The Urhobo ethnic group in Delta has backed President Muhammadu Buhari’s nomination of Mr. Samuel Adjenakevwe Adjogbe as Executive Director Project (EDP) on the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Leaders of the ethnic gave the backing during walk organized by the Elders and leaders of Urhobo nation led by Olorogun Christopher Ominimini Obiuwevbi and other Urhobo leaders in Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state to drum support for Adjogbe.
They described the nominee as an “illustrious Urhobo son and a technocrat,” adding that the nomination put the right pegs in the right holes.
Other Urhobo leaders who attended the rally included Olorogun Felix Ekure, APC chairman in the council and Chairman Hostcom, Urhobo Nation, Olorogun Comrade Efe Okuvwerie.
They appealed to those opposing ADjogbe’s nomination, particularly their Itsekiri counterparts, to sheathe their swords.
They said he Itsekiri ethnic nationality has benefitted more in terms of appointments into OMPADEC which metamorphosed into NDDC and the current NDDC.
Olorogun Ominimini remarked that the Urhobos had never opposed the appointment of any Itsekiri son or daughter into any position at the state or national level.
He said, “We urge the Itsekiris to embrace and give support to this nomination so that both ethnic groups can continue to enjoy the existing peaceful coexistence amongst them.”
Speaking in the same vein Ekure described Adjogbe as “the right peg in the right hole because of his wealth of experience and antecedents.”
The Urhobo leaders appealed to their Itsekiri counterparts to accept the nomination in good faith and support their neighbours in the spirit of good neighbourliness and patriotism.
The Ilaje World Congress, the host community of oil producing area of Ondo State, has kicked against the appointment of a non-Ilaje person by the governor to represent the state on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Its spokesman, Mr. Ola Judah, told The Nation that the appointment was improperinhuman. He said Governor Olusegun Mimiko, over the years marginalised the Ilaje and did not involve them in the management of oil activities.
Ola said: “Ilaje World Congress with the largest number of Ilaje sons and daughters both in Nigeria and in Diaspora, has strongly and unanimously condemned the appointment of one Olatokunbo Ayotunde Ajasin, designated to represent Ondo State on the NDDC board. We demand for the immediate withdrawal of Ajasin and his replacement by an indigene of oil producing communities of ilaje enclave.
“The thought of appointing someone outside the ilaje nation in itself is malicious, ungodly and it reveals the extent to which Ilaje people have been dehumanised, marginalised and treated with no respect by the leadership of various governments.
“The inclusion of Ajasin Olatokunbo and the submission of such name to the Senate is a criminal offence as it is against the law and parliamentary Act 2000, section 2.1b, that established the Board of NDDC. The provision stipulated that an indigene from the oil producing area shall be appointed not and indigene from Owo, a non oil producing area. From our record, ilaje communities are the only producing communities in Ondo State, and for convenience sake, the Ese-Odo, our neighbouring communities can be considered.”
Ola said members of the Congress would not watch the injustices perpetuated on the Ilaje communities by the government to continue.
‘’The Mimiko-led government has dealt with the ilaje people by withdrawing the 40 per cent of the 13 per cent oil derivation that was meant for the development of the oil producing communities to fund his own agenda at the detriment of ilaje people. Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has become Mimiko’s pocket portfolio. Ilaje people suffered for eight years under Mimiko despite our loyalty to him. The governor played the Ilaje people to the gallery,’’ Ola added.
He said: “Why is it that there is no Ilaje person considered fit to be at the centre where consultations and decisions that affect Ilaje people are made? Why must we be treated and marginalised like this? Enough is enough. We demand to be treated with respect and be given what rightly belongs to us. Appointment of an indigene from the oil producing area of the state should be effected and a credible Ilaje man appointed to the NDDC Board as the law stipulates. We shall continue frown at any attempt by any person or group of persons trading with the general interest of the Ilaje people for personal agenda. We appeal to the leaders of the APC-led government to intervene and reverse the appointment, and do the right thing.”
Since 2009 when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), won the battle for the university autonomy which gave the governing councils of Federal Universities power to appoint their vice chancellors, there has been restiveness on many campuses each time a vice chancellor is to be appointed. The reason for all this is the politics that surrounds the choice of would-be vice chancellors. Apart from this, the perquisites of office are one major attraction to the highest office in the ivory tower in Nigeria. A vice chancellor earns as much as N1.8million per month. This is aside from the comfort that comes with the appointment while his professor colleagues in the departments earn less than N500, 000.00 per month. The thinking is that most professors’ interest in the office of the vice chancellor is driven primarily bythe lucre of office, all other considerations are secondary.
The university autonomy as has been canvassed by members of the university communities will enable each university to handle the process of choosing its vice chancellor without government interference which to a rational mind is good for university administration. Part of the argument in favour of university autonomy is that staff members of the universities know who among them is capable of leading the system without trouble as they must have a working knowledge of such a system. And it took the federal government a lot of time before conceding this role to the university with the hope that it will work out well.
But recent events at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife have proved otherwise. The process of appointing its vice chancellor has put a section of the workforce against the administration of the university. Specifically NASU and SSANU have kicked against the selection process that produced one of the deputy vice chancellors as successor to the incumbent. Their grouse is that the process was skewed in favour of the newly appointed vice chancellor. Among other issues, they argued that the governing council of the university did not follow due process as some statutory requirements of the university were not followed. The unions went to court to seek redress and the case was yet to be heard when the appointment was made. And since then, both academic and administrative activities have been paralysed on the campus while the union members are asking for the head of the incumbent vice chancellor.
Many people have asked questions for the rationale to give autonomy to institutions that are funded by the government, especially the power given to the universities to appoint their vice chancellors. These are universities that depend on monetary allocation from the government on monthly basis but do not allow the government to be part of selecting who manages those resources allocated to them. What then is the meaning of political autonomy without economic autonomy? If these universities are able to stand on their own in economic terms, probably the political autonomy will make sense but in this situation where an investor has no say in who manages his investment is an irony of circumstance. This can only happen when the government lacks the will power to say no to the political brinksmanship of the academics.
On the face value, there may not be anything wrong with university autonomy, provided the modus of operandi conforms to the rule. But is this feasible in our present society where corruption, especially moral corruption has become the order of the day? Everywhere you turn, there is corruption that one thinks that what drives the society is the pervasive corrupt practices. The university autonomy as a means of freeing the system from red-tapism and bigotry has been entrapped by the corruption in the system.
Unfortunately, ASUU that fought and got the autonomy did not put any check and balance in place for the process of the selection of a vice chancellor. The governing council exercises enormous power in this process. It selects candidates, conducts the interview and declares the winner. There is no other organ of the university that has a say in the process. Possibly ASUU never envisaged a situation in which the power of autonomy could be used to feather some selfish interests. The university autonomy is good in intent but its practicability is fraught with human idiosyncrasies which make it possible for people to do whatever they like and go scot free.
More worrisome is that a system that gives enormous power to a group without checks also encourages acerbic criticism from other members of the community. This is exactly what has happened at ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile- Ife, where members of staff have accused their governing council of the abuse of power of autonomy in the appointment of the new vice chancellor. They fault the process and blame the governing council for favouring one candidate over and above the others. They vowed not to allow the new vice chancellor to occupy the office; the incumbent vice chancellor who has some days in office has also been prevented from performing his official functions. It is like heaven broken loose on campus for two weeks running and there is no end in sight.
To make matters worse, the government that funds the university has not done anything toward solving this problem as if the university is not part of its holdings. A proactive government would have nipped the problem in the bud by asking questions to arrive at a solution that will return normalcy to the system. What is happening in ObafemiAwolowo University provides a litmus test for the government to reconsider the university autonomy to appoint their vice chancellors. It shows that academics, like organisations in Nigeria cannot as of now manage the process of appointing who becomes the vice chancellor of their institutions.
Oripeloye is of the Department of English, ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife.
• Canvasses support for 1st female FIFA Secretary General
Former Super Eagles Captain, Joseph Yobo has hailed the appointment of an African, Fatma Samoura as the first female Secretary General of world soccer Ruling body FIFA.
Yobo, who is billed to savor his testimonial match May 27th in Port-Harcourt, River State capital, congratulated the Gianni Infantino led FIFA for the appointment while assuring Samoura who is a Senegalese that she will not lack support.
”Congrats to FIFA, on the appointment of an African and a woman as General Secretary. Welcome Fatma Samoura. We are behind you” the former Everton and Fernabahce defender said, shortly after the announcement.
Aside from current Super Eagles Captain John Obi Mikel and his assistant, Ahmed Musa, African football stars like Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Alex Song and former Everton coach David Moyes have all been penciled down to be part of the testimonial game.
Prior to her appointment on Friday, Samoura was the most senior UN official in Nigeria.
After joining the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in 1995, she served as Country Director for WFP in Djibouti and Cameroon, and also worked at the WFP headquarters in Rome. She covered numerous complex emergencies, including Kosovo, Liberia, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Lester (East Timor)
Samoura, who was born in 1962 is married with three children.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and its Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have said there is no succession crisis in the appointment of a rector for the Federal Polytechnic, Offa in Kwara State.
They said the three applicants recommended by the interview panel were workers of the institution.
Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) in the school Chief Ayodeji Bankole alleged in a newspaper (not The Nation) that there crisis was looming in the institution.
He said one of the applicants was not qualified.
The ASUP Chairman, Dr. Sola Ojeniyi, disproved Chief Bankole’s allegation, saying: “There is no cause for any crisis. Nobody anticipates any cause for crisis as the three applicants recommended by the panel are our members.
“They are committed members of our union, ASUP. The union considers the applicants qualified.
“We are ready to work with anyone appointed.”
He described Bankole’s statement as unfortunate, saying it did not represent the opinion of workers.
Ojeniyi said ASUP would reject any appointment outside the list of recommended applicants.
NASU Chairman Comrade Ali Emmanuel said his union would accept any of the applicants.
An Oyo State High Court, Ibadan on Thursday fixed Feb. 16 for hearing in a motion seeking to stop the Olubadan-in-Council from appointing the new Olubadan of Ibadan land.
Justice Muktar Abimbola fixed the date at the resumed hearing of a case filed by Chief Adebayo Oyediji and others against the state government, the Council and other contending lines to Olubadan throne.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oyediji of Seriki Chieftancy line is claiming that it is the turn of their line to produce the next Olubadan, following the death of Oba Samuel Odunlana.
The plaintiff is challenging the alleged consistent occupation of the throne by the Olubadan chieftaincy line and the Balogun Chieftaincy line.
When the case came up on Thursday, lawyer to the Olubadan-in-Council, Mr Micheal Lana informed the court that he was just coming into the matter for the first time.
Lana said that he needed time to react to the motion and prayed for an adjournment.
Mr Abideen Adediran, the lawyer to the plaintiff, however, opposed the application for adjournment, arguing that his motion has been served on the respondents since Jan.14.
Adediran said the respondents ought to have filed their counter-motion.
He alleged that the respondents were seeking the adjournment to delay hearing in the motion and fill the position of Olubadan before the next hearing date.
The lawyer drew the attention of the court to its subsisting order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from filling any of vacant high chief positions of and the Olubadan.
He alleged that the Olubadan and the Balogun lines had disobeyed the order of the court by filling all the vacant high chief positions -“Ekerin’’, “Asipa’’, “Otun’’ and “Osi’’.
Adediran prayed the court to set aside all the purported appointments.
Other respondents in the suit are Chief Adeleke Ajani, Chief Saliu Adetunji and Chief Busari Alarape.
The federal ministry of education has said it would be in the interest of quality basic education delivery if appointment into the office of education secretary is de-politicised.
The Director of Basic Secondary Department in the ministry, Mrs Anne Okonkwo, lamented that the practice of politicising the appointment of education secretary has affected basic education delivery nationwide.
Speaking at a three-day workshop organised for education secretaries across the 774 local governments in the country, Okonkwo said the legal framework for education secretaries needs to be examined and reviewed.
Okonkwo, who was represented by the Assistant Director in the ministry, Achede Joseph Owolicho, also advocated professionalisation of the office in order to keep quacks at bay.
She said the operational capacity of education secretaries need to be enhanced, adding that logistics should be provided to ensure that the officers visit schools at the grassroots regularly.
In his address, Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello reiterated his administration’s commitment to prioritise teachers’ welfare and professional development in the state.
Bello, who was represented by Head of Service, Alhaji Mohammed Muade, said the state will continue its payment of education counterpart funds.
Earlier, in his address, the President, National Association of Education Secretaries of Nigeria (NAESN), Dr Hassan Sule lamented the dwindling state of public basic education in the country, calling for a total overhaul of the system.
All Progressives Congress (APC) member of the House of Representatives from Oyo State, Hon. Sunday Adepoju has rejected his selection as the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Special Duties. He spoke with VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI on why he declined the offer.
Why are you refusing the offer of the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Special Duties?
All over the world, the majority party takes over government and the committees that will drive the policies of the government are given to party members. The reason is simple. It is to enable effective execution of the manifestos of the governemnt. In our own case, when the list of chairmanship of committees was read out, it was a different case altogether. This is because key committees that can drive the change agenda of President Buhari were conceded to the opposition. Now, without being biased, how do we go about influencing policies that will drive the change we craved for, if those in charge are our opponents. Yes, people would want to ask whether it was because I wasn’t given what I was aiming for. I want to be clear about it. I was not sent here primarily to come and sit as a chair of a committee, but to give good representation to my constituents. In this case,that is, my rejection of the Deputy Chairmanship, my constituents were very much involved and they asked me to do what I did. I was made to realize that this is about the change our party stands for. They said it is better to reject the position and that we should not allow ourselves to be pushed into the opposition in our own government. It’s nothing personal, but we have a duty to ensure that the party we all fought for and succeeded in taking this far should not fail. Conceding key committees to the opposition is another way of ensuring that programmes the APC have for this country are the truncated.
Isn’t this about juicy committees eluding you?
This is not about juicy committee or not. I was not sent here to struggle for juicy committee, neither am I sent here to go and beg for money from ministries and agencies, but in a democracy, your party must be in total control of ideas and programmes that will drive your plans for the country. One of such ways is for the majority party to have a grip on key committees that will influence the execution of those policies and programmes, whether on the economy or development in general. Do we truly expect the opposition to see or talk anything good about our party or our President? All they will be doing is pull our party down. Haven’t we seen how far they went to pull him down in the build up to the election? Even after the election, despite all President Buhari has been doing to turn around this country for good, has the opposition seen anything good about it? In other words, by giving these key committees to the opposition, is that what we want to turn this House into? We were in the opposition before and we know how this works. It is just sad. How did we get to this level? How did we get ourselves into this position where we will not be able to influence policies that will drive the change we promised Nigerians?
But, how would committees chairmanship influence policies and programmes that has generated this controversy?
We don’t have to look far. When we appropriate as lawmakers, what about driving it. Let’s come down to how it affects us. When heads of MDAs are invited, whether Minister, Permanent Secretary, Director General or whatever, let us be frank, the Chairman of a Committee can mess things up with them. Yes, we have Appropriation, but what of Finance, the three Petroleum Committees (Upstream, Downstream, Gas), Aviation, Environment, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Works, FERMA, part of Marine, there are more. They are all in the hands of opposition. With this, it is not difficult to see that those that will drive the ideas of change are not in control. This is not a personal matter. I’m on good terms with the Speaker. The Deputy Speaker is also my friend. We relate well, but this is about the party. As opposition in the last Assembly, as new members, we were told to take the back seat. We did because we wanted the nation to move forward. When we were complaining, they told us to research into older democracies and see how opposition members are treated by the majority party. They told us to do our job as opposition and the job of the opposition is to make the government unpopular. But, why do we have to concede so much sensitive roles to the opposition that is bent on making our governemnt unpopular. Take a look. Have we heard the opposition commend any effort of the present administration since inception? Take a look at how they went about the isues of 100 days and security challenges. Yet, we are in a way empowering them to hurt our governemnt.
Does it not look like your action was influenced by a group?
I am not talking on behalf anybody. My action is not influenced by any group, but my constituents. Yes, I belonged to a group, prior to the election, but after the exercise, I pledged my loyalty to the Speaker. Lasun is my good friend too, I will never wish them bad. The way forward is to make Nigeria great, rally round the Speaker and offer useful ideas when it is necessary. That’s what I have been doing because I relate freely with them. You can ask the Speaker. That shows that I am not talking from the point of any group. My action evolved from what I believe in. I must also make it clear that I can not speak for any lawmaker. I can only talk for myself. When I was coming here, I had the choice of contesting on the platform of the PDP, Accord Party or any other party, but I chose to go with the APC because their inclination was in consonance with my belief. I have in mind what I want to achieve here just like others have in mind what they are here for. We should just respect that. As far as I’m concerned, when what I expected is not happening, I should have the privilege of acting as it pleases me.
On this matter, though i was denied reading the letter on the floor, but I have submitted it. Notwithstanding, I remain a committed member of the House. I will do my job diligently and to the best of my knowledge and I remain friendly with the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
What do you think is the way forward?
On the way forward, if we take it that the deed has been done and we keep quiet, then, we won’t be fair to those that sent us here. They will only look at us as incapable of defending the mandate they gave us because our promise to them was to drive the programmes that will bring the change they voted for. I beleive Mr Speaker is very learned and undertaking. Perhaps, he wasn’t aware of the implications of that action. So, by speaking out, he may want to redress the situation and not be seen as not belonging to our party. With this development of keeping the PDP in control, the road would rather be too tough for the APC in the actualisation of its programmes of moving this country forward.
Twenty-five persons have been shortlisted for appointment as Federal High Court judges. Did the process comply with the rules? No, says rights group and judiciary watchdog, Access to Justice. JOSEPH JIBUEZE writes.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) is violating its rules in the appointment of 25 new judges of the Federal High Court, a rights group the Access to Justice (A2J) has alleged.
It said the criteria being used do not comply with the Revised National Judicial Council Guidelines and Procedural Rules 2014.
The group said the breaches are considerable, and that if the current recruitment is allowed to proceed, it would seriously undermine the integrity of the reforms made in the Revised Guidelines.
The Guidelines seek to ensure openness, competitiveness, merit and transparency in recruitment processes as well as safeguard judicial appointments from being lobbied and politicised.
Among others, it provides for call for expression of interest by suitable candidates by way of advertorial placed on the website of state judicial service commission, notice boards of the courts and of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) branches.
Guideline observed in breach?
“This rule was clearly not followed in the current recruitment process. The only publication made on the existing vacancies was an advertisement placed on the website of the Federal High Court. Unfortunately, our investigation reveals that no such call for expression of interest by suitable candidates was made.
“All that was placed on the website of the Federal High Court was a copy of the letter written to judges, heads of courts, Attorney-General of the Federation and the NBA president inviting them to make recommendations of suitable persons for consideration,” A2J said.
In addition, the group, in a statement by its Executive Director Joseph Otteh, said there were no
Otteh
appropriate parameters used in shortlisting candidates who were recommended to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) and the NJC.
Following the ongoing recruitment exercise, A2J made a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who is FJSC chairman.
It also sought information from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, on the criteria adopted to fill the judicial vacancies. The letters were replied on August 27, and September 8.
In view of the letters received, the group drew attention to what it called significant breaches of the Revised Guidelines.
•Justice Auta
“The breaches of the said Guidelines are considerable, and if the current recruitment is allowed to proceed, it would seriously undermine the integrity of the reforms made in the Revised Guidelines.
“For this reason, Access to Justice urges the NJC to hold the process leading to the selection and nomination of candidates for the existing vacancies in the Federal High Court (FHC) to be in manifest and substantial contravention of the Revised Guidelines and is irredeemably flawed; and to direct that the process be begun afresh.
“We also urge the NJC to insist that any fresh exercise must adhere with, and be in compliance with the Revised Guidelines 2014,” A2J said.
‘How Guidelines were violated’
A2J said the current Federal High Court recruitment has been done in ways that conflict with the core goals of the Revised Guidelines , especially in the aspect of transparency and accessibility
Rules 3 of the Revised Guidelines provides that the Judicial Service Commission shall call expression of interest by suitable candidates by way of public notice placed on the website of the Judicial Service Commission / Committee concerned, notice boards of the courts and notice boards of Nigeria Bar Association branches.
Rule 3 mandates the publication of a Public Notice of existing judicial vacancies calling for an expression of interest by suitable candidates in at least three publicly accessible forums.
According to the group, the word “shall” makes it mandatory that a call/announcement be made, in the stipulated forms, for interested candidates to express interest to fill the vacant positions.
Rule 3(3) states that such a call for expression of interest/nomination must bear a closing date.
A2J said: “This rule was clearly not followed in the current recruitment process.”
FJSC’s position faulted
According to letter signed by FJSC Secretary, Mrs. B.A. Bashir, the only publication made on the existing vacancies was an advertisement placed on the website of the Federal High Court.
But A2J said its investigation reveals that no such call for expression of interest by suitable candidates was made.
It said all that was placed on the website of the Federal High Court was a copy of the letter written to judges, heads of courts, AGF and NBA president inviting them to make recommendations of suitable persons for consideration.
In his response to the FOI request, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, “respectfully begged the question,” according to A2J.
It sought to know details of the modes and avenues used in publicising/advertising the available vacancies.
“His response was: ‘That the mode of and avenues in publicizsing the vacancies are as stated in the Rules 3(1)(a)(i)(ii)(iii) of the 2014 Revised National Judicial Council Guidelines & Procedural Rules for the Appointment of Judicial Officers of All Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria.’”
However, the group said the only notice it is aware of was published at the court’s instance – the letter posted on its website addressed to specific judicial officers and the AGF asking for recommendation of ‘… any fit and proper legal practitioner in Nigeria for consideration for appointment as judges of the Federal High Court.’
‘Guidelines not complied with’
The information posted on the court’s website, A2J said, is not form or the substance of what the Guidelnes requires.
To the group, such procedure negates the goals of the NJC Revised Guidelines as information of the existing vacancies was not published in the required forums, neither was information of the vacancies offered to the public or interested suitable persons.
Merit safeguards gettisoned
On merit-based selection safeguards, the group said there were no appropriate parameters used in shortlisting candidates who were recommended to the FJSC and the NJC.
In the FOI request, A2J had requested for details of the criteria adopted in drawing up the provisional shortlist of candidates.
It had asked: “Was there a panel or committee set up to scrutinise the applications? If yes, please provide us with the names of persons constituting the panel/committee, its head and its terms of reference.
“If no, provide information on how the selected candidates were shortlisted, by whom they were shortlisted and the parameters of selection.”
CJ’s position
In his response, Justice Auta said the professional status of those who recommended the candidates was an initial consideration, followed by the quality of judgments/rulings the candidates delivered, the available vacancy for the state and Federal Character.
However, Rule 3(4) of the Revised Guidelines provide: Soon after the closing date for the receipt of applications and or nominations, the Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission/Committee concerned shall make a provisional shortlist on the merits consisting of not less than twice the number of Judicial Officers intended to be appointed at the particular time and circulate the provisional shortlist together with a request for comments on the suitability or otherwise of any of the short listed candidates…
According to A2J, the Rule provides that the provisional shortlist shall be made “on the merits”, which means it must be “based on the qualities of someone or something, or on the facts of a situation”.
To the group, most of the considerations that influenced the shortlist, as confirmed by the CJ, miss the mark.
“Selection on the merits would naturally look at the strengths or weaknesses of the candidates without reference to external factors, such as federal character even though that latter factor may come in subsequently,” it said.
Factors for consideration
Rule 3 (6) of the Guidelines defines factors to take into consideration in shortlisting candidates.
It says: In carrying out the provisional short listing exercise, the Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission /Committee shall take into consideration as much as possible, (i) professional expertise and competence, including in the case of appointment of Judges from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and Justices of the Court of Appeal/Chief Judges/Legal Practitioners/academicians to the Supreme Court, the quality of judgments and performance and demonstration of judicial skills of the Judge; and in the case of appointment from the Bar, evidence of six contested cases in the last S years; (ii) sound knowledge of law, (iii) seniority at the Bar and or the Bench, (iv) federal character or geographical spread and where necessary and possible, without compromising the independence of the judiciary or allowing politics to permeate or influence the appointment.
From Justice Auta’s response, it was clear that these considerations were largely excluded from the process.
The CJ said the ‘quality of judgment/ruling’ was a consideration for the shortlisting.
However, Rule 3 (6)(i) says the quality of judgments and demonstration of judicial skills is only relevant in the case of appointment of judges from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and Justices of the Court of Appeal/Chief Judges/Legal Practitioners/academicians to the Supreme Court’.
“Therefore, this was not a legitimate consideration in the case of appointments to the Federal High Court,” A2J said.
The group said in relation to the process followed in filling the vacancies, there has been an interlocking sequence of putting the wrong foot forward in each of the required steps established by the Revised Guidelines.
It said the process from inception was marred by irregularities and breaches, which it said began with limiting the range of people who could participate in the recruitment.
It also denied otherwise eligible and suitable people the chance to be considered for the Bench, A2J added.
“The process adopted for the appointment is now so fundamentally flawed that it is difficult to build anything credible or legitimate upon this sort of foundation or correct the errors at any other stage of the process. Many Nigerians will be disappointed and disillusioned if this process is allowed to produce the next batch of judges of the Federal High Court,” the group said.
Threat of ‘mischief’ being perpetuated
A2J said it is deeply concerned that the procedure for filling the vacancies will perpetuate the ‘mischief’ sought to be addressed by the revised NJC guidelines if the procedure adopted is allowed to stand.
“Access to Justice also observes that apart from the power to officially communicate the existence of court vacancies to the Chairman of the NJC and FJSC pursuant to Rule 2(2)(a) of the Revised Guidelines, the Chief Judge of the FHC does not have, within the general context of the Revised Guidelines, the powers which he has irregularly exercised in the course of this recruitment exercise.
“The power to write, ‘… in the case of appointment to a Federal Court, to the President, Nigerian Bar Association ; or, in the case of appointment to a State Court, to the Chairman of every Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in the State concerned, asking for nomination of suitable candidates for the proposed judicial appointment and requesting that he/she brings to the notice of suitable candidates the call for expression of interest by each of them’ belongs to ‘…the relevant Judicial Service Commission/Committee’ according to the terms of Rule 3(1)(a) and 3(1)(a)(iii). It was therefore wrong of the Chief Judge of the FHC, by himself, to exercise the power.”
NJC urged to reject list
A2J urged the NJC to adjudge the process to fill the vacancies as fundamentally flawed on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with or breach of its Guidelines.
It said: “The process adopted was not transparent, open, accessible and fair and denied a level playing field to all prospective and qualified candidates.
“They were also not merit-based. We urge the NJC to reject the list forwarded by the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
“By so doing, the NJC will be sending a strong signal to all Judicial Service Commissions and heads of court that it will not return to the ‘business as usual’ status quo in relation to judicial appointments and that it will respect its own mandatory policies and rules governing the appointment of judges in Nigeria.”
Mark Anthony in one of Shakesapeare’s plays plays, Julius Caesar said “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I came to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones; So, let it be with Caesar.”
This write-up is about bringing Hon. Rotimi Amaechi to the public domain and to let the people know why he should be made a minister. Before delving into why, it is pertinent to know that, Hon. Amaechi served the people of Rivers State in various capacities.
He was Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly for eight years during which he stabilised the legislative arm of government. We are all living witnesses to what transpired there afterwards. He later became the executive governor of Rivers State for two terms. For those who do not know or might have forgotten in a hurry what his stewardship as governor was, I will tabulate just a few.
It is unarguable that he built and fully furnished state-of-the-art primary schools in most communities of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State. This was acknowledged by all well-meaning Nigerians and the international partner agencies. Besides, Amaechi won awards for the laudable initiative. The Universal Basic Education (UBE) national office in Abuja still has the records for doubting Thomases.
Again, secondary education was not left out in the scheme of Amaechi’s stewardship. I am very happy they are physical structures; they are there for everyone to see.
He also built health centres in most communities in the 23 local government areas. These health centres were fully equipped with medical doctors to attend to the patients. It should not be forgotten that drugs were equally provided in these hospitals and dispensed to patients.
In order to make the people and the state self-sufficient in food production, Amaechi revamped the agricultural industry in Rivers State. We are all living witnesses to when the former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in Rivers State to inaugurate the projects.
For free and easy movement, he expanded most of the roads in Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs; thus easing traffic congestions in the state.
It is also on record that under his administration, peace and security returned to the state, as the incessant cult clashes were brought to the minimum. Besides, he was able to restore decency and order in Port Harcourt, the capital city by allaying people’s fears concerning the incessant kidnapping of expatriates and citizens.
It is also on record that Hon. Amaechi remains one of the governors in Nigeria who drove themselves around the city as sitting governors without any fear of being attacked or molested by the people.
Hon. Rotimi Amaechi is a detribalised Nigerian who believes in the oneness and unity of the country. Against all odds, he joined forces with other well-meaning progressives to fight the injustice in the then ruling party to bring about the much-needed change Nigerians have been yearning for.
Feelers coming from the Senate have it that two Senators from the state must recommend his ministerial nomination. Unfortunately, the Senators from Rivers State are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and have drawn the battle line with Amaechi long ago. It was also reported that they have submitted a petition against him.
But my view is that the Senators from Rivers State should allow national interest to prevail instead of allowing personal vendetta to guide their sense of reasoning at this point when the country is in dire need of competent hands to help stir the ship of this nation to the Promised Land.
The Senators representing Rivers State should, as a matter of urgency, do a rethink and take a cue from their colleagues from Ekiti and Lagos and support the nomination of Amaechi. They should not deny the country of his service.
Except they are telling Nigerians that Amaechi did not perform creditably as a governor for the eight years he served the state. Electioneering campaigns are over and this is the time for reality. The worst that could ever happen to Nigeria and Nigerians in this dispensation is to be denied of the service of this young, dynamic, energetic, straight-forward looking man for the sake of bitter politics.
If we have a few more Amaechi in Nigeria, we would be better for it. Nigeria is in dire need of his kind.
Moses Animikhenal is a former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo and currently resides in Abuja.
