The Nation Newspaper

Tag: values

  • On national values

    On national values

    A nation that dreams greatness needs to invest in the strategic inculcation of national values. The success of such a strategic investment depends on several factors: (a) the scope of the values, (b) the source of the values, (c) the nature of the values, (d) role models and instructors, (e) institutional structures. Let us briefly investigate each of these factors.

    First, by scope I mean the reach of the values deemed national. It is unavoidably tautological to suggest that national values must be national in scope. But that is the inescapable reality. A national value cannot be ethnic orsectarian. Of course, this doesn’t suggest that a value that is acceptable to one ethnic or sectarian group cannot be acceptable to some other group. What it suggests is simply that for a value to be considered worthy of the adjective “national”, it must be embraced by or considered as worthy of the embrace of others.

    Second, one factor that determines the national scope of a value is the source of the value. How do members of the nation come to recognise it as a value worthy of embrace. National values cannot originate from divisive sources. Fortunately, despite the divisions of tribe and tongue in dear country, we have one non-divisive source of our values. It is the constitution which provides a copious account of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy, which for all intents and purposes is a declaration of our national values.

    Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides a list of our national values, the ideals that we stand for and which government and citizens have a duty to embrace and promote. It reiterates our republicanism, which vests sovereignty in the people with the right to participate in government and the duty to discharge the responsibilities that correlate with that right. We affirm peace, progress, unity and faith as national ideals worth living for and if necessary worth dying for. We reject corrupt practices and collectively resolve to abolish them from our nation. We pledge to secure maximum welfare, freedom and happiness for every citizen on the basis of social justice. We decide that national wealth will serve the common good and not just a chosen few.

    We embrace freedom, equality and justice as the foundation of our social order. In other words, no one will be rendered unfree without due process; no one will be treated like a slave or serf; and justice will prevail because these are values that our nation is built upon. They demonstrate our belief in the sanctity and dignity of the human person. As a mark of our fidelity to these values, we pledge to give every citizen the opportunity to secure adequate means of livelihood under just and humane conditions of work.

    Our constitution even identifies boldly and unambiguously our national ethic which encompasses all of the above: discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance and patriotism. From south to north, from east to west, and every space in-between, these are the values that we embrace per the grundnorm that binds us as one nation indivisible. It follows that these are the values that we must seek to inculcate in young and old, officials and ordinary citizens at every opportunity in order to make our nation the pride of citizens and the envy of aliens.

    Third, by their nature, these ingredients of our national values are positive roadmaps for national development and national integration, provided there is sufficient adherence to their dictates. And that is what has been lacking. The lack is in two areas. If we are to inculcate national values, there must be instructors and role models for that purpose. But genuine instructors are lacking not because there are no expert teachers of values, but because, there is more to instruction and role modelling than rote teaching and learning. A role model sets a pattern of behaviour that is emulated by the followers. Whether in policy formulation or political practice, whether in religious instruction or sectarian preaching, there is too much of “do as I say” and not enough of “do as I do.”

    Fourth, there must be adequate institutional structures through the auspices of which national values are disseminated and inculcated. Prominent among the institutions that have traditionally taken up this task are schools, religious institutions, voluntary organisations, such as Boys Scout and Girls Guide, etc. In the colonial era and in the post-colonial and pre-military era, these were veritable institutions that took on the responsibility of inculcating national values with dedication and commitment. Discipline was enforced in schools and religious institutions. This translated into a productive workforce and a patriotic citizenry. We remember the teachers that made us who we are and the pastors and imams that lived penurious lives but delivered the words of truth without fear or favour. They are hardly here anymore.

    It is understandable then why government officials worry about national values. The Nigerian Educational and Research Development Council (NERDC) has refocused on how schools can re-engage in inculcating national values. But how might schools disseminate national values? And how might religious institutions? There is an undeniable synergy between national values and religious values. Our major religions preach love, peace, unity, respect, hard work, etc. Therefore, churches, mosques and traditional worship spaces are well-positioned to help inculcate national values.

    Public and private schools are also best suited with appropriate curriculum development in social studies, history, and civics, which focus students as citizens and future leaders on the history and value priorities of their nation.

    How about subject areas like Christian Religious Studies (CRS) and Islamic Religious Studies (IRS)? Are they repositories of national values and thus agents for their inculcation? To the extent that these subjects teach positive values, they are helpful in the dissemination of national values. However, this is not their main focus. Both are to be seen as academic subjects focused on instructing students on the tenets, beliefs and history of each of the faiths. As such, there are areas of agreement and areas of conflict between them. The major prophets of these religions had differing views on the issue of faith and spirituality.

    And while religion, when it is reasonably approached, can be a positive influence on national values, it is unclear what useful purpose is served by having students compulsorily explore in curriculum settings the linkage between religion and national values. Is the purpose to understand the relationship? That is not a worthy subject area for JSS or SSS. Is it to more effectively inculcate national values? That is a less effective approach. Is it to align religion and national values? That is an unnecessary effort. In the matter of teaching religion and inculcating national values, the approach that reason dictates is to keep them clear and distinct. As one of the prophets advised: give to Caesar what belongs to him, and reserve for God what is God’s.

    At any rate, even if for some reason, we find it useful to deploy religious instruction in the inculcation of national values, it is counter-productive to combine two religions under one curriculum head. Just as we cannot combine the teaching and learning of history and mathematics as a subject offering, combining IRS and CRS as one single subject in the curriculum will serve more negative than positive purpose.For such combination cannot avoid inadvertently truncating one belief system or the other, something that can cause more social harm than good.

    By the same token, making religious study compulsory while history is removed from the curriculum doesn’t make much sense. The latter is sorely needed for a heightened sense of national values. It affords us a common memory of our core values, where we have been, and what got us to where we are. History enables us to make useful investigation of our national, social, moral and political values. And historical knowledge is a sine qua non for informed citizenry. Therefore, for promoting national values, it makes better sense to make history, rather than religious knowledge, compulsory in our school curriculum.

     

  • Imperative of values

    Imperative of values

    Values are the foundations of social and national life. They make us who we are and determine what we will be. They can be positive or negative. We live by them and by them we thrive or degenerate. A society that derives its being from positive values can expect to thrive and prosper. On the other hand, where negative values are the driver of national wheel, it can expect to slouch toward the Hades of existence. By the same token, when a nation starts on a positive value orientation but goes on to embrace negative values, we may expect it to flounder and fall. This was the fateful course of the empires that were and are no more.

    From whence come our values? Are they natural and immutable or are they conventional and relative? In other words, are our values independent of human making and therefore natural, holding absolutely no matter the circumstance? Or are they dependent on human conventions and therefore relative to time and space? It makes a lot of practical difference how we theoretically answer these questions. It makes a lot of difference across cultures, across religions and across nations.

    For value absolutists, societal values are immutable because they are independent of human conventions and agencies, and are needed for societal survival and progress. Therefore, they cannot be overridden by any social idiosyncrasies or legal manoeuvres.

    But where do they come from and how do we get to know them? The answer varies. For many traditionalists and conservatives, values are divine. We know them through God’s revelation to the devout and wise ones. Recall Moses and the Ten Commandments. Or Prophet Mohammed and the Holy Koran. The prophets don’t lie and therefore society must abide by their mandates. Obviously here, the challenge of consensus strikes us right in the face when there is a conflict of revelations mandating a conflict of values. How do we deal with different revelations concerning child marriage?

    For secularists, the source of our absolute values is nothing but the reason and the conscience with which we are fully and lavishly endowed. To know the values that we must live by, we only need to consult our reason and be guided by its dictates. If we are honest and smart, we would not miss the mark. The problem is that we are not all honest and some are not as smart as others. As a result, we also have here the challenge of consensus when differing value conclusions are drawn from the same set of factual propositions to the detriment of social life. How come different reasoners reach different conclusions about the value implications of the fact of child marriage?

    In the last two paragraphs, I have deliberately framed the question of consensus in simple and direct language. I have avoided the issue of abduction, for instance, simply because it is contestable. Assume, however, that the case of Ese and Yunusa were not that of abduction but simply a case of love between two young fellows. Do we have a consensus of revelation and/or reason about the value of child marriage since it is not denied that Ese is a minor? And on the need for parental consent?

    It follows from the above that value absolutism of religious or rational dimensions has a challenge regarding consensus on values within a social space in which there are contending and competing spiritual forces or rational agencies.

    Value relativism recognises this conundrum but it doesn’t fare better. For value relativism, values are relative to societies and cultures each of which has the right and responsibility to determine what values are best for its survival and progress and therefore values may vary from place to place. While this position makes consensus within particular cultures and religions possible, it fails to take account of the plurality of cultures and religions that make a society. And the major mark of modernity is the plurality of cultures and religions within a social space as in the case of our multi-ethnic and multi-national space.

    Recognising the diversity of our cultural and religious values and the challenge of consensus across the divides that they represent, we opted for a device that should take precedence over all of them and bring us to a consensus on value matters. This is what our grundnorm, the constitution of the country represents or is expected to represent. We do not have a common spiritual or rational agency. But by appeal to our rational self-interests and what is needed to promote them in a multinational environment, we agreed to establish the guiding principles of social and political life which, therefore, supersede any cultural or religious dictates or divisions. Provided we allow the constitution to do its job of promoting our national values, we should be able to ride the storm of ethnic or religious diversity.

    It is to this end that the constitution gives us the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State as the source of our national values and social orientation. It also establishes the rule of law as the basis of our interactions. In each of the dimensions of our economic, political, social and spiritual lives, we have the rule of law to guide our relationship with government and with fellow citizens. The onus is mostly on our governments through our political leaders to enunciate and pursue practical policies aimed at bringing out the best in every citizen. When leaders succeed, the nation and its citizens excel in values orientation. Otherwise, they experience anomie and alienation. Our contemporary experience of value deficit is an eloquent testimony to the failure of leadership.

    If we believe in the doctrine of the natural depravity of humans, then it is human nature to drift toward vice or negative values. Naturally then, we prefer consumerism to productivity. If economic sabotage through hoarding pays, we embrace it. Political violence and election rigging that scuttle democracy may favour a few as long as there is no consequence. Some may find it attractive to denigrate women and see them as sex slaves even when they protect their own daughters from harm. Unbridled materialism and opulence in the midst of mass poverty may not tax the dead conscience of the filthy rich. And prosperity gospellers may have no qualm about milking the poor cattle that they volunteer to herd. If our different cultures and religions pronounce differently on these value choices, the constitution and the statutes that it spawns are clear in their denunciation.

    I am not sure if it is only reassuring or true to suggest that our nation has seen the worst in terms of the negativity of our value system. Twenty years ago, many thought we must have gone through the worst when it was government itself that promoted the most heinous of crimes, including judicial murder of citizens for irrational self-interest. Now we have local and state governments doing just as much and getting away with it. Much more harmful is the collaboration of the judiciary through the bad eggs it harbours to perverse the cause of justice and mock the rule of law.

    Most of the values that the majority of our people live by are egocentric and therefore inimical to the social health of the nation. If everyone were to adopt those values, no one can expect to survive let alone prosper in this nation-space. Those negative values couldn’t have come from any natural or spiritual sources. But with individuals embracing them and political leadership not having enough moral courage and political will to unleash the power of the grundnorm and our statutes to deal decisively with them is not just embarrassing; it is destructive of our common interests. For with these negative values and the weakness of the will on the part of the government, we are creating the veritable means of our national demise. Empires and nations have risen and fallen as a result of the values that they embrace and promote. We have not even risen to the midpoint of our potentials. But we are already prepping hard for the big fall.

  • In search of values

    Some years ago, a prominent Lagos politician jailed for corruption was released. If he had quietly gone home to reflect with his family, some Nigerians say they would’ve forgiven him. But not this politician; his boisterous nature made him close down the central business district of Lagos when he walked straight from prison to the church to “give thanks” to God. Nigerians were enraged; most wondered how we descended to this level. In all the condemnation that trailed that event, I particularly single out one as my best.

    Not knowing what means to best reach the mass of Nigerian youths, some concerned mothers tasked themselves, raised money and placed paid advertorial in some newspapers. Through the advert, they told their children, wards and Nigerian youths that what they witnessed – or read about – can never happen in a sane and forward looking society. They charged the youths not to look upon the politician and his ilk as their ideal role model but to hold on to the timeless values their hard working parents instilled in them.

    If we are honest with ourselves we’d mostly agree that all is not well with our nation and that the values we once held dear sadly belongs in another era. Stories that we have been inundated with almost daily about the massive looting of our treasury in the immediate past is mind boggling! As Nigerians, nothing seems to shock us anymore.

    Where are values like honesty, integrity, good neighbourliness, religious tolerance etc that once defined our society? Why are some citizens more interested in taking pictures of accident victims than helping them? Ten years ago, it would’ve been strange to hear of individuals stealing billions of naira. Am I saying there was no stealing in the past? There certainly was; it is the magnitude that bothers me. How can a sane individual loot funds that he may not be able to spend if he lives five times over?

    Whatever also happened to being our brother’s keeper? Today, we’ve grown so numb and we’re no longer shocked when people are slaughtered in a senseless terror campaign by some deranged individuals. We now have internally displaced people in Nigeria. Their misery has no doubt opened another flank for corruption. Yet we carry on as if all is well.

    Growing up, it wasn’t unusual seeing Christians and Moslems mingling together celebrating Christmas and Salah, but today bigotry reigns supreme. We perpetuate the worst kinds of ethnic chauvinism and bigotry you could ever think of. “Herdsmen” are on an unchallenged rampage in some parts of the country leaving sorrow, tears and blood on their trail.

    Driven by greed and inordinate lust for the “good life,” some of us seek the shortest possible route to riches. We revere criminals and treasury looters as our “role models” bestowing upon them honourary degrees, chieftaincy titles or even “purchase” election forms for them. We saw this charade in the last dispensation.

    Nations often have constitutions used to establish the groundwork for their social, legal and ambitious future. It establishes the basic relationships between the citizens and their leaders. It defines rules for good and bad practices, laying down laws against taboos while preaching certain practices as essential. This generally is the means of identifying the nation’s values or value system.

    It is assumed that a nation’s value system is sacred and could extend beyond that nation’s boundaries. All nations are supposed to be proud of their value systems, just as a person is proud of his or her upbringing and character and would try to impress that behaviour and beliefs on others.

    Basic values are traditional and historic, reflecting aspects of the experience that each nation went through since its inception. The greatest part, however, used to be – and, in some cases, still are – extracted from the main religious teachings of the nation. In fact a value system is based on averaging the total human experiences and producing a compromised version for all to follow. Religion is often present at the heart of a human value system.

    Our value system therefore is the sum total of our ideas and beliefs. It includes every opinion we hold about life. Each thing we like or dislike, and the importance each one has to us, merges to form our unique value system. Our value system develops through what we are taught and experience, combined with our reactions to them, forming our preferences and our unique perspective on life. Ultimately, every opinion we have in life is based on something in our value system.

    The quality of any society is directly linked to the importance of the shared values. Two people may share a common interest in football, but if one thinks the other is a liar and a thief, they likely will not develop a deep friendship. On the other hand, if we have a mutual interest in keeping our neighborhood safe, our views on sports will not interfere with our working together for that common goal.

    Relationships grow over time as the citizens grow together in their values. When two people meet for the first time, they do not know very much about what the other person values. Each one makes assumptions about the other, some of which are true while others are false. Yet, over time, if they discover that they agree on their most important values, their relationship will deepen and grow stronger.

    This is also true regarding all family relationships. Parents usually seek to instill their values into their children. As a child grows, he forms his own unique value system from what he learns from his parents. The quality of the relationship the parent and child share is completely dependent on how much they agree on each other’s most significant values.

    Good neighbourliness is based on common values systems and we experience this truth every day. We want to be with those who share our interests and moral ideas. Likewise, we avoid people who do not share values similar to ours, whether in moral areas of life or simply in manners or interests. In fact, it is difficult to enjoy a relationship with someone who is substantially different from you.

    Of course, the true values that we hold are the ones by which we actually live. If we claim to value something, yet do the opposite of it, then we actually value something else. If I claim to value truth, yet lie, then there is something more important to me than telling the truth. My lies prove that I hold some other value more deeply than honesty.

    Our actions are the first indicators to ourselves and others about the values we hold because the values that we live by are connected to what is most important to us. However, we can sometimes have other desires in our hearts that differ from our actions. To be completely at peace within ourselves, there must be conformity between our deepest values and how we actually live. That is, you must be committed to your deepest values and seek to live according to them. Otherwise, you will experience inner conflict because you have not determined which values are most important to you, and every choice you make will not flow from a firmly held belief about that area of life.

    It is sad to note that some parents have abdicated the responsibility of instilling core positive values in their children and have left that to schools, nannies and the society to do. What such parents fail to realise is that schools don’t train children, parents do. My reference to children here is predicated on the fact that character and values are better instilled from the formative years of a child. What a school or society does is to guide, the onus is still on the parents to provide the moral foundation in which their children’s future would be firmly anchored.

    As I write, everything continues to go wrong as we forsake the values that ought to matter. The concept of integrity, equity, social justice, benevolence and more has all but disappeared from our lexicon. Am I on a fruitless search; is it too late to yearn for these values?

  • Journalism and democratic values

    SIR: Journalism is one profession that entails gathering, processing, interpreting and investigating news and information dissemination to widely disperse audience. The media is regarded as the fourth estate of the realm of any society because of its watchdog role. Journalists serve as intermediary between the government and the people. In the on-going elections, one expects journalists to be transparent and fair in their dealings with politicians, in the overall interest of the nation. Mr. Garba Mohammed, president of Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), must encourage members and media platforms to adhere to the principle of balanced reportage because the way the media portrays the world is the way the people sees it.

    The media should give fair hearing to parties and also endeavour to always sensitise the people so as to avoid being used as a tool for violence. Journalism ethic implies that, its practitioners, should at all time, say nothing but the truth in order to gain societal trust. The on-going elections should not create a difference because it is the only thing that can give the people opportunity to speak out as regards the true state of their country. The media must avoid being used as underwriters but they must be seen as genuine watchdog to government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Although, a free and fair election is always considered to be the task of INEC but let it be known that the media is also responsible for, not only a free and fair election, but for peaceful elections. The media has been working and one is proud to commend their efforts for reporting with utmost professionalism. But the media in general can still fare better with great caution and forthrightness. The media can better help in achieving a free and fair election, peaceful society and better nation through its well researched and balanced reportage.

     

    • Salau Olawale Rilwan,

    Kwara State University.

  • Summit seeks revival of family values

    The family is a place to mentor real leaders.

    It is the place where a father shows himself as an example to his children, where mothers help the kids to become the leaders they should be.

    This is a picture of a typical home painted at a gathering of hundreds of men and women from across the country during the July edition of Awesome Treasures Summit with the theme where are the real men II?

    The Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Group, Fela Durotoye; the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Homebase Mortgage Bank, Dr Paul Johnson and the Africa Marketing Director, Family Nutrition at GlaxoSmithKilne, Mr. Lampe Omoleye, among others, spoke at the summit.

    It considered the vital roles of parents in the upbringing and mentoring of their children.

    To the convener, Mrs. Olajumoke Adenowo, the examples parents present their children make a huge difference because children easily relate more with what they see.

    This, she said, has changed because men no longer have a personal walk with God and fail to take up their responsibilities at homes.

    She told fathers: “Your children will become who you are and not what you say.”

    She said men in the country have failed in their duty to bring back the abducted Chibok girls.

    “The Bring BacktheGirls campaign is for all to know that we have not forgotten. Real men protect and are there for their children.

    “Each woman’s child is a Chibok child and we cannot forget. Time or the length of day will not make us forget.

    “The fact that the noise has gone down will not make us forget because we are mothers who do not forget their children,” Adenowo, an architect, said.

    Johnson was of the opinion that couples have been getting married for the wrong reasons, leading to massive divorces.

    Lasting marriages, according to him, are built on friendship, understanding, forgiveness and kindness.

  • Books add values to our lives, says Oyedepo

    Books add values to our lives, says Oyedepo

    When potentials in books are fully explored and applied, they bring value to the lives and work of the reader, the Chancellor, Covenant University (CU) Bishop David Oyedepo has said.

    He spoke at the opening of a three-day conference on “Leadership and innovation: Cutting edge practices for the 21st Century librarian”, organised by the CU’s Africa Leadership Development Centre (ALDC) in collaboration with Ifegrace Ventures Ltd.

    Dr Oyedepo said information is powerful and people must realise they need it for development.

    He said: “We cannot get transformation without information and any country that has not prepared for knowledge is going down the drain.”

    Library, the cleric said, is very important to help any country get to where she aims, adding that knowledge and information are equally vital element for national development.

    “This assertion therefore places huge responsibilities on this professional base of librarianship,” he further noted.

    The cleric said libraries are the repositories of books and other information-bearing materials which in turn make them repositories of knowledge and information, therefore making crucial the quality of leadership of such platform.

    “This is made even more vital in our environment with the concerns expressed in various quarters in our nation, with respect to the grind down in reading culture in our schools and among our youths. It appears that we may in some contexts have earned a reputation for our poor disposition and unwillingness to explore the content of books,” he said.

    According to him, the theme of the conference is at the centre of university’s visionary mandate, both as a university and a centre where new generation of leaders are being raised with the primary aim of driving transformation on various platforms.

    Director of the Centre, Prof Aize Obayan said the occasion was designed to inspire stakeholders to search for more effective learning and personal development approaches for growth with a clear objective of enhancing the capacity and knowledge base of key players in the professional context of libraries.

    “Our expectation is that with the pedigree of men and women represented here, the outcome of this conference will provide unparalleled opportunities for delegates to rub minds together to determine directions for change as existing paradigms are reassessed for relevance while consolidating on best practices as we jointly identify new frontiers that we must traverse,” she added.

    Topics that were discussed included: Leadership and vision building, by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tomrald Consulting Ltd. Lagos, Mrs Gloria Ita Kpeme; Building and Sustaining High Performance Teams in libraries, by the President West Africa Library Association, Dr James Daniel; and Leadership, Information and Change Management by the founder, Leadership Academy, Abeokuta, Biodun Fijabi.

    Other were:  Leadership Imperatives and the Challenges of the Digital Divide, by the President Nigerian Library Association, Dr Rilwanu Abdulsalam; Managing ICT-driven Libraries: Critical Leadership Issues by the CU Director, Centre for Learning Resources, Dr Chris Nikiko; and Leadership Imperatives in Creating and Sustaining Digital Institutional Repositories, by the Head of Department, Computers and Information Science, CU, Dr Nicholas Omeregbe.

  • ‘Make ethics and values constitutional matters’

    The leadership of the ongoing National Conference has been advised to set up a committee on ethics and values with the intention of making it part of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This, she said, will help to improve the developmental values of the country.

    Speaking with reporters in Umuahia, the Special Adviser to the President

    on Ethics and Values, Dr. Jubril said with the introduction of the ethics and values in the constitution of the country, the country will be on the march to greatness.

    “The ethics and values if added in the constitution will help to entrench a system in the country’s constitution that will effectively tackle anti-social behaviours militating against the attainment of the country’s developmental goals.

    Dr. Jubril said a national ethics bill had been forwarded to the National Assembly, even as she described ethics and values as indispensable core in any country’s existence, growth and transformation. She added that it will also help in the transformation agenda of the present administration.

    She attributed corruption, insecurity and other forms of vices being witnessed in the country to eroding societal values, pointing out that her office was working with various agencies, youth and women volunteers at the national, zones, state and local government levels to reposition ethics in the scheme of things.

    The Presidential Adviser commended the Abia State government for the steps taken so far for the restoration of ethics and values in the state and urged all Nigerians to be actively involved in the campaign.

    Dr Jubril called for the replication of the 35 per cent affirmative action at the federal level, in states and local government areas, stressing that women were indispensable in the polity and should not be marginalised.

  • Lagos CJ, AG harp on family, societal values

    The Lagos State Judicial Service Commission has organised an induction for new customary court judges to equip them with the task of their office.

    Seventy-nine judges were appointed. They took the oath of office at the Law Reform Commission, Ikeja GRA.

    The theme of the workshop was Justice at the grassroots.

    The Chief Judge,Justice Ayotunde Phillips, and Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, noted the importance of societal values at the grassroots, urging the judges to ensure that the social fabric of the family and the society is not broken in justice administration.

    They told the judges that since their duty is community based, “they must understand the people on who they are going to administer justice and the social worries of the community” in which they would be operating.

    Justice Phillips told the judges that they must dispense justice with fairness and be impartial in matters brought before them.

    She said: “The bedrock of justice delivery is the doctrine of fair hearing. You must, therefore, be impartial at all time because justice must not just be done, but must be seen to be done.”

    She also as said the first point of contact with the law by the people at the grassroots, they may find themselves presiding over matters affecting their relations, friends among others. They “must remain resolute, upright and incorruptible at all time. As customary court judges, you wield enormous powers but I will implore you to use such powers judiciously.”

    She urged them to ensure that honesty, uprightness, integrity and fairness remained their watchword while discharging their duties.

    Ipaye, who was represented by the Administrative General of the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Bisi Odumosu, told the judges that the fortunes of customary court administration and its success rested on their shoulders.

    He told them that their primary responsibility, therefore, is to administer justice in accordance with customary laws, adding that a key component of customary justice is reconciliation, which he urged them to employ at all time givien the nature of the society in which they are going to operate.

    The commissioner told them that the cases they would handle under the customary law would range from matrimonial matters, child custody, health matters to other minor offences. He said they should give consideration to matters bordering on the welfare of the child and that other fundamental considerations must guide their decisions. He said customary court members have a huge role to play in the judicial system.

    “Being the closest to the people, you all have a peculiar vacuum to fill in the judiciary and, by extension, the society,” he added.

    Chief Magistrate Adebisi Femi-Segun who presented a paper on the “General overview of Customary Court Law 2011”, pointed out that the recognition of the need to simplify and demystify the administration of justice for effectiveness and efficacy continues to enhance the necessity for the continued existence and improvement of the customary courts.

    According to her, the cornerstone of proceedings in the customary courts, as in other courts, is the achievement of substantial justice expected to be arrived at without the deployment of technicalities, or complex, intricate and, at times, confusing rules of procedure. She told the judges that the implementation of the Customary Law of Lagos 2011 requires them to exercise good judgement and discretion, urging them to rise up to the responsibility and challenges that their new office demands.

    She advised them to study the customary laws and to resolve to implement the rules without the encumbrances of technicalities.

    Justice Joseph Oyewole, whose paper was entitled, “Family Law-The custody of children as it relates to the Customary Law 2011 vis-à-vis the Child Rights Law 2007″, said in any matter relating to the guardianship and custody of children under the customary law, the interest and welfare of the children shall take paramount consideration.

    Justice Oyewole argued that where it appears to a court that an order that was made by a court should be reviewed in the interest of a child, the court may, of its own motion, or on the application of any of the child (children) relatives or guardian, vary or discharge such order.

    According to him, the Child Right Law 2007 was enacted to enforce the rights of the child and to amend and consolidate all legislations relating to the protection and welfare of the child in Lagos State, and for other connected and incidental purposes.

    Justice Oyewole posited that on the issues of the child, judges are uniquely placed to promote the well being of society and ensure the attainment of law and order in the society, adding: “It is a divine mandate that must not be compromised for any reason.”

    Chief Magistrate Olufolake Oshin, who delivered a paper on “Fair Hearing and Practices”, told the judges that fair hearing is a sine-quo-non to natural justice. She said that Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution confers on every citizen with a grievance the right to access to the courts. She said the yardstick for accessing whether or not this has been done “is that the hearing must consist of the whole hearing when tested from the point of view of a reasonable person who was present at the trial, whether from his observation, justice has been done in the case.”

    She said the right to fear hearing as enshrined in Section 33 of the Constitution seeks to ensure that both parties are in equal position to plead their case adequately before judgement is pronounced, adding, “there is no gainsaying that judicial officers must do equal justice to all parties. Concern of the courts has always been in pursuit of real as opposed to cosmetic justice.”

    She advised the customary court judges thus: “Under the common law, we as judicial officers are under a legal duty to all manner of people coming before us without let or hindrance, without fear or favour. By the nature of our duty, we are bound only to look at the facts of the case before us and apply the law in the way we understand it.”

    The Deputy Chief Registrar, Legal, Ikeja High Court, Mrs. Abiola Oladunni Soladoye, whose paper dwelt extensively on the Code of Conduct for judicial officers, said: “For an effective adjudication in the customary courts, it is an essential requirement of justice and a requisite for public confidence in the judicial process that customary court judges must display a high sense of ethical conduct.”

    Mrs. Soladoye warned: “A failure to adhere to these standards and value would always lead to failure of administration of justice with the result that there would be mistrust and loss of public confidence in the courts.”

     

  • Scourge of wrong values

    Scourge of wrong values

    Two recent events have once again brought to the fore all that is wrong with us as a people. And in them, we can reasonably find the causative factors for the recurring cycle of underdevelopment and poverty that have held this nation down over the years.

    First was the conferment of national honours on 149 Nigerians by President Goodluck Jonathan during which event he threatened to withdraw the honours conferred on those who have been convicted or are facing criminal charges. The second has to do with the decision taken by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities on guidelines for the award of honorary doctorate degrees to reduce indiscriminate awards and restore the ‘age-long university culture and best practices’.

    Secretary-General of the association, Prof. Michael Faborode said the awards were now based on wealth, political office and position as well as a means of generating revenue with little or no regard for integrity, contributions to the development of the university and the nation.

    What clearly stands out from these is our scant regard for time tested values- values that are cherished and preserved in other climes as a mark of their national pride. The objective is to promote excellence and high attainment in all fields of human endeavour through the unleashing of the creative energies of the people for national development. By rewarding honour, virtue, patriotism and excellence, a statement is being made that only through such values can true greatness of the individual and the nation be attained. But the facts of our own situation seem to be negating these ennobling and high-minded objectives. Little wonder we have failed to make any significant progress in the development matrix.

    Not long ago, the National Universities Commission (NUC) had decried the flouting of university tradition on the appointment of professors. The commission was piqued that the tradition requiring peer review and assessment of such appointees by at least three professors from both within and outside the country in addition to having a ‘Professorial Chair’ were being observed in their breach. It also noted that some people were parading themselves as professors without any evidence of affiliation to any recognized university or academic discipline in which such scholarly contributions were made. The award of professorships by parastatals, research institutes and allied establishments that have neither a senate nor affiliation to any recognized university was another issue that gave the commission serious worries.

    In an article titled ‘NUC’s fake professors’, I had drawn copious attention to how these dysfunctions not only degrade our university system but the entire Nigerian society. We had also decried the high appetite of our people for sundry awards, recognitions, honours and titles without committing themselves to the necessary rigors and sacrifice that go with such elevated attainments. Our summation was that all these ruinous dispositions and high regard for vain glory signpost both the necessary and sufficient condition for colossal failure either as a people or nation.

    Perhaps, the intervention of the Vice- Chancellors may have been part of the steps to address the observations of the NUC. That could as well be. But what all these go to buttress is that something has definitely gone awry with our values system. Much is also wrong with the way and manner we currently nominate and confer national honours on people. If our national honours were conferred on people who soon turned out as convicts or suspects standing trial before our courts, then we have with us all signs of a demented society.

    It is a key evidence of the shoddiness that has over the years gone in the nomination and subsequent award of national honours to sundry characters using warped and questionable criteria. And this should not be a surprise to any one. Over the years, very well meaning Nigerians have voiced out against the conferment of honours on people solely on account of the political office they happened to occupy at the time. Merit, integrity, honour and contributions to the overall development of the country, are relegated to the back seat. It is not surprising that as soon as some of these characters leave office, they are apprehended to account for the criminal offences they committed in office. Is this not sufficient to cast a slur on the propriety and integrity of the award?

    Perhaps, were such people allowed to complete their terms before their nomination for such awards, the government may have been saved the embarrassment of having to confer its highest honours on rogue individuals that it will be forced to withdraw so soon after. Ironically, even as Jonathan is pontificating on his intention to ensure that holders of national honours are truly worthy representatives of our national values, honour and are patriotic, the last award has with it all the trappings of previous ones. Much of the recipients were people currently occupying political offices either through elective offices or by appointment.

    There is nothing to show that some of them will not go the way of those who were arraigned or convicted for one offence or the other soon after they left office. If Jonathan is serious in sanitizing the award process, he should have began by ensuring that current political office holders are disallowed from the process. Apart from saving the country the loss of face arising from conferring awards on questionable characters, we will also be ensuring that those in public offices do not use them to influence the award in their favour.

    Again, relying on ascendancy to elective positions as a veritable criterion for national honours in a clime that is still struggling to evolve a credible electoral process makes the matter more laughable.

    Nigeria is not lacking in individuals who have distinguished themselves in the mould Jonathan characterized. There are former governors and others who have occupied federal and state offices without blemish. Nobody has deemed it necessary to honour them. Yet serving governors, legislators and sundry political appointees have easily smiled home with such awards even with very curious credentials.

    It may be interesting to publish the criteria on which recipients were rated and the scores of each on that scale. The outcome will be very revealing. There is also something untidy in relying solely on the nominations of state governments for such a sensitive national exercise. In the brand of politics we play in this country, there are bound to be very qualified people who are deliberately excluded just to settle political points. There has to be a way to fish out those people on their own merit so as to enhance the overall credibility of the exercise.

    In all, our country is currently plagued by a scourge of wrong values. We must work hard to weed it of the debilitating malaise of denigrating time-tested values, awards and recognitions. Those who want to excel must be prepared to go through the mills of high attainment. That is the right path to national progress.