Can Nigeria ever attain its political and economic goals?
How can citizens realise the country of their dreams? What is the role of lawyers?
These and more were some of the issues discussed at the professional development seminar and colloquium of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL) in Lagos.
The seminar had the theme: Exploring emerging areas of law practice, while the colloquium had the theme: The Nigeria its people desire, deserve and demand: Citizens and government’s collective task of building a sustainable, responsive and accountable new Nigeria.
Retired professor of international law Akin Oyebode, who spoke on A people’s Constitution as an instrument of growth and development in a new Nigeria, said until it gets to a point where citizens begin to interrogate the law, the country would not make progress.
He urged lawyers to do more in holding the government accountable, adding that there was the need for a review of the Constitution to make it truly people oriented.
Oyebode regretted that corruption was “very much” part of legal practice, indicating that it was a reason he chose not to practice.
“You have to sacrifice your principles in order to get the job done. Some clients want lawyers who can see the judge. The jury is still out on the role of lawyer in fighting corruption,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria was sitting on keg of gunpowder by not addressing the issues that cause crises and lead to insecurity.
“We’ve lost our sense of values and we’re no longer shockable,” he said.
A political economist and founder, Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof Pat Utomi, said Nigeria’s biggest challenge was that the government’s legitimacy level was low.
He said government finds it difficult to implement policies because the people do not believe it is in their interest.
“No government can be effective without a certain level of legitimacy,” he said.
He said a government’s legitimacy is shaped by perceptions of fairness, competence and care for the people.
He said most governments don’t know how to make themselves legitimate, which he said remained a challenge.
On how Nigeria can rise again, Utomi said it required shared national vision, strategy and values.
He called for strong participation and representation through ideas and values anchored by political parties that meticulously recruits, socialise and develop their members.
NACL National President Senator Mike Ajaegbo, while reacting to Prof Oyebode’s views, said the Constitution was still the law despite its imperfections.
He said what Nigeria needs most is a “moral re-armament”, adding that organised religion should begin to push its people into politics, especially those who can do the job when elected.
Ajaegbo noted that political parties no longer focus on implementing their manifestoes, adding that the All Progressives Congress (APC) members instead quarrel among themselves.
“I don’t know the President’s economic policy,” he said, adding that the organised religion must act.
Speaking on the Youth as agents in restructuring of Nigeria, a professor of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Charles Ukeje, noted that the youth were sadly still outside or at the fringes of the ongoing discourse on the future of the country.
He urged the youth to get more actively involved in politics.
“Nigerian youths can no longer afford to distance or completely distance themselves from the political space; whether they are demanding accountability or seeking representational offices.
“For as long as they distance themselves from politics at every level for so long will the concerns, yearnings and aspirations of young people be met with contempt and forlorn hope,” Ukeje said.
Dominican University Vice Chancellor, Prof Anthony Akinwale,who spoke on Pseudo religion and ethnicity: A bane to accountability and transparent leadership in Nigeria, noted that sometimes religion and ethnicity are abused.
“Religious and ethnic sentiments are whipped up to win votes, to grab power and to remain in power. But on closer examination, the intention is not to be at the service of men and women of my religious or ethnic communities, the intention is to use them to service my ego and my addiction to power.
“That explains why the fact that a member of my ethnic or religious community is in power does not translate into improved standard of living for members of my ethnic or religious communities. Rather, it translates into his or her living an affluent life while members of the ethnic or religious community of the power holding man or woman live in penury.
“A public servant who abuses his or her office, acting in ways that are inimical to the common good, evokes the sympathy of his or her ethnic or religious community by simply claiming that he or she is being sanctioned just for being the son or daughter of the ethnic or religious community.
“Ethnic and religious communities are thus used as den of criminals. That is why it is my submission that the problem is neither religion nor ethnicity but egotism and power addiction,” he said.
Akinwale called for a re-envisioned Nigeria that avoids a collapse of distinction which he said has characterised political discourse and behavior.
“In a re-envisioned Nigeria, the relationship between the citizen and the state needs to be redefined such that the state and its functionaries are transparent and accountable to the citizen. This redefined relationship will be reflected in a new constitution, and the provisions of the constitution will reflect the ways we address four sets of fundamental questions.
“What ought to be the relationship between the state and the citizen? What ought to be the relationship between the institutions established by the constitution for the protection of the citizens? Related to that question is the question of relationship between the different tiers of government in the federation. And what ought to be the relationship between a citizen and a fellow citizen, that is, the rights and duties of citizen-members of the association among themselves?
“It takes a constitution that adequately addresses these fundamental questions to protect the citizen’s rights from being violated, either by the state or by his or her fellow citizen, on the grounds of religious, ethnic or gender affiliation.
“While I associate myself with the school of thought that we need strong institutions, I believe we also need strong individuals to run these institutions. By strong individuals, I do not mean despotic rulers and overbearing officials of state.
“I mean leaders of multiple competence; leaders who are intellectually, morally and technically competent to govern the affairs of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity such as Nigeria. For when it comes to leadership, intellectual competence is necessary but insufficient, moral competence is necessary but insufficient, and technical competence is necessary but insufficient.
“Whether or not we will enjoy the benefits of transparent and accountable leadership in Nigeria is contingent on whether or not we are willing and able to seek and to find such leaders of multiple competence. It takes good education to form such leaders, and good education is itself a tripod: a tripod of intellectual formation, ethical formation and technical formation,” he said.
