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Tag: Sagay

  • Sagay to judges: avoid ploys by lawyers to delay cases

    Professor of Law, Itse Sagay (SAN), yesterday advised judges to hear any application for a preliminary objection brought in an economic and financial crimes case with the substantive suit. He said this is necessary to stop the ploy by lawyers to use preliminary injunctions to delay cases.

    Sagay, who delivered a keynote address at the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Law Week on the theme: ‘The decline of the professional ethics and standards of the Nigerian legal practitioner’, said an insatiable and an unrestrained urge for material things were responsible for the decline in the profession.

    He accused lawyers of corrupting judges, noting that some lawyers have established themselves as middle men to approach judges to buy judgments.

    Sagay, who described the practice of bringing preliminary objections to stifle and frustrate prosecutions, for the stealing of enormous funds, as the greatest danger in the country, said it creates a powerful and rich club of criminals, who are greater than the law and state and have access to power.

    He berated lawyers, who serve as middle men between the judges and litigants to buy judgments, just as he slammed lawyers, who have cultivated the habit of embezzling their clients’ money.

    “One major misconducts in the legal profession is the habit of some senior lawyers, who deliberately prolong court proceedings by filing frivolous preliminary objections.

    “To save Nigeria, and pending the enactment of inevitable legislation to eliminate this malpractice, any application for preliminary objection in a case involving an economic and financial crime should be taken together with the substantive matter. This means the delivery of one final judgment. So, the whole case, objection and substantive matter can proceed to the Court of Appeal and thereafter to the Supreme Court.

  • Fashola, Sagay, others for Lagos NBA Law Week

    Fashola, Sagay, others for Lagos NBA Law Week

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Professor of Law Itse Sagay (SAN) are among dignitaries expected at the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2013 Law Week.

    The event, which is the second under the leadership of Taiwo Taiwo, the branch chairman, will hold between June 23 and 27.

    Addressing reporters yesterday, the alternate Chairperson, Organising Committee Mrs Tolani Edu-Adeola said the theme for this year is: Corruption, Insecurity, Ethics and the Legal Practitioner.

    She said the week-long event will enable lawyers to discuss issues affecting the nation from legal perspectives.

    The lawyer said the branch would render free medical checks and visit some prisons in Lagos to give succour to their inmates.

    Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti, ProfAkin Oyebode and Mrs. Funke Adekoya (SAN) are expected to deliver papers on: Money Laundering Vs the Legal Profession.

    Prof Sagay will deliver the keynote address on the theme.

     

  • Sagay, Utomi charge Fed Govt to learn from Lagos

    •Condemns cancellation of first Lagos metro line

    Nigeria’s fontline constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, and a former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, yesterday urged the Federal Government to learn from the historic development taking place in Lagos State.

    The eminent Nigerians noted that the Federal Government has not made significant impact on the development of the nation.

    They spoke at the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, during the public presentation of a book, entitled: Fashola: The Historic Reconstruction of Lagos, written by Mr. Emeka Odikpo, a lawyer.

    Sagay said it is unfortunate that people currently holding political power at the centre have brought the country to shame before the comity of nations.

    He noted that politicians at the centre “limit everything to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”.

    He added: “They have no philosophy of government. They are just a group of people whose only intention is just to accumulate power and accumulate resources and enjoy themselves rather than take care of the entire country.

    “So, this is the type of the government that we have. It is the PDP type of mentality. When you have a breakaway type of PDP governor, like (Rivers State Governor Rotimi) Amaechi, who is trying to make an impact in the lives of the people and establish some legacies of good governance, it is not in the character of the PDP. So, they have to destroy him.”

    The don urged Fashola to look beyond Lagos politics and contest for the presidential election in 2015, adding that the kind of transformation Lagos witnessed under his administration and under his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed, should be replicated at the centre.

    He noted that with the level of commitment and modest achievements recorded by his administration in Lagos, what “is next for Governor Fashola is to offer himself to serve the people at the national level”.

    Utomi blamed the cancellation of the metro line project during the administration of former Governor Lateef Jakande on the military.

    He said the decision has led to increased traffic congestion in the state.

    The economist said the Lagos transformation “is a mark of commitment and continuity”.

    Utomi added: “This is indeed a committed administration. For long, everyone has been talking about the Second Niger Bridge. The country will definitely learn from what is happening in Lagos.”

    The politician hailed Fashola for sustaining the good work his predecessor left behind, adding that for the governor “to have continued to sustain the work left behind, he must have been driven with passion”.

    Utomi decried the abolition of the metro line, which the Jakande administration began, by the military government under the late Air Commodore Mudashiru Lawal.

    According to him, the metro line being built by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when Lagos State was planning its own, has since been completed.

    Utomi said: “Though Lawal was a good man, one of my saddest days in life was when he stopped the metro line project. Kuala Lumpur, which started its metro line with Lagos, has since completed its.

    “I am happy that dream is being recreated now by the Fashola administration. Many of us will live to see that dream being fulfilled.”

  • Falana, Sagay, others back FG’s dialogue with sect

    Falana, Sagay, others back FG’s dialogue with sect

    Some eminent lawyers in Lagos on Friday gave their backing to the Federal Government to engage the Boko Haram Sect in dialogue, towards restoring peace to the areas affected by their insurgency.

    The lawyers made this known in separate telephone interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), following Thursday’s request by the sect for dialogue with the government.

    The lawyers said it was a welcome development, as it could put an end to the spate of violence, which had troubled some northern states since the last three years.

    A constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), however, cautioned the government to carefully examine the genuineness of the group making the demand before engaging in any dialogue.

    Sagay said, “It is a welcome development in the sense that peace can return to the country.

    “However, the Federal Government needs to examine the genuineness of the people behind the call to ascertain if they truly represent the interest of the sect”.

    He advised the government to reject the demand by the group that the talks should be held in Saudi Arabia, noting that Nigeria was not an Islamic country.

    Sagay also advised the government not to grant amnesty to Boko Haram members.

    “Those who have murdered innocent Nigerians going to church to worship should not be given amnesty.

    “There are families who are still grieving for their loved ones killed by the dastardly acts of this group, and so, it is morally wrong to grant them amnesty”, he said.

    Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights activist, advised the government not to be ecstatic about the prospect of dialoguing with Boko Haram.

    Falana said: “Dialogue is good but the government should be wary because they have made similar calls in the past, which were not genuine.

    “So, we should not get carried away because it may only be a ploy by the sect to regroup and buy time in order to continue their onslaught of violence against Nigerians”.

    Another human rights activist, Mr Bamidele Aturu, urged the government to engage the sect in dialogue towards ascertaining their grievances.

    Aturu said: “It is a welcome development as long as it will put an end to the killing of innocent Nigerians.

    “The earlier we discuss with them the better because it is clear that we cannot win the war against this sect.

    “The government should discuss with them to know their grievances, so that peace can return to the country”.

    On his part, Mr Adebamigbe Omole, a former Chairman of the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said amnesty should be granted to the sect to put an end to the violence.

    Omole said: “The security agencies are overwhelmed because they cannot get over the problem.

    “To save innocent Nigerians, the government should be prepared to grant them amnesty, just like they did with the Niger-Delta militants.”