Nigerians urged to defend their rights

Agency Reporter

An activist and founder  of the Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), a non-governmental organization, Barrister Mrs Funmi Falana, has called on every Nigerian to defend their rights for peace and justice to reign.

She made the call during the WELA’s annual walk on the International Human Rights Day which recognizes that all members of the human family are the foundation of freedom, equality, justice, human dignity and peace in the world to mark the day.

The walk saw a large crowd brave the early morning sun to converge on Adekunle Fajuyi, GRA, Ikeja.

Among them were WELA officials, scholarship awardees of the WELA from different universities, especially from the University of Lagos, pressmen and other stakeholders. The walk kicked off at 10am prompt through Mobolanji Bank Anthony to Allen Avenue before terminating at Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

Addressing the participants, Falana said: “Let us stand up for human rights for everyone and everywhere. We must stand up for equality, justice and human dignity because they are vital to each and every one of us all, woman, man and child.

“The Women Empowerment and Legal Aid was formed to contribute to the empowerment of women in Nigeria and to promote and protect women’s human rights through lobbying, advocacy, provision of legal aid, training, among other strategies.

“The need to end discrimination against women in Nigeria and close the existing gender gap also necessitated the birth of an organization like the WELA to assist in the efforts to stop the abuses against women and dismantle all the gender barriers that penalize women and girls in Nigeria”.

She disclosed that International Human Rights Day, which is not limited to Nigeria alone but a worldwide event, is marked every 10th day of December to commemorate the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1948 and also the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights (UDHR) to empower us all. It was on this day, 71 years ago, according to her, that the United Nations General Assembly established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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“In times like this, we all must come together to educate ourselves and our youths in basic human rights. These rights were set forth by the United Nations in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The purpose of the Human Rights Walk is to unite all people in these rights and to make them a reality. Through education, we can end war, discrimination and intolerance in Nigeria and the world at large,” she said.

She further said: “You need to know your human rights because a population ignorant of its rights cannot demand or defend them. Yet, few in the world know even two or three of their 30 rights. The ideology underpinning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a simple yet, profound one which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal with dignity and rights. The UDHR contains 30 articles detailing diverse rights. They encompass the rights to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education and a great deal more.”