Risk Assessment: An Approach to a Suitable Pathway to the Protection of Human Rights during Pandemics in Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has forcefully brought human rights into focus. It has exposed vulnerabilities and inequalities spawned by long years of exclusionary laws and policies in many parts of the world. It has also, at the same time, enabled authoritarian and dictatorial rulers to seize the moment and wreak havoc on already declining status of human rights in many countries across the world. This article adopts a desk based research methodology to examine and analyse the standards and requirements of a human rights based responses to the COVID-19 global pandemic through the review of relevant literature, documents and reports. The article also assessed the responses and outcomes of the Nigerian government to the pandemic on the basis of the identified human rights standards. The objective is to identify the limits and gaps in the responses of the Nigerian government and contrasts with the suitability and potentials of a risk assessment approach in improving human rights protection and resilience in vulnerable contexts/societies during pandemics such as COVID-19. The aim is to craft a better and more effective
approach to safeguarding human rights in vulnerable situations during pandemics such as COVID-19. The article finds that fragile and vulnerable societies and countries lack the requisite technology, resources and institutions to adequately engage and deal with pandemics such as COVID-19. It also finds that the risk assessment approach is a more suitable and effective approach to protect the human rights of citizens in vulnerable societies during pandemics such as COVID-19. It therefore advises vulnerable countries like Nigeria to adopt and utilise the Financial Action Task Force risk assessment methodology and approach to identify, assess and reduce emerging and potential threats to public health nationally and internationally, and take action, including officially shutting airports, seaports, and borders while still developing medical countermeasures such as vaccines and
treatments, and apply resources, aimed at ensuring the risks are mitigated effectively.