Nigeria’s Engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council: Records and Rhetoric

This study examines Nigeria's participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), assessing the coherence between Nigeria's stated commitments to human rights promotion in multilateral forums and its domestic human rights record. Nigeria has served multiple terms as an elected UNHRC member and has engaged in Universal Periodic Review cycles, presenting national reports and receiving recommendations. Drawing on international norm theory and the concept of performative compliance, this research analyses Nigeria's UNHRC engagement from 2019 to 2024, examining its voting behaviour on country-specific resolutions, the content of its UPR submissions, and its responsiveness to review recommendations. The study employs a qualitative methodology, relying on UNHRC session records, Nigeria's UPR documentation, reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and academic literature. Particular attention is paid to Nigeria's positions on LGBTQ rights, extrajudicial killings, and freedom of expression, given the domestic controversies surrounding these issues. Findings are expected to show that Nigeria's UNHRC engagement is characterised by strong rhetoric about sovereignty and development-first approaches to rights, combined with selective implementation of recommendations and diplomatic coalitions with states sharing similar deflection strategies. Recommendations address improving domestic follow-up mechanisms for UPR recommendations. Keywords: UNHRC, human rights, Nigeria, Universal Periodic Review, performative compliance.