Headfort Foundation for Justice has trained teachers in Lagos State on civic space and human rights.
The training is aimed at enabling the teachers to transfer the knowledge acquired to their students.
The Head of Legal Department of the foundation, Ms Olajumoke Ogunfowora, stated this in an interview.
She spoke during a Civic Space Train-the-Trainer programme for teachers on Wednesday in Lagos.
Ogunfowora said the training was part of the foundation’s Human Rights Club project aimed at educating teachers on civic space.
She said it would also equip them to pass the knowledge to students through the Human Rights Clubs.
According to her, teachers need to understand their civic rights, how to protect them and how to exercise them responsibly.
“Essentially, it is to educate the teachers on civic space and pass the knowledge to help them pass the knowledge to the students.
“They need to know about their rights, their civic rights, and how to protect it, as well as how to use it responsibly,” she said.
Ogunfowora said about 12 participants were attending the training, comprising two teachers each from five secondary schools and some education district officers.
She listed the participating schools as Ayedire High School, Ojota Senior High School, Ikosi Senior and Junior schools, and Kosofe.
She said the legal department was responsible for delivering the legal component of the training, particularly to help participants understand their rights.
Also speaking, the Programmes Officer, Headfort Foundation for Justice, Miss Oluwadamilola Ilori, said the organisation’s Human Rights Club was established in 2024.
She said the club was established to increase students’ awareness of their rights and environment.
Ilori said the training was part of the foundation’s continuous efforts to expose students to human rights and civic issues.
“The mission is to let students become aware, more aware of their rights and their environment, basically.
“So, it is just a continuous effort. Everything that they will gain from this is more exposure and a reminder, because students need to be reminded about things so they will not forget,” she said.
Ilori said greater awareness would help students recognise when their rights were being violated and understand how they should respond.
She recalled that as a secondary school student, there were instances where people attempted to trample on her rights.
She said there was no Human Rights Club to provide such awareness at the time.
According to her, the establishment of the club would enable students to recognise unacceptable conduct and understand how they should be treated.
The Programme Officer, Spaces for Change, Mr Testimony Omole, said engaging young people was important to the advancement of Nigeria’s civic space.
Omole said the training was organised by Headfort Foundation in partnership with the Action Group on Free Civic Space.
He added that the programme was supported by the Fund for Global Human Rights.
Omole said Spaces for Change and its partners had implemented initiatives including capacity building, advocacy, community engagement, research and knowledge building.
He added that media advocacy was also being used to advance the Nigerian civic space.
“We are at a critical point where we have realised the need to also engage the upcoming generation, the younger generation, the students and the youth,” he said.
He said equipping teachers with knowledge and tools on civic space protection would enable them to transfer such knowledge to students through Human Rights Clubs.
Omole said students and young people needed to understand what civic space meant and how they could legitimately participate in civic activities.
On factors responsible for the shrinking civic space, he identified securitisation and security overreach among issues affecting civic participation.
He said research conducted by the Action Group on Free Civic Space five years ago showed that security measures could sometimes have a chilling effect.
Omole said this could occur when such measures were implemented disproportionately, thereby affecting civic participation.
He urged civil society organisations to invest in knowledge and evidence building as part of efforts to address restrictions on civic space.
He said evidence was crucial to advocacy for social change and an end to civic space repression.
Mr Gabriel Odiwe, a participant from Education District 2, Maryland, Lagos, said the training would help teachers equip students with knowledge of their civic rights.
Odiwe said many Nigerians, including students, were unaware of their rights and lacked knowledge of how to seek enforcement when violated.
“Most of our students don’t know their rights. And not just students, most of the citizens don’t know their rights,” he said.
According to him, even when citizens know their rights, many do not know how to get them enforced.
He said this often left them vulnerable to unjust treatment.
Odiwe said the training would enable teachers to understand civic space and subsequently transfer the knowledge to students.
He said the knowledge would also help students become more assertive and understand how to protect their rights in different situations.
Odiwe said students should be equipped to ensure that their rights were not trampled upon by adults or security personnel.
The project was made possible with funding provided by the Action Group on Free Civic Spaces.
It was supported by Fund for Global Human Rights in partnership with Spaces for Change.
