INSECURITY IN NIGERIA NOW EMBARRASSING, AWOMOLO, SENIOR ADVOCATE
A legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief[Mrs] Victoria Awomolo, has condemned the constant complains of the current government about the corrupt practices of the previous government, saying that Nigerians expected the government to come up with solutions to problems besetting the nation, not complaints. She also said the spate of killings in the country has become embarrassing, insisting that government must find urgent solutions to the problem. She spoke at the Public Lecture she delivered at the Law Faculty of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. Speaking on the topic ’ Effective Legal Framework for Good Governance in Nigeria’, she said that rather than engage in a contest of ideas, the ruling party and the opposition were engaged in blame game, releasing lists and counter lists of looters while the common Nigerian got the short end of the stick as things got worse.
‘It is terrible that what is at play here is not the contest of ideas and policies of government, or arguments as to how the almost total alienation in the polity can be addressed, nor how to address the serious insecurity problems in the country and champion economic growth. Rather what is at play is leadership deficiency: ‘blame game tactics’. The government’s style of constantly referring to the corrupt practices of the previous government is another issue instead of finding solutions to the problems bedeviling the nation’ she said.
The Senior Advocate, whose lecture was the second in the Public Lecture series in the law Faculty of Ajayi Crowther University, also noted that violation of rule of law was a factor limiting good governance in Nigeria, insisting that there can be no good governance without strict observance of Rule of Law. She held that there is still disrespect of Rule of law, impunity, and disobedience to court orders, insecurity, and lawlessness in Nigeria, saying they were factors inhibiting good governance.
Insecurity, in her view, was a major factor, militating against good governance in the country. She said the county cannot grow and may become ungovernable if insecurity issues are not tackled. She stated that the country has not fully recovered from the abduction of Chibok girls in 2014 because, of the 276 girls taken away by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, only 113 have been released, including those who escaped from captivity. She also lamented that that in spite of the of the 2014 incident, another abduction took place not long ago at Dapchi, Yobe state, saying that they spent 26 days in captivity before 101 of them were released although one of them, Leah Sharibu, is being held for refusing to denounce her faith.
She said the killings in Benue, Adamawa, Kaduna , Taraba and other places have worrisome and embarrassing. The recent attack in a Catholic church in Benue and the killing of two Priests and Christian faithful among others, is, perhaps the worst signal of breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. She recommended a total overhaul of the security apparatus in the country, beginning from recruitment of more personnel, constant training of personal and provision of modern equipment.
On the issue of corruption, she advocated that special courts be established to try economic crimes and corruption cases. She said the move will reduce the burden on normal courts and ensure speedy trial of offenders. She also advocated that Chapter two of the constitution be made justiciable, saying it would put government more alive to its responsibility.
At the end of her presentation, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rt. Rev. Professor Dapo Asaju, thanked her for the well-researched paper and commended it, not only to law students but to all and sundry. Chairman of the occasion, Pastor John Olusola Baiyeshea, SAN, also commended the lecturer for a job well done and poured encomiums on the Vice-Chancellor for the spate of infrastructural and academic development that has taken place in the university under his watch. Principal Officers of the University, Deans of faculties, staff, students and academics from outside Oyo attended the lecture which held at the Alakija Law Auditorium in the University.
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