Showing posts with label Professor Itse Sagay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Professor Itse Sagay. Show all posts

Friday, April 26, 2024

The Trial Of Emefiele: A Lesson For All Presidential Yes-Men

 By Olu Fasan

The images of Godwin Emefiele, flummoxed as he is chaperoned by state security agents from custody to custody, from courtroom to courtroom, contrast sharply with those of the man who, as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, bestrode, until just a year ago, the Nigerian financial and banking world like a colossus; the man who daringly wanted to run for president while still CBN governor.

*Emefiele and Buhari 

It is a classic case of how life or fortunes can turn in a dime. But one must also wonder what former President Muhammadu Buhari, ensconced in his cosy home in Daura, Katsina State, is thinking as he watches the man whose behaviour he aided and abetted being treated like a common criminal. Why has Buhari abandoned Emefiele? Indeed, why is Buhari free and Emefiele not? 

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Supreme Court Judgments Are Clearly Reversible

By Chuks Iloegbunam
Nigerians must with one voice put this critical question to the seven-member Supreme Court panel of judges that sacked Governor Ihedioha of Imo State and planted Senator Hope Uzodinma as his replacement: Distinguished as you all are, would you have dared to pronounce this same perversity if other than the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently in control of the Federal Government of Nigeria?
*Justice Tanko Muhammad
The controversial Supreme Court verdict was read by Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun. Mrs. Kekere-Ekun was born in 1958. She earned her first Law degree from the University of Lagos, and the second from the London School of Economics and Political Science, not from backyard or quota colleges that routinely grant admissions to laggards confirmed incapable of passing basic School Certificate subjects like English and Mathematics. Called to the Bar in 1981, she was appointed to the Supreme Court 32 years later.

Notable lawyers hailed her appointment to the apex court, two of whose informed opinions are here: “I have read a few of her judgments; she is very sound in law. In other words, she suppresses technicality and allows substance to prevail. She has that equitable spirit of trying to do justice,” said Professor Itse Sagay, SAN.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Niger Delta: The Big Issue

By Chris O.O. Biose
The basic issue in the Niger Delta is that since the promulgation of Petroleum Decree No. 51, 1969, the Off Shore Oil Revenue Decree (No. 9), 1971 and other obnoxious military decrees by which military dictators dispossessed the Niger Delta of the benefits of its oil and gas resources, successive Federal administrations have been extracting the oil and gas in the Niger Delta and using the proceeds to develop other Regions in the country to the exclusion of the Niger Delta.
The activities of the oil companies were reflected in permanent gas flares, massive coastal marine pollution and unprecedented levels of environmental degradation without parallel anywhere in the world. They promoted intra and inter-community strife by means of selective favours. Regrettably, some youth resorted to militancy although the vast majority remained law-abiding. All these engendered tendency towards breakdown in traditional values and confusion among the oppressed people of the Niger Delta.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Can President Buhari Tame The Buccaneers?

By Paul Orie
Buccaneering in governance of Nigeria at different times has constituted a major draw back to the economic development of the country. Painfully organised slaughter by raiders of the National treasury against the nation and her people has pushed the national economy crashing to the ground, with the Nigerian degraded on daily.
*Buhari
The startling revelations by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, coupled with the melodrama in Abuja and Lagos court rooms, have exposed the buccaneers who are mainly the shameless political class and their collaborators in the’ Federal Bureaucracy and parastatals. These are the personages who have deliberately plundered the economy in the most callous manner through official corruption, which is still alive, writhing and rendering Nigerians in agony.

The political class, later joined by the soldiers who criminally shot their ways to the seat of power in January 1966, in the name of rescuing Nigeria from social wreckage not only compounded this social malaice, but legitimised it. Late Major General James Oluleye, who was in the military cabinet, admitted sincerely in his book, Military Rule and Role- 1966 – 1979 that corruption was deeply rooted in the military, but ‘’we couldn’t do anything”. Politicians, especially key power holders have made politics the most lucrative business enterprise, thus attracting dubious elements to governance. It is baffling that corruption now thrives, growing  a wild plant and producing money bags who cannot use their brains to explore and exploit legitimate avenues to earn incomes.

With the absurdities going on since the end of the Nigeria Civil War, one keeps wondering, is this Nigeria that produced decent business tycoons who made fortunes without sucking government treasury dry. One readily remember Sir Louis Ojukwu of Nnewi, the late father of Emeka Odimegu Ojukwu, Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola of Ijebuland, who voluntarily handed over his vast school complex to the defunct Western State government without demanding compensation, and The Danta of Kano and several others to mention but a few. Today, we have Aliko Dangote, a serious investor whose business empire is creating wealth and jobs across Africa, he is worthy of emulation.

Nigeria can still proudly parade names of top politicians of first republic whose reputation remains undented with corrupt practices. They include Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Governor of Northern Region, Sir Tafawa Balewa, the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Ribadu, Defence minister of the First Republic, Dr. Akano Ibiam an excellent gentleman, one of earliest Medical Doctors of Igboland, Mallam Aminu Kano. None of these politicians left illegally acquired huge housing estates or humongous sums of money in their bank account for their children. We still have fine Civil Servants like Allison Ayida, late Peter Odumosu of Old West Region who left the Civil Service honourably.

Why do politicians continue to plunder the economy despite the seizure of their assets and clamping in prisons? First Military Regime seized their assets, Muritala/Obasanjo’ s regime seized several assets illegally acquired by politicians and military officers but all these  have not deterred the buccaneers. The scorched earth policy of General Muhammed Buhari of December 1983 to August 1985 as a military head of State instituted the Justice Uwaifo Commission of enquiry that found most of the public office holders guilty of corruption, thereby clamping them into prison. That was enough deterrent to halt larceny in national politics.

What is really wrong? Despite General Buhari’ s efforts then, corruption still thrives tenfold, primarily because the Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida’s regime truncated the crusade of  Buhari in the most unpatriotic manner. This action also pummelled the ethical Revolution started by the Shehu Shagari’s regime which Buhari came to revive with verve and intensity. Don’t forget Babangida’s regime in its quest to get legitimacy to rule or to shame General Buhari’ s Military regime also released politicians jailed by the Uwaifo’s Tribunal. The civilian administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo 1999 – 2007, saw the stunning acceleration of corruption with politicians and past military top brass elevating it to a high  art. Concerned about this Octopus called corruption, Chief Obasanjo’s regime established EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC.