2014 Int'l Human Rights Day (Aired News-Commentary)

THE NEED TO UPHOLD THE MANDATE OF ANY CONSTITUTION AS THE WORLD COMMEMORATES THE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, TODAY WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2014

In any existing society, everyone is entitled to certain rights or privileges as the case may be, which signifies the value of that person in the society in question. This phenomenon is invariably regarded by all and sundry as ‘Human Rights.’

Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly safeguarded as legal rights in both national and international laws. They are usually seen as undeniable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because he or she is a human being as well as a bona-fide member of that society regardless of the person’s location, language, skin colour, religion, ethnic origin, background, among other statuses.

Human rights are universal and supreme, in the sense that it is being applicable everywhere and at every time; and they are also egalitarian, in the sense of being the same for everyone. They require empathy and the rule of law, and impose an obligation on persons to respect the human rights of others.

Fundamentally, it is forbidden for human rights to be taken away, ignored or overlooked by any person, officer, court of law or any instituted authority, unless as a result of due process based on specific circumstances. Ordinarily, human rights require freedom from unlawful molestation, discrimination, assault, torture, detention, imprisonment, and/or execution, which have recently been the order of the day in most localities or countries.

The doctrine of human rights has been highly influential within national and international laws coupled with regional and global institutions. Actions by states and non-governmental organizations form a basis of public policy worldwide. There is a consensus that human rights encompasses a wide variety of rights such as the right to life, fair trial, prosecution, protection against enslavement, prohibition of genocide, free speech, information dissemination, choice of religion, and a right to education. Though some thinkers or schools of thought are of the view that human rights ought to comprise a minimum requirement to avoid the worst-case abuses while others see the wide variety as a higher standard.

Many of the basic ideas that yielded the Human Rights Movement came up in the aftermath of the Second World War and the atrocities of The Holocaust. The aforementioned ideas or views culminated in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris – France by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in the year 1948. Although the ancient people did not have the same modern-day ideology of universal human rights.

The real forerunner of human rights crusade was the concept of natural rights which appeared as part of the medieval natural law tradition that became notable during the enlightenment by philosophers like Francis Hutcheson, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, and which featured predominantly in the political thrives of both the American and French Revolutions.

From the above foundation, the modern human rights arguments emerged during the half of the twentieth century possibly as a reaction to slavery, torture, genocide, and war crimes, as a realization of inherent human vulnerability and as being a precondition for the emergence of the anticipated just society.

Due to the supremacy and universality of human rights, every adopted constitution or bye-law creates a special column which categorically stipulates the rights and privileges binding the entire members of the society/group that abides by the mandates of the said constitution, and such provision is bound to remain sacrosanct among the members unless unanimous amendments are made to that effect.

Frankly, sine recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the rudiments of freedom, peace and justice in the world; and since all human beings were born free and equal in dignity and rights, there is an absolute need for the fundamental rights stipulated in any constitution to be duly upheld, in order to put to a stop all forms of human rights abuses taking place in all nooks and crannies across the globe.

Today Wednesday December 10, the world over is commemorating the 2014 Human Rights Day. In 1950, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10^th December of every year as Human Rights Day, to bring the attention of people of the world to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples as well as all nations.

This year’s slogan – ‘Human Rights 365’, bears the idea that every day is Human Rights Day. It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times, is entitled to the full range of human rights. It also showcases that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values.

As the world commemorates the Human Rights Day today, I’m earnestly soliciting that the mandate of any adopted constitution or bye-law regarding fundamental rights and privileges should be treated as sacrosanct or supreme by the overall members of the society in question irrespective of their statuses, and that every member regardless of his/her status ought to be a beneficiary to such provision.

At this juncture, I enjoin all Rights activists and civil societies to be fierce and uncompromising as they strive relentlessly towards upholding the nobility of Human Rights.

 

        COMR FRED NWAOZOR

Public Affairs Analyst & Rights Activist

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          frednwaozor@gmail.com

             +2348028608056  

  

The Truth About Emotional Heartbreak

WHEN A HEART IS ‘BROKEN’

Greetings brethren! I wish to commence with two distinct messages; what you owe me is to grant me a listening ear. Mind you, failure to be all ears might cost you an irreplaceable fortune. To before warned is to before armed.

First: don’t be afraid to give up the good and go for the great. On the other hand; every scar has a story, so you shouldn’t be afraid to tell it. Yes you ought not to be afraid to surrender any good thing in your possession in order to embrace great ones. Also, you mustn’t shy away from telling a story that you experienced no matter how it pains to do so.

Don’t forget; a person who chases two rabbits concurrently, catches neither. Thus you must let go of one of the rabbits if you really want to catch any. Furthermore, for everything you have lost, you have surely gained something else in return.

If you closely and wisely consider the above statements, you would notice that they are talking about two things. Of course the aforementioned messages are discussing the importance of two major factors, namely: sacrifice and sharing. Yes they are all preaching the essence of sacrifice or sharing, or the need to sacrifice something if you are determined to acquire something else as well as the need for one to share his/her bad experience with someone else.

Believe me, it is important to share a bad or unfair experience with someone because a word of encouragement after failure or having encountered a detour worth more than an hour of praise after success. Therefore share any experience with someone because if you wait until you’re ready, I’m afraid you may be waiting the rest of your life. In the same vein, there’s need to sacrifice something in order to obtain something great or for the sake of embracing the ‘Best’; Abraham laid a good example on sacrifice and we are expected to emulate that.

Three weeks ago, I was opportune to find myself in Abuja – the Nigerian capital territory for a certain convention. During the ceremony, which lasted for forty-eight hours, I ran into a colleague who confided in me and told me that he was passing through a heartbreak due to the ‘heartless’ gesture displayed by his purported fiancée. According to him, the lady in question left him for another man who resides in Germany without any prior notice or signal.

Heartbreak can be described as very great sadness or unhappiness. In other words, a heartbroken person is one who is extremely sad and upset. Among mankind, the term ‘heartbreak’ is often used when one is passing through an emotional trauma having being hurt by his/her love-partner; and this is the area where the context of this edition lies. Let’s ride on!

In recent times, heartbreak attributed to love-affairs has taken a different dimension in such a manner that most youths see it as a way of life. This alarming shape of heartbreak has prompted several reactions and counter-reactions among psychoanalysts. Frankly the ongoing mode of heartbreak as a result of love-affairs has called for urgent attention from all concerned institutions and stakeholders.

In this edition, I only have a candid note for that person who thinks that his heart has broken because he/she is being ‘dumped’ by his/her so called love-partner or fiancée as the case might be. I’m personally more concerned in this aspect because I’m of the view that many people have ended up ostracizing themselves or even committing suicide, all in the name of ‘heartbreak’.

If I may ask, what makes you think that your precious life has come to an end because someone just left it? How could you in your right senses think that someone leaving your life is a sign of ‘End of the road’ or ‘End time’? Don’t you know that someone leaving your life could be a sign of blessing? Thus, it often calls for thanksgiving whenever a certain fellow/partner has left our lives, unless in the case of death or eternal demise.

I know it is not easy to completely forget the good moments you have shared with your loved one, but sometimes we should be ready to let go; because the person’s departure could be an avenue of ushering in a better fellow or the person you’re destined to spend the rest of your life with. Therefore we must always be willing and prepared to sacrifice someone for another. If someone leaves your life, it implies that, he/she doesn’t deserve you; and that’s the way you’re expected to see it, rather than witch-hunting yourself.      

Even if the person left your life due to a spell casted on him/her or as a result of ill-health, the only thing you owe him/her is nothing but prayers. And as you pray, you must remain faithful because faith conquers everything. Believe me, faith is the most ultimate among all spiritual factors; it yields patience, optimism, determination, and what have you. I want you to note that despair is one of the greatest sins, if not the greatest, in existence.

And we ought to endeavour to share our experiences with other persons close to our lives, because a problem shared is half solved. The person you shared your plight with, might be the one that would help you to be free from the trauma. For instance, sharing a spiritual problem with your spiritual director or a man of God is definitely a pathway to solving or unravelling the predicament. Also, sharing your emotional plight with a psychoanalyst or psychologist, or an inspirational tutor, is no doubt an avenue required to solve the problem in question.

If death has robbed you of a partner or a loved one, leave everything for God. After all, He was the one who provided the person for you; so He must have a reason for taking him/her away from your life. Besides, death is a certainty and an inevitable scenario, so we must at all time be ready to absorb the pains it brings.

Sometimes we pour too many words on a certain unfavourable circumstance or whenever we are passing through an emotional trauma, thereby constituting more problems not just for ourselves but for generations yet unborn. Most times the only remedy to a predicament is simply silence and prayer coupled with faith. In most cases, silence is expected to be broken when the person involved intends to share his plight with a concerned fellow or one who could be of help.

Sincerely, it is time we started seeing some estrangement as a mark of blessing. At this point I repeat; don’t be afraid to give up the ‘Good’ and go for the ‘Great’. Think about it.

 

FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com 

+2348028608056     

Demeaning Reading Culture Among The Youth

DEMEANING READING CULTURE AMONG THE YOUTH

Brethren, have you ever in your lonely mood imagined being blind? I know the question might sound a bit weird considering the gravity of the imagination in question. Please don’t get me wrong; I’m only trying to fathom a certain vague phenomenon that’s presently telling on my person.

Penultimate week during a moment of solitude, I took my precious time right in my humble abode to romance over some ongoing anomalies passing through most societies in the world. Prior to that moment, I was personally and deeply affected by the said factor, which I lately tagged ‘a societal canker’.

Honestly, some of us who found ourselves in the writing profession (field) may on a very fateful day decide to quit or take an eternal leave from the field. I’m glad you actually know the difference between French leave and eternal leave; therefore there’s no need throwing more light.

Of course if writers are not being read by their target audience, then the writing profession would be considered to be worthless by the writers themselves. Same scenario is not unlike seeing a fashion designer whose wares are not being admired by the members of the public.

Frankly, the current demeaning reading culture among the youth is not only negatively affecting the writers, bloggers, journalists, or as the case may be, but the society at large. No doubt, it has eaten deep in the blood vessel of the countries concerned.

The lack of reading habit found amongst our teens is solely attributed to the aforementioned anomaly (culture). Yes, how do you expect the teenagers to appreciate reading whilst the set of people they are meant to look up to is nothing to write home about as regards reading?

Without mincing words, our youths have really derailed in regard to reading, education generally. None of them, or only a few, wishes or thrives towards actualization of academic success via hard work; rather, they prefer indulging in impersonation, examination malpractice, sorting, among others. It is even more pathetic to notice that the so-called parents or guardians seem impervious to these naughty and shameful acts. Let’s ride on!

Even those who spend virtually twenty-four (24) hours daily on the social media find it difficult to digest any educative or informative article/opinion, instead they prefer going through series of gossips, pornographic images, silly write-ups and what have you, as well as watching several indecent movies.

In spite of the fact that the newspapers, magazines and other periodicals can also be read or accessed on the internet or the social media, still you hardly see any youth that takes time to digest the contents of any publication online. The idea of publishing the softcopy of news bulletins online was considered worthwhile by the publishers owing to the fact that many people could not afford to purchase a hardcopy of any of the newspapers/magazines; yet our young ones find it difficult to be informed by those costless news. It is really disheartening.

Each time I remember that my country, Nigeria is taking a lead in this absurd and disgusting tradition, I end up shedding immeasurable bloods. It is no longer news that most Nigerians are invariably misinformed and/or uneducated; this is why they often indulge in inconsequential and childish discussions or debates thereby constituting societal mayhem.

Mind you, being educated doesn’t imply that one had successfully spent some desirable or required number of years in a certain citadel of higher learning. Being educated simply means that the person in question is knowledgeable or learned. And such knowledge is not acquired by attending classes, rather by indulging in enormous study and research works. Thus, learning is not all about attending classes but telling yourself that you ought to know that which you’re yet and meant to know.

At this juncture, I call on various concerned groups and stakeholders such as the civil societies, religious bodies, inspirational speakers, teachers unions, to carry out a holistic crusade, either individually or collectively, with the aim of elevating the level of reading habit among our young ones. They can actualize this by organizing series of seminars, workshops, conventions, conferences, et cetera towards sensitizing the people involved on the dangers of lack of information or knowledge as well as illiteracy.

I want to tell you unequivocally that anyone who lacks knowledge is simply like a blind man. And knowledge or appropriate information can never be acquired by shying away from reading. Think about it!

 

FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056