’s ‘very bad’ range.
As shown below, the right to work has the lowest score, at only 39.5%. As anything less than 100% indicates that a country is not meeting its current duty under international human rights law, Nigeria has a long way to go to meet its obligations.
Looking at civil and political rights, Nigeria’s overall Safety from the State score, which covers the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest, forced disappearance, extrajudicial execution, the death penalty, and torture and ill-treatment was only 3.2 out of 10.
Nigeria’s Empowerment score of 4.5 out of 10 is also of concern and suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, democratic rights, and religion and belief).
The coverage
Nigeria’s scores were widely covered in the national media, first being published by Premium Times. The article highlighted that HRMI’s scores were published at a crucial time – just as findings from Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) documented a surge in reported human rights violations.
The conversation was then picked up by numerous news outlets across the country such as:
The response
The mountain of media coverage led to politicians responding to HRMI’s scores. The Independent interviewed opposition politician, Chief Martin Onovo, about the current administration’s respect for the rule of law.
He stated that, ‘The ad hoc Tinubu regime is a maximum dictatorship. It operates above our laws and lawlessness prevails. It has no respect for human rights or the Rule of Law. In 2024, the Human Rights Measurement Initiative ranked Nigeria among the lowest in the world. According to the World Justice Project, Nigeria ranked 120th out of 142 countries in the 2024 World Human Rights and Rule of Law Index. In 2024, over two million complaints of human rights violations were recorded by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).’
Professor Isaac Aladegbola, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Crawford University, cited HRMI’s latest data in an interview with The Hope. He called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture, warning that the country’s current recruitment methods and weak intelligence system are fueling insecurity.
At HRMI, we believe that data can be a powerful catalyst for change. By equipping advocates and decision-makers with reliable human rights data, we aim to support efforts to create lasting impact. We are encouraged by the growing momentum in Nigeria and look forward to a future where freedom and dignity, are realities for all.
If you’re passionate about making a difference in your country, we’d love to hear from you. Connect us with your Human Rights Institute or Commission, prominent journalists, and local human rights advocates. Together, we can shine a spotlight on the issues that matter and help ensure leaders around the world are held accountable.