The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has cautioned that the unchecked deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies could worsen social inequality, enable censorship and exclude vulnerable groups if not guided by strong ethical and human rights frameworks.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, gave the warning in Abuja at a national conference on digital rights organised by Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France in partnership with Spaces for Change and Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from the European Union.
At the conference themed “Advancing Digital Rights: Fortifying Governance, Expanding Access, and Safeguarding Civic Freedom in a Digital Society”, the organisation unveiled the National Digital Rights Report, which analyses the state of digital rights in Nigeria.
Ojukwu said while AI and emerging digital tools offer immense opportunities for development and innovation, their misuse poses serious risks to fundamental freedoms, privacy and equal access to justice.
According to him, global standards on Business and Human Rights provide a clear framework for responsible digital governance, built on three pillars: the duty of the state to protect human rights, the responsibility of businesses to respect those rights, and access to effective remedies for victims of violations.
He explained that the framework mandates human rights due diligence in AI and digital deployments, including impact assessments, transparency in algorithmic decision-making and mechanisms for remediation where violations occur, in line with ongoing United Nations efforts to mainstream digital rights into global norms.
He disclosed that the Commission actively monitors digital rights violations through its monthly digital rights dashboard and engages technology companies to promote ethical AI standards.
“We are actively advocating for strong human rights oversight in AI governance so as to enforce due diligence, and integrate digital protections into our Act, mirroring our quasi-judicial powers to summon, investigate, and remedy abuses.
“As I had recently emphasized, AI, if not governed with robust ethical frameworks snd with human dignity at the core, can breed inequalities,” Ojukwu added.
The NHRC boss said the Commission is collaborating with Meta and other technology firms on ethical guidelines, while also working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and civil society organisations to conduct workshops addressing algorithmic bias, privacy violations and misinformation.
Country Director of ASF France, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said the conference was timely as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, a period when digital platforms are increasingly leveraged for political participation, activism and accountability.
She said while technology has expanded access to information and economic opportunities, it has also heightened risks of digital authoritarianism, self-censorship and state-led online repression, particularly against journalists, activists and human rights defenders.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu stressed that digital platforms now represent an extension of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, adding that safeguarding these rights online was essential to protecting Nigeria’s democratic space ahead of the polls.
She said the conference came at the backdrop of e-RIGHTS project the organization commenced since 2022.
According to her, ASF France has trained 5,073 students on digital rights, 113 judges and lawyers on human rights standards, and has achieved about 80 per cent in preventing the arbitrary detention of journalists and activists.
Speaking, executive director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, Dr Yinusa Zakari, said it was in the government’s interest to provide a safe and free environment for the economy to grow.
Former director-general of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle (SAN), in his keynote address, said it was impossible to have a single regulator for all internet users across different sectors, adding that regulators should open the digital space.
Executive director of Spaces for Change, Barr Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri in her remarks expressed concerns that while governments in other countries are seeking to maximise the use of digital space, Nigeria was busy trying to clamp down on people for expressing their views and called on authorities to seek how to fortify digital spaces for the safety of the citizens.
