Human Rights And Freedom In Nigeria Under Tinubu

By Kenneth Okonkwo

Gasiokwu defined human rights as claims made on society by individuals and groups which claims have found expression in objective law either at national levels and international levels, and serve as the standard for measuring the conditions of human existence below which no human being should enjoy.

*Tinubu
They are rights held by individuals simply because they are part of the human species. They are rights shared equally by everyone regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, nationality and economic background. They are rights inbuilt by God in human beings and discernable by human reason and man-made laws must conform to these natural law rights of human beings.

Nigeria: A Nation On Trial

 By Sunny Awhefeada 

The Nigerian state is undergoing a series of turmoil that is a desider­atum in her sojourn to nationhood. Great nations did contend with such moments in their history. The jour­ney to nationhood is not a hundred metre dash. It is long, tortuous and treacherous. It births heroes and throws up villains.

*Farotimi

While the heroes struggle to delineate the clear path the nation should walk, the villains deploy everything including subterfuge to subvert the quest in order to satisfy some base desires that often denude the major­ity of the people of stability, fairness and justice. What often baffles humanity in the course of the struggle laden quest is that some of the heroes turn out to be “heroes” who were wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Nigeria’s Hostages In Law

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

In 1991, Nigeria was in the full throes of the interminable transition to civil rule programme of General Ibrahim Babangida.

The effort by the regime in 1991 to relocate their terminal date from 1992 to 1993 coincided with a planned meeting in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria, of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

National Assembly Should Repeal Criminal Libel Now

 By Tonnie Iredia

The handling of the on-going defamation case between legal giant, Afe Babalola and social activist, Dele Farotimi has provided strong evidence that Nigeria has probably lost its fight against media trial. Many years back, there was the well-articulated viewpoint that because the word “trial” is associated with the process of justice, trial by the media constitutes an undue interference in the process of justice delivery.

The argument has since been overtaken by the nature of social media which has made public communication exceedingly rampant, just as lawyers have themselves contributed to the development by engaging in the new wave of minute-by-minute commentary on cases already before a court of justice. Apart from publicity-seeking lawyers, some others with scanty briefs are too anxious to let the public know that they are learned.

Dele Farotimi: Is Afe Babalola After The Truth Or A Pound Of Flesh?

 By Olu Fasan

Most of those who have commented or are commenting on the Dele Farotimi-Afe Babalola saga have not read the book at the heart of the story: Farotimi’s Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. I have. I bought a digital copy from Amazon last week, and spent four hours slowly reading – more appropriately, perusing – the 115-page book on Kindle.

*Farotimi 

Why did I buy the book? Two reasons. First, column-writing is about topicality and informed commentary. A good columnist should comment on any topical issue of significant public interest and do so from an informed perspective. The Farotimi-Babalola story has gripped Nigeria and has wider implications for the principle of legality. I decided to read the book so I could offer an informed opinion. Second, I wanted to know what irked Aare Afe Babalola so much that he went for the nuclear option, seeking to crush Farotimi personally and professionally. Well, answer: the book is a dynamite! 

What If Farotimi’s Allegations Are Not False?

 By Tonnie Iredia

According to Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,"every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”

*Farotimi 

To underscore the importance of this right, the constitution further expands the empowerment beyond private discussions by recognizing the use of the media to effect communication across the globe by anyone desirous of consummating the freedom of speech provided by the section. Hence, Section 39(2) explicitly empowers citizens to “own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.”

In The Matter Of Dele Farotimi Before The Star Chamber

 By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

Paul Anyebe was a judge of the High Court of Benue State in north-central Nigeria who had a young son with sticky fingers and a sense of adventure  It was his role as a dad that endangered his job as a judge.

*Dele Farotimi 

One night around 1983, Anyebe caught his son attempting to steal from his bedroom. In response, Anyebe pulled his gun in an effort to scare the boy. The gun went off, discharging a bullet which hit and seriously injured the boy.

Arise TV, Sue NBC; Do It Now!

 By Ochereome Nnanna

Something terrible is happening to Nigerians. It is not that they are being beaten that bothers me so much. It is that they no longer react, no matter how they are pummelled. Shockingly, the media appears to have become a victim of this.

There is an ongoing certificate and identity scandal which has been described in a foreign court as a “Nigerian thing”. Do you blame them? Our president’s name is on it. When misguided teenager, Mmesoma’s JAMB result forgery was confirmed, the same yellow bellies who were all over her and even dragged her ethnic group into the scandal are now either mute or trying to twist a clear-cut court deposition out of shape.