Introduction

Democratic governance provides the structures for collective and popular efforts to identify, understand, and address social and developmental problems. Before 1999, Nigeria experienced successive authoritarian and oppressive regimes that had no regard for citizen participation, values, rule of law, or practices that enable individual and group non-state actors to get involved in nation building and national development. Successive military regimes systematically violated the rights of Nigerians with impunity. Human rights abuses under authoritarianism in Nigeria peaked under the late General Sani Abacha Regime (November 1993 – June 1998). Fully availing himself of the instrument of control, Abacha repressed and targeted perceived opponents in the political and civic classes (Lewis 1996). Nigeria became a pariah nation and was even suspended from the Commonwealth in 1995. During this period, the Nigerian human rights movement served as an alternative voice. Comprising the labour unions, professional bodies, student unions, and human rights organizations, the movement campaigned for democracy, constitutionalism, respect for the rule of law, social justice, respect for human rights, and accountability. Notable groups included the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP), the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). These groups were supported financially by the international community but faced significant repression from the military rulers within Nigeria.

It was the struggle by these movements that partly led to democratic rule in 1999. The struggle was cross-sectoral, spanning labour and professional groups and human rights movements. Since the return to democracy, respect for human rights has become a major criterion for assessing the level of Nigeria's democratization. But attention has shifted from the fight for and protection of core human rights to addressing issues such as gender equality, electoral integrity, transparent and inclusive governance, youth participation in politics, and efforts to tackle corruption. In 2009, there were over 46,000 not-for-profit groups operating in the country (ThisDay 2009).

In this chapter, I approach human rights as privileges enjoyed by every human being irrespective of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political, or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth, or other statuses. These rights are believed to be natural and non-negotiable. Civil society organizations (CSOs) have been described as the third sector as they neither seek to exercise state power nor make a taxable profit from their activities (Clarke 2016).