HUMAN RIGHTS LAW IN NIGERIA: ITS EXISTENTIALISM AND PRACTICABILITY

“Human Rights” has been defined as the “inalienable rights of people”. They are the legal entitlements which every citizen should enjoy without fear of the government or other fellow citizens. They are said to be the rights which cannot be said to have been given to man by man but are earned by man for being a human because they are necessary for his continuous happy existence with himself, his fellow man and for participation in a complex society (David Kaluge, Human Rights Abuse (2013).
Some Nigerians are confused as to what rights they are entitled to as citizens and often confuse what their fundamental rights really are. For example, a while back, there was a general outcry against the increased subscription rates imposed by MultiChoice Nigeria for their DSTV viewing packages. Some aggrieved subscribers went as far as to say the increase in subscription rates was an abuse of their fundamental rights as citizens of Nigeria.
 
In Nigeria, citizens enjoy many rights but the inalienable fundamental rights of citizens are statute-protected by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Chapter IV of the Constitution lists out the basic Fundamental Human Rights enjoyed by citizens of the country. The Right to Watch Satellite Television is, unfortunately, not part of that list.