Pentecostal Fellowship chair urges civil society organisations not to relent in fighting for citizens’ rights

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Bishop Ezedebego addresses the audience

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

Pro-democracy and human rights organisations in the country have been urged to continue to speak and fight for the rights of citizens inspite of the daunting challenges facing them.

The chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Bishop Moses Ezedebego, who made the call at Onitsha, Anambra State during the celebration of 75th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), said he was aware of the difficulties and challenges confronting them in the struggle to ensure that the rights of citizens are maintained.

He challenged Governments at all levels to do more than they are currently doing to respect the fundamental rights of the citizens, lamenting that the rights of many in the country have been trampled upon by Government, it’s institutions, the high and mighty in the society.

The presiding Bishop of Rescue Mission Church, Onitsha, said as a church leader he has seen people whose rights were tampered with and how bad they felt.

He asked the activists to do more than what they are doing now in their struggle to defend the citizens, saying that they should not be tired of speaking truth to power.

Bishop Ezedebego said:”Life is all about freedom and liberty. Human rights is a call to liberty, call to freedom. Man needs freedom, freedom of religion, movement, association and all others. As a Bishop I know what it means for people’ s freedom to be denied”.

He promised to support and encourage them in his prayers because human rights work is very risky especially in this part of the world.

The General Overseer also asked them not to be discouraged, stating: ” You have to do more. Don’t slow down. Don’t be tired. You are serving the society.Increase the tempo of what you are doing in your community, state and nation”.

In his address the chairman of CLO in Anambra State, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, called on all to stand up for human rights and commit themselves to making the principles of the UDHR a reality in their daily lives and activities.

He called for improvement of security of lives and property of the citizens, provision of good roads, credible electoral system, organization of Local Government and Market elections in the State to deepen the respect for people’s fundamental human rights.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Onitsha Central Police Station (CPS), Garba Rabiu, who was the guest speaker at the ocassion said the job of rights groups was to check the excesses of people in Government.

But for them to effectively achieve that ,said Garba , who is a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) the rights activists should be educated on the issues they are canvassing and fighting for.

The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Adeoye Aderemi who was represented at the ocassion by the Onitsha Area Commander, pledged the Command’s commitment to protecting the rights of citizens and defending the activists in the discharge of their duties.

The high point of the ocassion was the award of Distinguished Beacon of Democracy by CLO to Retired Hon. Justice Veronica Ngozi Umeh who was represented by former Chief Registrar of Anambra State Judiciary, Doris Ezeani, and Human Rights Defender to Nze Emeka Umeagbalasi, chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of International Society for Human Rights and Rule of Law (Intersociety).