HUMAN RIGHTS AND NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY: THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTATION.

The correlation between human light and democracy cannot be overemphasised; democracy has the potential of enhancingfull realisation of human tights. The concern for human rights is as old as humanity itself. The idea of the inalienable rights' of man predates the vcy political system, which produces the law-making institutes, as we know them today. Human Rights are inherent and intrinsic to all human beings in as much as they are human, irrespective of nationality, sex, ethnicity, origin, colour or any other status. These lights can be protected in a functional democratic setting that anchors its foundation in the rule of law. In democracy, the rule of law protects the rights of individuals, preserves order, and limits powers of government. In Nigeria's democracy, the reverse seems to be the case. Human rights are often violated. Extra -judicial killings, unlawful detention, and other series of human rights abuses are still prevalent in Nigeria democracy. The secondary source of data was adopted, and the Social Contract and Elite Theory were used as a theoreticalframework of analysis. This paper concludes that for democracy to protect human right in Nigeria, the government needs to obey the laws, be transparent, accountable and respect democratic ethics and ethos. Lastly, all the law enforcement agencies need to be re-oriented on how to protect citizen s fundamental human rights.