UPROAR OVER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS – WHO’S RIGHT, WHO’S WRONG?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church Kpeyegyi Abuja Nigeria {Vol. 8.NO 331. 15th December, 2019.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32). . PRAY & FAST EVERY WEDNESDAY TO STOP BLOODSHED IN NIGERIA!

UPROAR OVER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS – WHO’S RIGHT, WHO’S WRONG?
Except for valid and legal pronouncement of a state of emergency by the President – in the event of war or violence as enshrined in Section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, nothing shall derogate (detract, diminish or take away part of any citizen’s merit or fundamental rights: to private and family life, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and the Press, peaceful assembly and association, and to freedom of movement!

They are inalienable and incontrovertible rights that must be provided  for all citizens by every successive government of the Federation, but of recent, the incumbent administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been under heavy bombardments from all sections of the society, prominent among them are opposition parties, the Press, social media, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the United States Government, Foreign Organisations, etc, for disobedience to those constitutional rights of the individuals through flagrant disrespect to the rule of law and court verdicts that were unfavourable to it!

ARE SOCIAL MISCREANTS ALSO ENTITLED TO HUMAN RIGHTS?
Apart from law-abiding citizens who pay their dues according to Chapter II, Section 24 [ (a) – (f) ], of the 1999 Constitution, who else is entitled to fundamental rights? In particular reference to the State of Nigeria, the Constitution clearly states that CONVICTS would automatically lose all of the above listed rights throughout their period of incarceration BUT WHAT OF THE TERRORISTS, BANDITS, KIDNAPPERS etc, who perpetrate heinous crimes and still walk free? For as long as they were neither apprehended nor brought to justice, must they enjoy such rights at all?
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL in some years back castigated Nigerian soldiers for summarily executing Boko Haram Prisoners of War, (POWs), without proper legal process, though they had no proof or evidence to support their claim! But in an interview AI was silent, when it was suggested that since those psychopaths (who relished in reckless, unprovoked and wanton destruction of lives and property, persistently and incessantly for about a decade), did not believe in human rights of thousands of innocent victims they had sent to early graves, they also should not be accorded such privilege!

WHERE DOES HUMAN RIGHT BEGIN OR ENDS? ARE GOVERNMENTS ENTITLED TO FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS? WHAT IS THE CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE OF THE PRESS? IS THE NIGERIAN PRESS FREE?
There are two sections in the 1999 Constitution which empower the Press to play the role of a watchdog, monitor and ensure that government is always accountable to the people who elected them to position of authority. Section 22 obligates the mass media to uphold at all times the fundamental objectives as obtained in Chapter II, and also uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people; while Chapter III, Section 39 (1), (2), (3)(a) (b); permit officially authorised persons to own any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.

PUNCH NEWSPAPER ACCUSES PRESIDENCY OF RIGHTS VIOLATION!
The Punch Newspaper Editorial of Wednesday 11th December, 2019, tested the waters and accused the Presidency of:
Serial disregard for human rights; and
Battering other arms of government and democratic institutions;
Flagrant disobedience to COURT ORDERS; and opined that the President had garbed the military dictatorial garb of 1984-1985 and concluded that it would henceforth address President Buhari as, “Major General”! Heaven did not fall because the doctrine of Press Freedom was respected! Government has also waded into the face-off between “revolution now” protagonist, Omoyele Sowore and DSS, the prosecuting agency, having withdrawn working files to Office of the Attorney General for execution.

THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION (NBA) SET TO DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION!
The Nigerian Bar Association which has severally been accused of complacency in respect of human rights violation, has spoken out in defence of Omoyele Sowore  and condemned DSS high-handedness in the handling of his bail application and eventual re-arrest on Friday 6th December 2019, allegedly within an Abuja High Court premises in violation of his fundamental rights and also the desecration of the sacredness of the Court Room, but government denied the claim!  They had threatened boycott of the courts if within 14 days, Sowore’s trial was not accorded accelerated attention, but it is yet to be seen if they would actually bark and bite!

IS BUHARI GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY CULPABLE OF ALL ACCUSATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION? 
A list of human rights violation against the ruling Federal Government according to Amnesty International include but not limited to the following: (1) Arbitrary arrests, (2) Harassment of human rights defenders, activists and journalists (3) Documented killings of hundreds by States and non-State actors, (4) Extra-judicial executions, (5) Detention, torture, (6) Violence against women, (7) Restrictions on freedom of expression; which government constantly denied as untrue and distorted information designed to rubbish the people-oriented human rights records of the administration!

BAD LOSERS ARE THE FAULT - FINDERS!
The 2019 Presidential Elections might have been won and lost but the ripple effects of the Supreme Court judgement of Wednesday 30th October, which confirmed the victory of the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, has generated much more bitterness from the main opposition party which believed that it actually won the contest according to some spurious results from a “website server” allegedly owned by the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which conducted the polls!  The genesis of the current crisis and bad blood is not far-fetched considering the fact that 91 Political Parties had “bona fide” visas to run at all levels of the election from the national to the wards and which the opposition strongly believed was a positive advantage to edge out Buhari in his second term bid since he refused to bow to pressures to step down! 
The organised overtures, manipulations, predictions, prophesies, alignments, confederations, mud-slinging through false news/hate speeches and even gang-ups, orchestrated by those parties, against the President, fell like pack of cards on the election day of 23rd February, 2019!
At every stage of the concluded elections, fundamental rights and the rule of law was judiciously upheld and maintained at every turn up to the apex court and in his inaugural speech, President Buhari magnanimously declared that there was “victor, no vanquished” and added that he was prepared to work with the opposition to take the nation to the NEXT LEVEL that would truly deliver further dividends of democracy to the downtrodden and most economically-vulnerable among the masses of citizens! Since 29th May, 2019, the continuity administration had known no peace, because the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). which rejected the outcome of the presidential election from the Tribunal to the Supreme Court, vowed to work against good governance through all forms of antagonisms, especially by insinuating culpability of human rights violations by agencies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).  

NIGERIANS ARE REFUGEES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPs) OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY!
Sixteen years of maladministration, treasury-looting, official corruption with impunity, 1999-2015, which resulted in mass exodus of Nigerian youths to foreign countries and general BRAIN-DRAIN by professionals who sought for greener pastures outside of the shores of the nation, debuted a generation of disgruntled citizens – mostly uneducated/jobless youths who engaged in disrupting peace in the polity through acts of violence, pipe lines vandalism, brigandage, banditry insurgency and terrorism across the nation!
Are the Internally-Displaced Persons who are still very much with us in their thousands not suffering both deprivation of basic amenities of life and abuse of their fundamental human rights in the hands of FELLOW NIGERIANS?!
From all indications, MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN” has made most Nigerians to be culpable of human rights violation against his brothers and sisters! Nigerians should remember that human right is a common inheritance of each individual and subjected to respect and mutual understanding that, “where one’s right ends, the other begins!

ADVOCACY FOR SUCCINCT PUBLIC THEOLOGY!
The blame game must stop now while Nigerians embrace the doctrine of a profound public theology which proffers the following ideologies:
Citizens of Nigeria need a common language of faith in every engagement of governance in the public domain since all of creation is united in God the Omni-presence, Omni-potent, and Omni-science, Who operates in the supernatural.
The people should pay conscious attention to the governing principles and purposes of life which is pivoted on the love of the God of creation and their neighbours from whom all good things flow, instead of trusting the ephemeral and mundane that would provide limited and uneasy comfort!
Political aspirants/business entrepreneurs should not place bets on socio-economic gains to the detriment of an everlasting relationship with the One who blesses without adding sorrow!
[TO BE CONTINUED IN SUBSEQUENT EDITIONS].

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. G-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.