Human rights or in its easily understood form, are those inalienable fundamental rights that a person (or organisation) is inherently entitled to either as a human or corporate being.  Locally and internationally, human rights as a doctrine is a cornerstone of public policy and good governance.

Many Nigerians view human rights and its abuse(s) from the prism of the often-practised acts of denial of freedom, indiscriminate arrests, etc, without thinking for a second that the numerous demolitions of immovable properties and evictions carried out with purported legal backing are sometimes acts of illegality, discrimination, nepotism, unconcealed favouritism and gross abuse of the fundamental human rights of the people or organisation(s) at the receiving end.

Demolition, as an act based on public policy, is a variegated tool of enabling infrastructure development and urban renewal; easing the seamless movement and right of way of man and machine; restoring the original concept or masterplan of a town or metropolis or as, in the Nigerian socio-political milieu, a handy instrument of coercion to whip “erring” persons or corporate organisations into line as atonement for perceived wrong(s) done someone in authority as a show of mundane strength.  In the extreme case, a demolition is carried out as a precautionary measure to forestall and/or pre-empt a looming collapse of a structure with questionable integrity that will endanger human life if allowed to do so on its own.

What has really stunted public knowledge of the human rights component of demolition exercise(s) is the omnibus usage of long-abused technical terms like right of way, obstruction, distortion of masterplan, wrongful conversion, negative environmental impact assessment, etc, which serves as justification for some of these exercises, even though they are illegal, ab initio.

In many cases, the so-called prescribed authorities hide under a canopy of self-serving laws and bye-laws couched in a kaleidoscope of legalese with enough loopholes to achieve their mindsets or targets.

One of the basic but very important requirements for living is shelter.  It is a fact that the wilful destruction of any accommodation – whether residential or otherwise- connotes the deployment and firing of a missile at the very soul and existence of such an individual or organisation.  In effect, it is a declaration of war!

It is gratifying to note that there is a growing awareness and concern over the employment of demolition; threat of demolition and eviction as a means of coercion and settling scores.

As a first step, there is an ongoing series of public hearings on demolitions and evictions in Nigeria.  The hearing being organised and conducted by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, will traverse the six geo-political zones starting with the South West from November 18-21, 2013.

The exercise is expected to look into numerous allegations of demolitions and evictions in Nigeria with colourations of human rights abuses; determine the effect, legality and otherwise on the fundamental human rights of the victims and formulate government policy on the reparation of these violations and forestall future ones; provide the foundation for a new set of guidelines for the seamless exercise of demolitions and/or eviction; compile recommendations to the Federal Government of Nigeria for consideration, approval and adoption in consonance with the National Human Rights Commission Act (as amended).

This new consciousness about the inherent abuses and deprivations in the demolition of structures and the eviction of persons and organisations could not have come in a more appropriate season such as this.

This is considering the illegal demolition of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles South East Regional Headquarters along Zik Avenue, Uwani, Enugu, EnuguState.  The demolition exercise which occasioned the wilful damage and destruction of church property, came after a three-day notice and a back drop of a subsisting High Court order to stay execution, which the government side-stepped in its haste to demolish the building..

For a church organisation that is reputed to be the fastest growing one in Christendom, the Enugu State Government’s action was an over-kill in relation to the infraction allegedly committed by the MFM authorities, encroaching on the free flow of River Asata, which is in fact a seasonal pond at the point the Zik Avenue bridge traverses it.

Another salient issue that the Enugu State Government has completely downplayed in their efforts to conceal the attrocity visited on the MFM property, is that the new bridge being constructed over River Asata on Zik Avenue is on a new site many metres aways from the old one near the MFM building.  This detracts from the government’s propaganda that the building is encroaching on a water channel very close to the new bridge!

The initial building approval (Certificate of Occupancy) and other necessary documents were issued in 1998 and updated for remodelling and reconstruction in 2002 and 2010 because of the constant astronomical rise in membership which the MFM authorities in Enugu had to contend with, always.

With the history and pedigree of MFM Ministries as the fastest growing Christian organisation in the world, the various branches followed the trajectory of the mother-church.  A flash-back into the formative years of the church organisation reveals that it grew from the mustard seed sown by Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya in 1989, under the guidance of God and with 23 initial attendees.

Within a short period, this number increased in spiral degrees and this neccessitated the movement of the prayer meetings to No. 60 Old Yaba Road, Yaba, Lagos.  This did not last long as the prayer group relocated, once again to No. 13, Olasimbo Street, Onike, Yaba (Close to UNILAG Second Gate), a location that has remained as the International Headquarters of the Church organisation, which held its first service on April 24, 1994.

The name Mountain of Fire and Miracles, MFM, Ministries was revealed to Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, the General Overseer of the Church organisation through divine impartment. It is to the eternal glory of God that MFM branches are located in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, the rest of Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and many countries in Africa with diverse language blocs and thousands of member-branches.

In spite of this rapid global expansion, there have been no known incident or complaint of encroachment or obstruction caused by any of the Church’s structures until the recent wilful demolition of Enugu Regional Headquarters building by the government of Governor Sullivan Iheanacho Chime.

Added to the fact that there is a subsisting court order emanating from an ongoing action filed by the MFM authorities in Enugu to put on hold the demolition, the issue of premeditated discrimination comes to the fore.  It is incontrovertible to aver that of all the structures owned by individuals and corporate organisations which are equidistant to the pond over which the old Zik Avenue bridge traverses, ONLY THE MFM BUILDING WAS DEMOLISHED.  The other buildings/structures are still standing with no threat of demolition!

Governor Chime should take a cue from his fellow Governors by extending the axes and frontiers of religion through empowerment programmes, policies and projects for religious bodies.  A case in point is Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, the Governor of Delta State, who has assisted  many religious organisatins to erect place of worship, irrespective of their denominations.

The Chime administration should seek the face of God by apologising for its iconoclastic act of wilfully demolishing a place of worship that has, in the main, sought for protection under extant laws passed by the same government but administered with vengeance and discriminative behaviour.

The MFM should be fully compensated for the loss of its land and immovable property that were destroyed during the demolition.  Human rights should not be administered in the breach to favour government and its cronies, but the generality of its citizenry.

Dr.  KELECHI ONWUGBUFOR, a commentator on public issues, wrote from Abuja