The Governor - Fashola Says Denying Amaechi Access Is A Breach Of Right To Movement

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola on Saturday described the denial of Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi entrance to his Government House in Port Harcourt, as a breach of his fundamental human rights, stating however that no right is absolute.

Fashola who was speaking at an occasion to mark his 2,300 days in office said the question about the police and denial of access is not a matter of ‘my

opinion’.

“It is a matter of commonsense; even the lowliest citizen can be prevented from access to his house. If such a citizen is denied an access to his house, it will be a breach of fundamental human rights to movement. As I always said, none of the fundamental human rights is absolute.

“Your right to movement can be restricted if for instance, police come to arrest you for reasonable allegation. Your right to freedom of expression does not extend to making utterance to damaging people’s reputation without justification. Such right is not absolute, and you can face criminal libel and civil defamation. Your right to freedom of association does not allow you to be member of secret cult.

“I believe there is a law in this country that prevents you from being a member of secret cult. None of these rights is absolute. Each of the rights creates corresponding duties. Your rights to transact business must stop where my right to move on the roads begins. You cannot turn our motorway to shops just because you have the right to do business. It is a corresponding exchange of rights and responsibilities. The better we understand this the more progress we will make”, the governor said.

The governor said his government opted to take the former Chief Security Officer to the former Head of State, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha to the Supreme Court because government places the highest premium on every human life and that families of those killed deserve every right to agitate the matter to the Supreme Court, just as the accused would have been entitled.

“Your government has appealed on behalf of the people to the Supreme Court”, he said. Fashola appealed to operators of commercial motorbike in the state to stay away from restricted routes, adding that tricycles are not different from motorbikes.

“They are therefore subject to the same provisions of the Traffic Law relating to safety and the routes they can operate; mainly the inner streets and not on the highways”, he said, adding that nobody will be allowed to act outside the law.