| Summary: | Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, human rights have not only acquired global status and importance but have grown tremendously both in conception and content. While the internationalization of human rights was energized and strengthened by a number of developments, the present status of human rights in Nigeria is also not without any historical antecedents. This article provided a historical development of human rights in Nigeria, starting from pre-colonial, to colonial and post-independence Nigeria. It highlighted the scope of human rights guaranteed in each epoch and the impediments to their full realization. The paper argued that although Nigeria is a signatory to major international human rights instruments, large-scale human rights abuses still exist in the country and the social, economic and cultural rights have become a neglected category of human rights in Nigeria. The paper concluded by prescribing roles which the government and NGOs must play to ensure optimal realization of human rights in Nigeria
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