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Tag: democracy

  • Nigeria’s democracy: Whither party supremacy?

    Nigeria’s democracy: Whither party supremacy?

    The inability of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to broker a truce in the face-off between the Presidency and the National Assembly has impeded the administration’s resolve to work towards fulfilling some of its campaign promises. As a party that has control of the two arms of government, the APC’s failure to rein them into accepting its authority has put a question mark on its cohesiveness. This was the focus of a recent seminar at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State, TONY AKOWE reports. 

    One issue that has occupied public discourse in recent times is the need to return to the era when political parties had firm control of the affairs of its elected representatives, both in the executive and legislative arms of government. Since the return to civil rule in 1999, political party supremacy has eluded Nigeria’s democratic practice. The parties, especially those with elected representatives, have been at the mercy of those they sponsored to political offices. The parties have been under the firm control of the executive and the cabals that call the shots from behind the scene.

    The lack of party supremacy is more evident today than any time in the nation’s political history. Appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari have suffered humiliation at the Senate, which is dominated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In a bid to expand the discussion and offer solution, the nation’s foremost policy think-tank, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, brought together experts and political actors to discuss the issue and chart a way forward. Setting the stage for the discussion, its Acting Director-General, Jonathan Juma, said unfortunately the concept of party supremacy has been interpreted to mean so many things, including placing the political parties above its members, democratic institutions and even the national constitution.

    He said: “There is no doubt that the cohesiveness of each political party in parliament would contribute to efficient and effective government. Parties can help to articulate group aims, nurture political leadership, develop and promote policy alternatives and present coherent policies pectoral alternatives. Politicians within the same party tend to be more responsible to one another than.

    “However, the influence of political parties tends to encroach into the parliamentary standing orders or even what is laid down in the letters of the law. The scale of this influence may differ, depending on the party’s impact on the work of the parliament and in the conduct of its members. Proponents of expanded intra-party democracy seek to move parties in the direction of more inclusive decisions. Parties with high degree of intra-party democracy are generally highly institutionalised, because they have rules that spell out the qualifications for participation.”

    The Country Director, the International Republican Institute, an arm of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Sentell Barnes, said party supremacy is only relevant if there is a smooth-working relationship between political parties and the legislative arm of government, which is considered the bastion of representative government. He said political parties, having provided the channel for the election of lawmakers, are expected to develop a framework which will ensure that they enact laws and policies towards fulfilling the party’s electoral promises.

    But, former Senate President Ken Nnamani said the problem in Nigeria stems from the fact that the party system has not developed as it ought to. He said: “Many legislators don’t understand how to be good party members and remain effective legislators. The concept of a legislator as a trustee can help us develop a framework to harmonise the idea of an independent legislator who is also a good party man. In other words, parliamentary independence is not incompatible or conflictual with the notion of the supremacy of the party, so far as we understand the proper workings of the two concepts.”

    Nnamani added: “The supremacy of the party does not mean that the party bureaucrats should dictate to the legislators how he should do his work. This will obviously undermine an important pillar of constitutional democracy — the independence of the legislature. It does not mean that the leadership of the legislative house should be annexed to the headquarters of the political party such that the members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) should determine proceedings in the legislature. The ‘legislator-as-a-trustee’ means that at every moment, the legislator should employ his best reason to determine how he votes in the chambers.

    “But, in making up his mind on the issues in the chambers, the legislator may consult the leadership of the party for major decisions and insights. This is why there are party caucuses in the legislative house. It is from the leadership of the caucus that the party influences the legislative chamber. It is not a matter of issuing diktats and reading riot acts. This is why we need resourceful and skillful managers in the leadership of the party. The party leaders should be persons who command respect among party members, such that legislators from the party will naturally look up to them for guidance. The role of the Whip in the legislatures is to ensure coordination and direction of members towards the legislative agenda in the ruling party and the opposition party. In this regard, the problem is not necessarily the disobedience of legislators as mu h as the absence of a clearly-defined and well-communicated legislative agenda.

    “The relationship between legislators and their party leadership is not based on personality or personal issues. It is based in the party’s policy platforms which become the ruling party’s legislative agenda. Where such agenda is robustly promoted by the leadership of the party, there will be little room for disagreement between the party and its legislators. If there is no such agenda and harmonious relationship is promoted on account of personal feelings and opinions, it is not going to be sustainable. Legislators will easily resist the idiosyncrasies of party leaders, but will be very amenable to well-argued party policies and programmes.”

    Former Speaker of the House of Representative, Ghali Umar Na’Abba said party supremacy refers to a principle where the interest of a political party supersedes that of a member. He said: “It presupposes that even in the legislature, one must act according to the dictates of his party. It is pertinent to note here that in all the above narrative, there had been no involvement of any political party. This was the type of system we practice. Party supremacy in the legislature cannot work. Party supremacy is inconsistent with the constitution. The constitution has delineated power for each branch of government. It is however desirous that a political party be able to work hand-in-hand with its congressional members.

    “In our desire to make our system work, we must define how much of checks and balances we require that can guarantee human rights, liberty and good governance. There is the public perception that the executive branch at all levels seeks to always have a legislature that is pliant and subservient and thus easily controllable. It is foolhardy and short sighted in a democratic regime to govern with a legislature that is not autonomous and independent.”

    Former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu said while party supremacy means the party has the final say in the administration of its affairs, this is premised on the fact that the party is supreme over its constituents and that every member is subjected to the supremacy of the constitution of the party represented by its various organs. He said even though all the political parties in Nigeria have party supremacy enshrined in their constitution, the leadership of the parties have hijacked that supremacy from the people and the organs.

    Mantu said: “From 2003, governors cutting across all political leanings took over total control of party affairs, particularly in giving people tickets for various elective offices. If one is not on the governor’s line up, no matter how infectious his popularity may be, he would not see the light of the day. People would queue up in the hot sun or in the rain for a whole day without food and water, voting for candidates of their choices only for those they elected to be dropped by the governors and replaced with their surrogates. So, supremacy of the party becomes supremacy of the governors.

    “The party must be seen to achieve positive results that no individual can achieve. The people will recognise and appreciate the party supremacy with the evidence of its positive development of the agenda. The Nigerian nation has seen the worst of all sorts of bad governance. We acknowledge that there is corruption all over the world, but our type of corruption is uniquely different. There is element of greed in our brand of corruption. In other words, we are greedily corrupt. As we approach 2019, we must put our house in order. We, the politicians have sinned against Almighty God, the giver of power and have sinned against the very people God used to endorse His anointment by voting us into power. Our sins have reached saturating point and the natural law of gravity would bring everything down to ground zero. We must therefore purge ourselves and be on our knees to ask Almighty God and the good people of Nigeria for forgiveness.”

    However, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, believes that Nigerian democracy is suffering from a series of accountability challenges that has made consolidation of constitutionalism and good governance difficult. He argued that political parties are not accountable to their members who voted for them. He said: “Since 2011 elections, the integrity of the vote has been improving in a remarkable manner. The direct implication of the emergence of credible elections is that citizens matter because it is their vote that determines who gets into power in the executive and legislative branches.” He placed the problem facing party supremacy in the country today at the doorstep of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He said: “One of the most serious challenges in our democracy is that party bosses have very little or no control over their elected members in the legislature and executives. The original sin was committed in 1999 when the then newly elected President Olusegun Obasanjo declared himself the leader of the party, thereby usurping the power of the party chairman. Once he did that, sitting governors in the state declared themselves party leaders at the levels. Party executives then became simple figureheads without real power or influence.”

    Also blaming Obasanjo for the problem between the legislature and the executive, Na’Abba who had a running battle with the former President and failed to secure re-election thereafter, said the quest to have a legislature that is subservient led to the current state of affairs. The former speaker said Obasanjo’s decision to impose a leadership on the National Assembly and the resolve to fight back by the lawmakers is responsible for the relationship that has existed between the two arms of government since 1999. He traced the origin of the crisis to Obasanjo’s decision to change the date of the inauguration of the National Assembly from June 3, 1999 to June 6, to allow him ample opportunity to manipulate the election of the Senate President, thus paving the way for the emergence of Evan Enwerem as Senate President, instead of Chuba Okadigbo that was preferred by most senators.

  • Tinubu: Blade-edge walk for democracy

    Tinubu: Blade-edge walk for democracy

    Former House of Representatives members Hon. Bamidele Faparusi extols the virtues of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who recently celebrated his 65th birthday.

    It was in the 1990s that I first heard of the name Tinubu, this was apart from the legendary Madam Tinubu who once held the wealth and fortunes of Lagos in her hands in the last part of the 19th Century. We learnt all that in school. As a little kid, I took great delight, while on visits to Lagos, loitering around the Tinubu square in downtown Lagos, admiring its scintillating waterfalls. For an Ekiti man from the countryside, with her rolling hills, great valleys and the tropical greenery of the hinterland, Tinubu Square offered a perfect contrast.

    It was then with curiosity, to see another colossal with the name Tinubu entering the national stage in the 1990s. It is interesting to note that since his engagement with the frills and pomp of politics in the 1990s, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu has continued to dominate the space like a recurring decimal.

    My encounters with Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu left one milestone after the other. I have had cause to meet him to discuss the nation’s myriad of challenges. I met him in time of trouble. I met him in time of peace. I met him when hundreds hovered around to see him; I met him in the deepest recess of his inner being, when lurch and alone.

    On each occasion, I discovered a new sense of political logic, a keen intellect and a powerful, analytical mind. I found a good listener, a liberal democrat, a man of mathematical reasoning, blessed with clear thoughts and captivating oratory.

    Though Tinubu fought a courageous battle in the pitched and bloody encounters with the despots that ruined Nigeria in the 1990s, coming back into the country in a triumphant entry in 1998, some of his most outstanding battles were those fought in 2003 and 2015. These episodes continue to thrill my senses and provide a forceful lesson in courage and firmness.

    Against the draconian powers of the military, Tinubu and his group won. Against a vindictive and overbearing knights of vengeance, Tinubu came back home with the trophy. I must confess that in 2003, I was one of those who was worried about the invincibility of this General in civilian fatigue. At that time, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) was like a monstrous and hefty rapist who had either cajoled or bullied the bride into shameful submission. Have we forgotten history so easily? As a build up to the 2013 election, armed gangs took over the streets of Lagos.

    They intimidate and harassed the quietude of the city, they ripped open the bowels of the city and instilled fear and trembling right in the sub consciousness of an awed populace. Tinubu was almost like a giant bird all alone on the housetop, his feathers clipped and his wings burnt.

    The other Southwest states, shortly before the election, appeared to have been overtaken by the unstoppable whirlwind. But on the day of battle, when the whistle was blown for the contest, this overpowered bride suddenly found her strength, and at the end of the duel, the giant laid prostrate, mercilessly beaten and humiliated.

    Nothing can be more compelling of the superiority of his tactics than the overwhelming victory of our party in 2015 against the might of the Federal Government. Even though Asiwaju was no longer a sitting governor, his ghost hunted the PDP all over the country.

    Hallucinations: almost every travails of the crumbling PDP was traced to him. The traumatized foes saw his spirit in their dreams, like an incubus beast. Soldiers and armed gangs laid siege on him. His movement was trailed. His home was bugged. He was choked by the tormenting weapons of the state.

    The fearsome machine of the state was fashioned against him. Asiwaju took refuge in the people, as his shield and buckler. In his will, he was cast in iron.  By the time the dust of the battle settled, the people had won what became the first in the country’s troubled history, the opposition party throwing away the ruling hegemony in a decisive battle that left no one in doubt as to the victorious. It is to the glory of time and history, that President Muhammmadu Buhari won a sweet victory partly through the sweat recorded in this hemisphere. Nigerians were saved from calamity as evident in the remarkable performances of President Buhari since 2015.

    A million words are not enough to eke a legend. In recent times, I do not remember when last a leader was so celebrated and honoured by his own people as Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu marked his 65th anniversary.

    I say that Asiwaju deserves even more, for his sterling leadership, his glistening eyeballs of bravery and the watertight   strategies endowed in him which have combined to make his achievements a tall dream that remains but a fleeing illusion of his adversaries. He has walked the blade edges of politics without being scratched and subdued. Happy birthday our leader.

  • Lawmaker commends journalists for imbibing tenets of democracy

    Lawmaker commends journalists for imbibing tenets of democracy

    Chairman, Committee on Information and Strategy of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Tunde Braimoh has commended journalists covering the assembly for imbibing the tenets of democracy. He expressed gladness that the journalists elected new executive members of their association without any rancour.
    “We do not take you for granted. The Speaker has a lot of respect for you. The way you perceive us may not be the way you want us to be and we can become better friends. I was glad with the way your electoral committee members carried me along in the whole process, they have been open-minded and I want us to continue to tolerate one another. I have age-long traditional relationship with the press and there is no publisher of the past decade that is not my friend ” he said.
    The lawmaker said further that it is unlike him not to be friendly with the press, and called on the journalists to change their negative perception about him, adding that they should work with him to take the assembly to the next level. He described journalism as a noble profession, and advised the pressmen not to be far from him as the Chairman of the committee overseeing their activities.
    The Chairman of LAHACA, Mr. Akinboye Akintola said in his speech that the last executive of the association of which he was the Chairman, produced a constitution to regulate the activities of the association, while they also opened an account for the association for accountability. He promised that the annual get-together of the association is a continuous exercise, while charging other members of the executive council of the association to be ready to work for the interest of the association.

  • Democracy not good governance, says Fayemi

    The Minister of Mineral Resources and Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, yesterday identified some of the key factors for good governance.

    According to him, only justice, the rule of law and true federalism can make the people enjoy good governance.

    Fayemi spoke as the  guest lecturer at the 10th remembrance of former Ondo State Governor Adebayo Adefarati  in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    He said practising democracy did not guarantee good governance.

    Represented by former Ekiti State Head of Service Bunmi  Famusaya, the minister noted that good governance can only be guaranteed within a system predicated on justice.

    According to him,  “it will be instructive to set a point-of-departure with the understanding that in the very complex environment within which we function, democracy – in itself – does not necessarily guarantee good governance and peace.

    “It has to be fundamentally anchored to  justice and cognate indices, including rule of law, fair electoral process and an equitable system of resource allocation and distribution.

    “Our very traditional understanding of the notion of ‘justice’ as pertaining to democracy is based on a legal conception associated with electoral legitimacy,  effectiveness of constitutional guarantees in society, and other aspects of the rule of law.”

    He identified injustice and disaffection as one of the problems confronting Nigeria.

    Fayemi said those entrusted with authority have used their custodianship of state instruments and resources to  violate public interest.

    On the late Adefarati, Fayemi said he believed in justice as one of the primary conditions for ensuring peace.

    He said: “He was one of an impressive corps of public servants reared in the womb of Awoism who approached politics first and foremost as an opportunity for bettering the lives of their compatriots.”

    Ondo State Governor  Oluwarotimi Akeredolu  extolled the virtues of the late governor.

    Akeredolu said he brought many critical development into the state.

    According to Akeredolu,  the late Adefarati was responsible for the state’s inclusion as a Niger Delta state.

  • Asiwaju: An icon of democracy

    Asiwaju: An icon of democracy

    Today, he stands as strong as the cedar of Lebanon, neither by his knowledge nor his wisdom alone, but also by his keen reflex, his courage and his bull-like determination to pursue a people-driven cause. It is rare in Nigerian politics, a country always in a state of flux, to have a man dominate the space for almost three decades. There are very few of leaders in this category. Some come like a comet, only to fizzle out like the foam from a detergent, some like a temporary whirlwind, only to be still at its short surge. Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has been on the turf since 1990, unflinching, never waning, but increasing in strength and capacity by every minute of the day.

    The history of the most reputable campaign for democracy in Nigeria will not be complete without chapters devoted to him, so also will the account of the movement to deepen democracy be incomplete without constant references to his name. Asiwaju has become a recurrent decimal on Nigerian political chess game, where he has assumed the status of the indomitable knight.

    As a Senator under the platform of the Social Democratic Party,(SDP), Nigerian history would have been different if Asiwaju had collaborated with the then military junta to scuttle the will of the people and truncate their best expectations. He had offers. He had juicy plates put forth by the anti-democracy capons, being one of the most vociferous voices In the then National Assembly. Rather, he pitched tent with the masses, his private home serving as the launch pad of resistance against the uncountable arrows fired at the pro-democracy coalition, the only group at the time that stood against the tyrannical manipulations of the military class. Considering the enormous arsenal of the military and the marauding network of hawks, his decision at that time, like many of us did, was like standing bare-chested to face a fast moving train that was off track.

    It was an epoch of killings and the nights of long knives. Asiwaju became one of the most remarkable figures in the campaign against the annulment of the June 12 Presidential election and the zeal for the enthronement of democracy.

    Meeting and working with a man in a period of national adversary, is always a relationship that one should treasure and preserve. Our meetings had to be conducted in the darkest recesses, under the trees, in the motor parks, on the shores of the Lagos beach, in the underground garage and sometimes inside the mosques or churches in the bid to avoid the prying nozzles of the enemies. It also required a high level of trust and confidence in each other. Betrayal of him as a leader would mean handing him over for treasonable charges.

    Asiwaju thought me that when you believe in a cause that is just, there should be no going back. From him, I learnt more that you begin to see obstacles only when you take your eyes of your goal. Asiwaju has a will cast in iron, his determination is etched in stone and his clarity of purpose cannot be disputed. He is firm, resolute and dogged.

    In the tortuous history of the 1990s, Asiwaju was convinced that the will of the people would triumph. His family was as at great risk. His businesses singled out for assault and meltdown, his finances isolated for state-sponsored attacks, his home raided and kept under deadly watch, but one thing that could not be taken away from him was his will.

    In the campaign for democracy in Nigeria, he gave his flesh, his soul, his energy, his heart and the totality of his being. His personal resources were invested in the tough campaign against one of the most formidable military institutions in African history. Going into exile became the inevitable option. While abroad, the enemies kept on the pursuit, recruiting covert agents to strike life out of him. For us at the homestead, the heat had reached a boiling point with many seized on the streets, killed or thrown literarily into the lion’s den.

    Raising a global anti-military campaign was not an easy task, especially when you have to do it with virtually no resources. The result was the enthronement of democracy in 1999. It is to the benefit of Nigerians that Asiwaju kept this zeal till date which has helped in many ways to transform Nigeria and institute eternal democratic ethos. It is to the credit of credible leaders like Asiwaju that the future of democracy in Nigeria was defended with their own sweat and blood, to the benefit of all today.

    Asiwaju’s determination to help sustain democracy is legendary. Within the contradictions of the democratic space, Asiwaju continues to stand out as a man of principle. It was no surprise that he was the only State Governor that did not lose the 2003 gubernatorial elections among all the Alliance for Democracy, (AD) State governors. He fought hard like a lion, against the enormous state machine of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and amidst the cynicism of his peers. The result was that almost all the topmost echelon of the ruling party relocated to Lagos, all eyes on him and all state machinery directed at bringing him unto his knees. He won the battle decisively and convincingly. Since then, he has become the tiny bone choking the throat of reactionary elements across the country.

    I have always had course not to doubt Asiwaju’s deep sense of judgment. Nigeria by 2014 was almost going to the dogs. There was a meltdown. Fear and trembling held the nation in awe. Terrorism was at its prime. Suicide bombers ruled a part of the country. Nigerian slipped into the red light district of mourning and affliction. The ruling party was helpless and hopeless, except to browbeat the people and hide her incompetence under the cloak of bullying.

    When the whistle was blown in 2014, the race seemed so long, the hill looked too high and the task too daunting. How could a new political coalition uproot a political party entrenched for 17 years? How could the mountain be moved? Asiwaju was again singled out as the albatross. He was hunted. His home was seen as the hotbed for radical ideas that would latter humble the ruling hegemony. Asiwaju became a pestilence, a ghost, that hunted the foes from dusk to dawn. Offers came for him to back down, promises made, if only he could leave the stage, but it was too late. His alliance with the masses could not be thrown into the thrashbin. He already had his gloves on, right in the ring, and would not have let down the enthusiastic but toil worn audience, whose liberation from the fetters of iron was tied to the victory against the sham regime. But at the end of the pitched battles, Nigerians, led by the likes of Asiwaju, broke a jinx in Nigeria by defeating the almighty Federal Government in a convincing battle that brought the elephant down on her kneel in one big bang.

  • Conflict is necessary in a democracy – Dogara

    Conflict is necessary in a democracy – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has said the current face-off between the executive and the legislature is normal in the democracy.

    Dogara, who spoke to Senior Editors in Abuja on Wednesday, said the nation stands to benefit from it.

    According to him, conflicts are a natural part of human beings and can be found even within the family unit.

    “There will always be fractions. Where you have human and individual factors, even in a family, there is bound to be conflicts.

    “In the relationship between the Legislature and the Executive, there will always be conflict. The only problem is that sometimes we cast conflicts as intricately bad,” he said.

    Dogara said sometimes conflicts were necessary for a nation, adding that where you had a collection of conformists, chances were that they would never make progress.

    “For you to have innovation and progress, people must be free to disagree, and it is only in disagreeing that progress is made.’’

    He said that the most important issue was that leaders of all arms of government interpret the issues so that they could lead to the nation’s progress.

    He said current political leaders must realise that Nigerians made a lot of sacrifices to ensure the enthronement of the current government, thus all sides of the government must close ranks and deliver on the promises that the people had sacrificed so much.

    “Conflicts yes, we may have conflicts, but it shouldn’t endure to the level that it offsets the friendly relationship with the Executive which is necessary to deliver on the goals of governance, that is key.”

    He said the House had always been supportive of the executive and always overcome party differences to ensure passage of key legislations in the interest of the country.

    Dogara said the APC government had not disappointed Nigerians as it had strived to meet their expectations, especially in restoring security in the North East.

    “This government, through various interventions has been able to ensure that the terrorists are not holding unto any spot of land. I believe this is one major thing that has given some hope to Nigerians.

    “For the very first time, we are in a position to overcome this problem, and it is critical, even if it’s nothing else that our citizens in the Northeast down to Abuja can move around more freely than before.’’

    The Speaker also said the current government had made tremendous progress in tackling corruption as government officials now think twice before engaging in any corrupt act.

  • He’s a dogged fighter for democracy, says Dogara

    He’s a dogged fighter for democracy, says Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,  has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as a dogged fighter for democracy, who has made invaluable contributions to democratic governance.

    Dogara, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser (Media and Public Affairs), Turaki Hassan,  while rejoicing with the former Lagos State governor on the occasion of his 65th birthday, likened him to the proverbial elephant that cannot be described and argued that any attempt to describe him will amount to grave injustice.

    It reads: “He is undoubtedly one of the leading lights of our modern democracy. I can only say this based on the part I have touched. I see him as someone who is demonstrating the attributes of a true leader.

    “He is not a regional leader. Some who thought he had everything cut out for him in the Southwest and he may not be able to play on a more national platform, got it wrong as they saw how together with some other committed leaders in this country, how they midwifed a political organisation that so many pundits believed it was impossible for them to midwife. They midwifed it and in the history of this country, for the first time, an opposition party, which was built on some blocks, including the great Asiwaju himself, succeeded in wrestling power from the hands of the ruling party.”

    “Like wine, which they say tastes better with age, the Speaker prayed for Tinubu to age gracefully and in good health, so that some of us who have come to see him as a mentor will continue to learn more and drink from the fountain of his wisdom.”

    “As you celebrate another dawn in your life, I congratulate you and pray the Almighty God to continue to keep you in good health and strengthen you as you continue in your contribution to the giant strides our nation is making,” the Speaker said.

     

  • ‘Democracy endangered if executive controls judiciary’s fund’

    ‘Democracy endangered if executive controls judiciary’s fund’

    Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Augustine Alegeh (SAN) has called for an urgent amendment of the 1999 Constitution to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary.
    According to him, executive control of the judiciary’s finances endangers democracy.
    Alegeh, who delivered the first Founder’s Day Lecture of the Edo State University, said the judiciary cannot continue to depend on the Executive.
    [quote font_size=”18″ color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#dda34b” bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]Related Post: Reforming and sustaining ethical judiciary[/quote]
    The lecture was entitled: Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria: the Role of the Judiciary,
    Alegeh said sections 81, 84, 121 & 162 of the 1999 Constitution make financial provisions for the judiciary.
    1999-constitution“The provisions are supposed to give judiciary financial autonomy and full control over its own funds. However, these provisions appear couched in a manner that create issues of compliance. Financial autonomy of the judiciary is the bedrock for a dynamic and pragmatic judiciary.
    [quote font_size=”18″ color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#dda34b” bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]The executive is advised not to engage in any action that would undermine the financial autonomy of the judiciary.

    There is the need for the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to be amended to give a more definitive provision for how funds due to the judiciary are to be determined and ascertained.
    A nation with a strengthened and vibrant judiciary will witness a renewed confidence by the citizenry in the justice delivery system, a reduction in crime rate, a decongestion of the prisons as well as an increase in the revenue generation of the states. All these will strengthen our democracy – Alegeh said.[/quote]
    The Vice Chancellor, Prof Emmanuel Aluyor, said the university’s vision was to become a centre of excellence in teaching, research, innovations and community development.
    He said the National Universities Commission (NUC), on January 18, after a successful verification exercise of the university, approved additional programmes in engineering, medicine, basic medical sciences and mass communication.
    Also at the event were Governor Godwin Obaseki, represented by his Deputy Philip Shaibu, former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the University Governing Council, Prof. Pat Utomi, among others.
  • Olanusi’s victory great for democracy – Akeredolu

    Olanusi’s victory great for democracy – Akeredolu

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Saturday hailed the victory of former Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, at the Court of Appeal in Akure, saying it was great for democracy.

    The commendation is in a statement in Akure by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Mr Segun Ajiboye.

    Ajiboye quoted the governor as saying “the 79-page judgment delivered by Justice Muhammed Danjuma was well deserved, a triumph for democracy and light over darkness.’’

    The governor also said that the judgment would discourage political leaders from arbitrary actions and decisions and ensure that the tenets of democracy were promoted.

    He added that “this judgment confirmed that Alhaji Ali Olanusi was maltreated, abused and humiliated by the crop of lawmakers who planned and executed the illegal impeachment.

    “In the judgment on Friday, Justice Muhammed Danjuma said Olanusi’s impeachment did not follow due process because he was not personally served the originating summons.

    “He was also denied presentation before an panel set up to investigate the alleged gross misconduct against him.’’

    Akeredolu said that “the judge maintained that Olanusi remained the Deputy Governor of Ondo State from April 27, 2015, the date he was wrongly impeached by the state House of Assembly.

    “Olanusi, will therefore remain the state’s deputy governor till Feb. 24, 2017 when the tenure of the former administration will expire

  • Democracy and its Nigerian stressors

    Just as not having electricity embarrasses the average citizen, equally embarrassing is the fact that the president has to go abroad to take care of his health.

    Nigeria must have fully joined the club of plural democracies when it successfully transferred power from one regime to another via an acceptable election result in 2015. For this feat, it has been praised locally and internationally as a rising democracy. The country’s diversity is not just ethnic or religious; it is also ideological and cultural, carrying as many worldviews as can be imagined. The result of such diversity shows in the way people in the country react to any stimuli, including a president becoming sick and needing diagnosis and treatment.

    When a few weeks back, President Buhari felt sick, he wrote the National Assembly to announce his intention to go on 10-day vacation abroad, during which he would visit his physicians. Such letter should have been enough to calm the nerves of citizens of all ideological persuasions. By indicating that he would use his vacation to see his doctors ought to have been clear to all that  the 74-year old man was not sure of what ailment he had and had no way of being sure before consulting with his doctors. Nine days into his vacation, he wrote another letter informing the NASS that he had to spend extra time to wait for his medical test results, an indication that there was nothing more specific about his health to disclose to his citizens via NASS or special news conference. In most countries, this development would not stimulate production of an encyclopaedia on the health of a man waiting for results of medical tests.

    But not in Nigeria would people have adequate patience to wait for post-test announcements from Buhari or his media aides. The social media came in handy for peddlers of falsehood, rumour mongers, and mischief makers. Before anyone could say Jack, unaccredited reporters in the social media in particular threw up reports of medical diagnosis, prognosis, suggested treatments including mass praying and fasting by friends and foes of Buhari. The president’s aides were, for the first time in the newish administration, put on their toes. They went into a frenzy to offer unsolicited and unnecessary information about the president’s state of health: How he received his guests from Nigeria; how many of them he saw off to the door to his residence; what type of tea he drank; how much nostalgia he has experienced for being out of the country for less than two weeks; etc.

    Despite these assurances from presidential media aides, social media imps continue to sponsor manufactured stories about negative developments in Buhari’s state of health, putting such stories in the mouths of announcers that sound like ‘mercenary broadcasters.’ Inside the country, habitual polity heaters have also been at work to decode medical test results that have not been made available by the president’s physicians in London. All these efforts have created noise and confusion in the minds of citizens who do not feel that they have anything special to gain from exaggerations about the president’s health. Such people include citizens who believe sincerely that President Buhari is, despite his political status, someone’s father and spouse whose privacy rights should not be violated frivolously and those who believe that,  like all human beings, the president needs to get his state of health properly verified by professionals with the expertise to do so, before giving progress reports to citizens.

    Even political and tribal organisations have refused to be left out of the rumour factories growing around Mr. President’s health. Such associations have started to heat the polity by accusing groups from other regions of wishing Buhari dead, even though there has been nothing from Buhari’s doctors to suggest that the man is in any such danger.  For example, an APC Solidarity Alliance spokesperson has observed that “the health of the president has been grossly exploited to further undermine the stability of the country.” By attributing the president’s health challenges to other nationalities, such organisations are only illustrating the superstitious attitude that has underdeveloped most of Africa. Nobody, apart from the doctors studying President Buhari’s test results can say for certain what Buhari’s problems are. Yet, some tribal or partisan groups already feel competent to identify tribal groups working against the president’s recovery, even without release of medical test results.

    In addition, members of friendly political parties, particularly APC ministers and party chiefs, have been going in and out of London to see their party leader and have used the occasion of such visits to assure Nigerians that the man is alive and not in any hospital to wait for death, as many of Buhari’s opponents and self-appointed kinsmen in the social media would want citizens to believe. Even the two leaders in the National Assembly have rushed to Abuja House in London to be counted among well-wishers who would not allow the pressure of work prevent them from doing the needful. The effect of avalanche of meetings to Buhari in London has increased the level of consternation at home, especially among regular human beings.

    Yet, there are people who would want President Buhari to have all the peace he needs to soar above the current cloud over his health. They are not only praying and fasting for full recovery from an ailment that is still to be identified by experts, they also believe that regardless of the political office that the president holds, details of his health should not become the topic of every breakfast or dinner table. Such insistence on privacy acts contrasts with the view of strict constructionists of the principle of the citizen’s right to know everything about their president’s health. Rights watchers disregard the fact that the 1999 Constitution, as flawed as it is, is silent on how much detail of anyone’s health must be given to citizens. Despite increasing conflicting ‘news’ in the social media, it is reassuring that President Buhari has chosen to thank Nigerians for their support.

    More than anything else since President Buhari assumed power, social-media news about his health has created as much tension and distraction for the federal government. This situation has not resulted from anything that the president has done or failed to do; it derives largely from conflicting worldviews of multicultural Nigeria. For example, most Yoruba who still believe that no bad news about the monarch should be propagated before the community is ritually prepared to receive it must wonder why anyone in his right senses would talk ill of the president, regardless of his politics and ethical war against corruption.

    On the other hand, partisans from cultures that take political power to be more important than any other human action are likely to relish creating narratives of political succession for a man who is demonstrably alive and mentally alert. This is the only way to explain why any political organisation would readily allege that other groups are plotting against the government of a man who went to London on his own volition to take care of his health. Similarly, there are cultures that do not believe that any person can get sick or even die without being charmed by his or her enemies while there are other cultures that produce power mongers who have no qualms deriving power struggles from any hint that anyone believed to be holding power on behalf of any nationality is indisposed or sick. Equally, those who believe that a warrior against corruption is their enemy must have contributed to conflicting news about the president’s health, especially in the social media.

    However, some matters are already arising from the conflicting reports about the president’s health. Just as not having electricity embarrasses the average citizen, equally embarrassing is the fact that the president has to go abroad to take care of his health. Admittedly, President Buhari has not been in power long enough to have made radical changes to health care in the country. However, Buhari’s sickness should increase demand for provision of  world-class healthcare centers in the country. Recession or no recession, there is no reason for a country of almost 200 million people not to have at least six regional state-of-the-art hospitals, to treat all types of disease that any citizen may have.