RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The agitation and clamour for Resource Control has led to abuse of basic fundamental human rights in the Niger Delta. The issue of human rights needs to be properly addressed and corrected. Human rights are our common heritage and their realization depends on the contributions that each and every one of us is willing to make, individually and collectively, now and in future.

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights relating to the mandate of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention clearly state in Article 9 that, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. This has been outlined in the following order….

1. Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.
2. Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him.
3. Anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power and shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release. It shall not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the judicial proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execution of the judgment.
4. Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful.
5. Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or detention shall have an enforceable right to compensation.

Unfortunately, these rules have never been respected by any government in the country. The Joint Task Force codenamed "operation restore hope", headed by Brig-Gen Elias Zamani is the instrument used by this present government to deprive the people of Niger Delta from enjoying their democratic dividend part of which is suppose to be the maintenance of an egalitarian society. I have been a victim of these human rights abusers and presently two of my colleagues in the Niger Delta (Mr. Michael Etukudoh and Mr. Yakub Sule) are presently being detained in their torturous cells. Their whereabouts is still unknown to us and no charges have been brought against them.

We must not allow ourselves to become prisoners of a culture of fear and an ideology of exclusion and arrogance. More than ever, the international human rights agenda creates a forum, may be the only universal forum, in which conflicting views, aspirations and beliefs of a most fundamental nature can confront each other in a respectful environment.

The United Nations Millennium Declaration of 8 September 2000, general assembly resolution 55/2, 25 stated as follows…. We resolve therefore:

• To respect fully and uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• To strive for the full protection and promotion in all our countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all.
• To strengthen the capacity of all our countries to implement the principles and practices of democracy and respect for human rights, including minority rights.
• To combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
• To take measures to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and their families, to eliminate the increasing acts of racism and xenophobia in many societies and to promote greater harmony and tolerance in all societies.
• To work collectively for more inclusive political processes, allowing genuine participation by all citizens in all our countries.
• To ensure the freedom of the media to perform their essential role and the right of the public to have access to information.

VI. Protecting the vulnerable

As the World commemorated The International Human Rights Day in 2004, the vision and the promise contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are under considerable strain. Few of us are free from fear; many of us are still not free from want. The sinister shadow of oppression is generating a confused response, unanchored in the principles that have guided us in the search for a proper balance between our desire for collective security and our need for liberty and individual freedom.

The HNDC high level panel has captured well the national threats we face. The government preys on the weak states for financial sanctuary. The weak states’ call for derivation is aided by grievances nurtured by poverty, multinational exploitation and the absence of human rights and true democracy; by religious and other intolerance; and by civil violence.

It is my call that we should create an institution of human rights learning to educate the mind of our future leaders. This human rights learning must be seen as a transformative agent. The transformative power of human rights learning must be seen as an integral part of building a global community based on a culture of human rights.

In this regard, it is important to think of how the transformative power of human right could be maintained. Human rights were a one way street: once an improvement in human rights had been achieved, it must not be allowed to be reversed. The purpose for the campaign of this human rights learning is to ensure that people thought in those terms. I hope the idea will have many followers and would flourish. The bottom line is that human rights present an ideology that could change the face of the world.

We must preserve the space that we will create with this international human rights instruments and institutions. And we must embrace the future boldly as we seek to improve these instruments and institutions.

Much depends on the readiness of the government and those concerned to act on its responsibilities. I urge to the government to ensure that the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 are properly promoted and protected. The question of how human rights standards were balanced against religious and traditions would be important for the country’s future stability and prosperity.

Comrade Sunny Ofehe
President & Founder,
Hope for Niger Delta Campaign, HNDC
The Netherlands.