A/HRC/28/64/Add.2 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 5 January 2015 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-eighth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák Mission to Nigeria (17 to 28 February 2014)* Summary Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and linguistically diverse society, where the great diversity of the population constitutes a valuable asset and rich cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the management of such a diverse population poses important challenges that have not been fully addressed and that require good and inclusive governance and the full implementation of minority rights. Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees the right to equality and non-discrimination and contains provisions conducive to fostering the equal representation of diverse groups at the different governmental levels, in the application of the federal character principle. Nevertheless, the distinction between those considered the native inhabitants of a territory (indigenes) and those who are not (settlers) leads in many cases to discriminatory treatment of citizens in fields such as access to land and resources, public positions, university education and scholarships, and has contributed to tensions and created and reinforced ethnic and religious cleavages. While, in most of the country, harmonious and peaceful inter-ethnic relations prevail, Nigeria has seen violent intercommunal clashes in some States, particularly in the North and Middle Belt regions, which have left thousands of victims. Root causes of violence are complex and intertwined, involving several factors, such as the issue of indigenes/settlers, competition for resources, poverty, good governance deficits, impunity and polarization of ethnic and religious characteristics. Such factors and their underlying * The summary of the present report is circulated in all official languages. The report itself, which is annexed to the summary, is circulated in the language of submission only. GE.15-00038 (E) 