The Eagle Gate

Tag: President Buhari

  • The Peoples Mandate 2019: Atiku’s Battle to save our Democracy- Segun Showunmi

    The Peoples Mandate 2019: Atiku’s Battle to save our Democracy- Segun Showunmi

    A time comes in the life of a nation when men of valour have to stand up and be counted at epochal moments to stop the ship of state from either drowning or derailing. The history of mankind is replete with the exploits of great men and women who rose to become something out of nothing and selflessly shaped the future and destiny of their societies. These men and women make all the sacrifices and at the risk of their personal safety and resources take the difficult road to put their nations on the map of development and progress.

    In China, they keep talking about Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao), in Singapore, it is Lee Kuan Yew, and in South Africa, it is Nelson Mandela. But it is not only presidents or leaders of countries who have had this immense impact in shaping the history of their respective nations’ politics and polity. The history of the United States will not be complete without the sacrifices and advocacy of great men like Martin Luther King (Jr.) and Malcolm X, both of whom paid the ultimate price for their conviction. In Nigeria, we have had the benefit of seeing great statesmen like the eloquent Nnamdi Azikwe, the visionary and selfless Ahmadu Bello, the philosopher-statesman, Obafemi Awolowo, the foremost masses advocate, Aminu Kano among several others.

    These great men used different methods and ways to define the destiny of their respective peoples. They put their resources and talents to use in building virile nations that their future generations have always been proud of.  

    The PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has made an immeasurable success out of his life. From lonely, challenging poverty-stricken childhood, he has through a dint of hard work, diligence and grace of God, risen to become a fulfilled father and husband, a celebrated entrepreneur, cheerful philanthropist and a conscientious nation builder. He has however never failed to acknowledge that in addition to his business acumen and sheer brilliancy, it is the Nigerian society that has made it possible for him to excel in all he has laid his hands on. He has therefore over the years insisted that the society must also give upcoming generations the same platform to succeed as well. That was why since 1992 he has sought to serve the country at the highest level of governance. That was why on the February 23 2019, Nigerian voters who had bought into his vision of a properly structured, economically-sound and prosperous nation voted for him en masse before the enemies of the nation changed the result overnight.  

    Those who are cajoling, begging, intimidating, harassing and blackmailing Atiku not to go to court to challenge the curious figures that INEC boss, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, allocated to President Muhammadu Buhari, are indeed not fair to Nigerians. This is because INEC cannot set a rule and break the rule by itself and be allowed to get away with the grave injustice. The most shocking aspect of the electoral malfeasance put together by INEC which must be of significant interest to our learned justices must be the issue of card readers. The INEC boss emphasized that it must be used for accreditation or an entire polling unit will be cancelled. But when he was presented with the evidence that card readers were not used in most of the places they allocated huge numbers to APC, he threw integrity to the wind by seeking to change the rule in the middle of the game. He said the rule on card readers could be by-passed in the case of any ‘circumvention’ of the machines. Circumvention? How? Why? Where? By Who? And who should suffer the consequences of the so-called ‘circumvention of the card readers?

    Secondly, many of the figures reeled out by the inconsistent INEC boss did not add up and even though he promised to provide clarifications after the announcement, he has not done so nearly two weeks after the polls. There is no better way to detect dishonesty.

    While declaring Buhari as the winner, saying he polled a total of 15,191,847 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who scored 11,262,978 votes, Yakubu said 29,364,209 voters were accredited, while the total number of valid votes cast were 27,324,583 with total rejected votes of 1,289,607, putting total votes cast at 28,614,190. This means that a total of 1.6 million people were missing in the voter register, considering the fact that the number of registered voters was over 84 million, while the number of collated voters, according to the INEC chairman, was over 82 million.

    Thirdly, we have seen hundreds of videos which came out of Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Kano, Katsina Sokoto etc where people gather in strange places and thumb printed massively for the APC. The ballot papers used for the election in these selected places must be subjected to thorough forensic checks. If this is done, it will shock Nigerians that in many cases, one person thumb printed hundreds of ballot papers. Why should such disservice to the electoral process be allowed to stand in the name of a narrow definition of peace? There can’t possibly be any real peace without justice and without real peace; we can’t make progress as a nation.    

    Having budgeted N27 billion for technology alone in the 2018 budget, every right thinking Nigerian interested in the credibility of the electoral process expected INEC to for the purpose of transparency and law, display the card reader details to party agents to show how many voters went through the machines. But they did not and this will continue to be a serious dent on the integrity of the election. The difference between the accredited voters and the votes cast, which came to about 750,000 votes is also very suspicious and INEC has some explanations to make.  The cancellations that took place in PDP strongholds impacting 2.7 million voters are also fraud-laden.

    The people who are mocking Atiku and saying his court case is a wild goose chase are not good students of history. These ignoramuses claim that because no presidential election has either been annulled or upturned in the history of the country, Atiku is wasting his time and energy. But we must inform them that the world does not revolve around Nigeria’s history, after all, we have not practised democracy consistently beyond 20 years. That was why some other obsessive historians said the change of guard of 2015 was impossible because it was unprecedented. The fact that that jinx or myth was broken in 2015 should open the minds of people to the reality of the moment that another jinx could be broken in 2019 even if it means Atiku would be the hero once again. But when this happens, would that be the first time Atiku would be setting records and breaking new grounds in the country’s judiciary? The answer is no.

    It is on record that Atiku insisted on testing the Nigerian law in court when his ambition to run for President in 2007 was threatened by EFCC and other government agencies which sought to disqualify him on account of some phony indictments. Atiku went up to the apex court which agreed with him that it was only the judiciary that could find someone guilty of corruption and also disqualify any aspirant from seeking a political office. The landmark cases he won have been sources of references for scholars, Law students and politicians ever since. Since then no governor or President has been able to use state agencies to stop their political rivals from aspiring for any office of their choice.

    If Nigeria is truly a democratic nation, there is no way such malfeasance should be allowed to stand. It is actually easier and cheaper to operate a monarchical system and let a few households rule forever instead of spending billions of naira and losing lives just to conduct what will end up as a charade.           

    Again, Nigeria will not be the first to annul a badly conducted presidential election as there are precedents seen in Europe and even Africa. Ukraine annulled its presidential elections in 2004 after Victor Yanukovych, who had lost to Victor Yuchchenko after the second round, went to court seeking to annul the results over sundry irregularities.

    In Maldives, the country’s Supreme Court invalidated the results of 2013 first round presidential elections pitting former President Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen against each other. The later had won the election but the court described the poll as a sham which cannot stand in the sight of the law.

    Similarly, the Constitutional Court of Austria ordered a repeat vote after ruling that Austria electoral law was disregarded in 14 of 117 administrative districts in the 2016 election. In the polls, Alexander Van der Bellen had been declared the winner after beating Norbert Hoffer. It also ruled that 77,900 absentee ballots had been improperly counted too early. They ordered a repeat vote to be conducted in October 2016 but it was postponed to December 2016.

    More recently and closer home in Kenya; the Supreme Court in September 2017 nullified reelection of President Uhuru Kenyatta saying the polls were “neither transparent nor verifiable” and blamed the country’s electoral commission for the shortcomings. Kenyatta, the incumbent president, had won a second term by a margin of 9%, defeating his long-term rival, Raila Odinga before the polls were annulled.  

    Now that Atiku Abubakar has chosen a patriotic battle not only to reclaim his mandate but also expand the horizon of the country’s jurisprudence and improve the electoral process, all Nigerians of good conscience must irrespective of political affiliations rally round him and encourage him. Atiku’s ambition is not just to be President and rescue Nigeria from poverty and insecurity but to also place the country on map of civilized, democratic and progressive nations.

  • The APC’s Chaotic Rally; Buhari’s Gross Incompetence & Sheer Cluelessness

    The APC’s Chaotic Rally; Buhari’s Gross Incompetence & Sheer Cluelessness

    By Chidiebere Nwobodo 

    The day of reckoning is here. The die is cast. The stage is set. The much-awaited judgment day has arrived. Those who thought that hiding Buhari in the Villa; shielding him from Nigerians could cover his incompetence to provide leadership, have been finally disgraced, stripped naked before the daylight. They have been caught in their own web of conspiracies. Buhari’s cluelessness has been laid bare to see. There’s no where to hid again. The world can see that Nigeria has been left without adequate political leadership in the last three and half years. If the APC is in tatters, imagine what the entire nation has been through. 

    What happened in Ogun State APC Presidential Rally yesterday, was not only ignoble, perfidious, shameful but pathetic. It put to rest all the speculation why the nation has been struggling heavily since the emergence of Buhari as president. That President Buhari was blatantly stoned together with the leadership of the ruling party in a live event, is not even the real jist here. The bone of the contention at the rally, was Buhari’s inability to show leadership to his party—in crisis, and his insufferable hypocrisy cum acute selfish disposition in abandoning those who brought him to power in political winter. Anyone still searching for the reason why Buhari’s government failed to deliver as promised, please look no further. Here is the answer: An irresponsible father who is playing ostrich when his children are fighting each other with dangerous weapons, the entire house is thrown into a state of chaos and pandemonium, can not be expected to provide leadership to the entire community as a king. 

    President Buhari has displayed unprecedented level of incompetence as national leader of the APC. How then do we Nigerians expect him to give what he does not have as president of the country? A president who failed woefully to stabilize his party, can never revive the economy, provide security, create jobs, unite the country, empathize with the impoverished and sympathize with the beleaguered. He simply cannot lead—not because he does not want to, but he is bereft of the willpower to show visionary leadership and be father to all. This explains why Nigeria under Buhari is like a rudderless ship that has lost its compass; things are simply falling apart because everything rises and falls on leadership. From the economy to security, it is the same story of an airplane on autopilot. Nature abhors vacuum. Even before the polls, the APC has lost two states of Rivers, Zamfara and now Cross River. It will take political miracle for the ruling party to retain Imo, Ogun States, Oyo and Kano, Bauchi—all thanks to the excesses of the mafias in the party and Buhari’s indecision cum cluelessness. 

    Many discerning Nigerians have wondered in the past why President Buhari is so parochial and lopsided in his appointments and method of governance. Look no further again. Just take a look at how he has handled the protracted crisis of the APC. President Buhari is an extremely selfish personality. Everyone can go to hell provided his own interests are served. Imagine a sitting president of a party telling his aggrieved party faithfuls, who are looking up to him to bring the party together, to vote for him on Feb. 16 and “vote across party lines on March 2”; the day for governorship election, of which is tantamount to encouraging anti-party activities. He said it in Imo State recently and disgustingly repeated the show of shame in Ogun yesterday. 

    President Buhari is the first president since the advent of fourth republic to endorse the governorship candidate of another party (APM) in the Villa. Ironically, he later raised the hand of the APC governorship candidate in Ogun State for the same position—in the same Aso Villa. Arguably, he was playing chase game using Tinubu and Gov. Ibikunle Amosu of Ogun State as pawns. The same flawed tactics he is using on Gov. Okorocha and Sen. Hope Uzodinma in Imo State. It has backfired. Who does that? President Buhari was trying to avoid the problem instead of solving it, thereby postponing the evil day, which has finally arrived. What else do one expect party loyalists to do when the supposed leader of the APC has thrown his two hands into the air in utter confusion cum cluelessness? Resort to self help? Yes! Where there is no hierarchy, there is bound to be anarchy. 

    President Buhari subtly told the APC members that he is only interested in his own election, that you guys “can stab yourselves to death for all I care”. This is the height of recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the president. He abdicated his fatherly role as an arbiter in the party, thereby outsourcing his responsibilities to the cabal. Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman, did not help matters at all. His desperation to satisfy Tinubu at all costs, has set the fractured party on the infamous path of destruction. President Buhari has shown himself as an insufferable hypocrite and irredeemable egocentric personality, who is ready to throw any leader of the APC under the bus hence his own selfish proclivities are preserved, even if it is at the detriment of the cohesiveness of the APC. I was not surprised when Buhari was stoned together with Oshiomhole, Tinubu yesterday, because he brought it upon himself. You can’t sow irresponsibility and reap respect and honor. 

    If aggrieved the APC members could be this outraged and enraged to stone President Buhari at a live program, imagine the tempo of anger burning in the hearts of non-partisan Nigerians; let alone the opposition, who have bore the consequences of Buhari’s clueless and gross incompetent leadership that has cost thousands of Nigerian lives, businesses and millions of jobs both in the formal and informal sectors. What happened yesterday climaxed the beginning of the end of Buhari’s ill-fated presidency. Millions of Nigerians who have lost their jobs and loved ones under this administration due to clueless economic policies and ineffective security strategies, will not go to the APC rally to display their rage. They’re waiting in the works. The real ambush, protest and proper “stoning” will happen coming Saturday when we will “stone” a failed president with our highly “charged” PVCs. Never again shall we reinforce failure as a nation. Someone who cannot manage his political party has nothing to do in Aso Villa as Nigerian president. Never again!

  • Removal of Acting DG SSS May Be the Last Straw

    Removal of Acting DG SSS May Be the Last Straw

    PRESS STATEMENT
     

    Removal of Acting DG SSS May Be the Last Straw
     

    The attention of the Southern and middle Belt Leaders Forum has been drawn to a clandestine plot to remove the Acting Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Matthew Seiyefa from office by a cabal in the Buhari presidency.
     
    We ordinarily would have ignored this report but for the clannishness, sectional proclivity and exclusive handling of the security architecture of the country by President Buhari in the last three years.
     
    He had defied all protestations from all well-meaning Nigerians in making appointments into all key and sensitive security positions in sectional and kith and kin affairs in a very insensitive and you-can-do-your-worst manner that until the recent sack of Daura 16 out of 17 service chiefs were from his corner of the country. It is equally not surprising to us that since the President returned from his holidays in London he has not made a comment on the invasion of the National Assembly by the DSS in his absence which led to the Acting President, Prof. Osinbajo rightly removing the former DG, Lawal Daura confirming speculation that he is not happy with the removal.
     
    The plot to remove the Acting DG is said to be hinged on the professional reorganization of the service by him which the cabal is now interpreting as removing APC elements in DSS for PDP apologists, a clear indication of the divisions this administration has caused in every facet of our life as a nation.
     
    Facts at our disposal however show that what the Acting DG has done is a good example of how to run a diverse polity which this administration has ignored in the last three years.
     
    It was said that under Daura, every need to organize the service along federal character and fill existing vacancies were ignored as he concentrated on nepotism in running DSS and keeping a coterie of those who have retired or have passed retirement in service and many of them having nothing to contribute. The service rule says such people can only be taken on contract if they have special skills.
     
    The Acting DG reportedly noticed that there were three other Directors from the South-South apart from himself and decided to relieve 2 of them so that a Director could be brought in from the South West that had nobody on the management and another person from the North West.
     
    There were about 40 senior officers who were due for retirement or pre-retirement leave whom he had found competent replacement for in a fair manner and according to the service rules.
     
    The Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari is said to have given instructions that the DG should ask all the newly promoted to go back to their previous positions, a directive that ought to have come from the National Security Adviser if there was the need for any. Now the plot is to remove Seiyefa himself.
     
    All these confirm the politicization of a purely security outfit and the denigration of all institutions by an administration that has shown scant regard for the due process.
     
    We call on President Buhari to immediately call his Chief-of-Staff to order so that he can withdraw the obnoxious directive and allow the agency to run professionally.
     
    We also warn of the consequences of further alienating sections of the country by the administration particularly the Niger Delta where the Acting DG is from and the South West whose only representation on the Management of DSS has now been reversed.
     
    The rest of the country has lived with the insensitivity of Mr. President in handling the security architecture in the last three years with equanimity. It may be necessary not to overstretch it by removing the Acting DG and stopping the professional reorganization in the DSS because it is not in tandem with the ethnic domination script of Mr. President.
     
    It may turn out the proverbial last straw!
     

    Mr. Yinka Odumakin
    South-West
     
    Senator Bassey Henshaw
    South-South
     
    Prof Chigozie Ogbu
    South-East
     
    Dr Isuwa Dogo
    Middle Belt

  • The Fulani Herdsmen Attack Again

    The Fulani Herdsmen Attack Again

    While the president is being praised by his supporters for walking 800 meters, opening his own bottle of water, and brushing his own teeth, the security of lives in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is threatened. Take over of villages at the Nigerian border persists and the armed forces is still not deployed to engage these attackers.

  • DREAMING AS A NATION

    DREAMING AS A NATION

    The 2019 elections are fast approaching. The political tempo in the land is gradually cruising into high altitude. Whether the elections would be free and fair is of concern on one hand, while the other serious worry is whether those that would be elected have any worthy dream to rescue our very emasculated nation from the abyss of poverty, ignorance, disease, insecurity, human and capital flight. It would be wishful thinking to assume that the mere successful conduct of elections would deepen our democracy without a corresponding dream as a Nation to renew our national life in the hope of joining the league of developing nations.

    Many, may, underestimate the power of dreams, but let no one make a mistake about its potency. Several of the leading Nations of the world and industry captains of today are where they are because they dreamed dreams and worked sincerely to realize those dreams. For those who are Christians, the Bible is not only a spiritual authority, it is a veritable source of the history of mankind and Nations. The Bible lends credence to the theory of the potency of dreams. Let me recount one of the most common accounts in the Holy Bible, this account can be found in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 41.

    Pharaoh, the king of Egypt had a dream. In that dream, “Seven fat, healthy looking cows suddenly came up out of the river and began grazing along its Bank. Then seven other cows came up from the river, but these were very ugly and gaunt. These seven other cows went over and stood beside the fat cows. Then the thin ugly cows ate up the fat ones”. Pharaoh became very concerned about the meaning of that dream and sought the interpretation from one Joseph, a young Hebrew who had a huge reputation for interpreting dreams.

    Joseph told Pharaoh that the seven fat cows represented seven years of prosperity while the seven thin cows stood for another seven years of famine that would follow those years of prosperity. He then advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise man to be in charge of a nation-wide programme to prepare for the famine that would follow the prosperity. He recommended that such officer should store 1/5 of the crops to be harvested during the year of prosperity into the royal store houses. In that way there would be enough to eat during the period of the expected famine. Pharaoh took no chances. He appointed Joseph to be in charge of such National programme. Joseph dealt with the situation in a prudent manner. As interpreted, the years of famine truly followed the years of prosperity but there was plenty to eat and a national calamity was averted from just a dream.

    If anyone still doubts the power of dreams, how about this popular one that most of us already know. Martin Luther King (jr) was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King. He followed his father’s foot steps and became a Baptist Minister in 1947. In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black Seamstress, took a seat in the section of a Montgomery bus reserved for whites in the USA. When the driver asked her to move to the back under the state’s segregation law, she refused and was arrested. Martin Luther King (Jr) then launched the Montgomery Bus boycott. He became the symbol of the civil u movement and America itself. On the occasion of the “March on Washington for jobs and freedom” the August in 1963, King delivered the famous “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial in Washington to 250,000 civil rights supporters. The dreams were indeed many. I would only deal with the few that are related to this piece;

    – “ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal”

    – “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of slaves and the sons of former slave. owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”

    – “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”

    King did not just have dreams. He worked hard to realize those dreams. By 1964 the world acknowledged his hard work and rewarded him with the Nobel peace prize. Even when he was aware of threats to his life, King continued to work for his dreams to come true. With a premonition of the imminence of his death, King said, “well, I don’t know what will happen now. We have got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountain top … And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land”.

    Today, the American people have truly reached that Promised Land. America is living out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal. The election of Barrack Obama as the US president in November, 2008 marked the total realization of King’s dreams. Together, Obama and Biden sat at the table of brotherhood in the white House to preside over the United States. The content of Obama’s character prevailed over the colour of his skin. Such is the power of a dream.

    The Nigerian Nation must therefore not despair in this trying moments of our national life. We must dream as other great nations did. Hon. Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court at the third Obafemi Awolowo Foundation Dialogue once asked a useful question: “can we make Nigeria greater than nature made her…?” The learned Judge provided his own answer. He said as follows: “my answer is yes … if and only if our leaders have the sagacity of an Otto Von Bismark, the wisdom of a Cavour, the adroitness of a Mazini, the patriotism of a Gandhi and the selflessness of a Nyerere. ”

    Part of our National creed is to be found in the 1999 constitution of our country which states interalia; “AND TO PROVIDE for a constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of freedom, Equality and justice and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people”. Are we truly dreaming of living out the real meaning of this creed? Can we claim to have promoted the principles of equality and justice when there is no equal access to good Medicare and Education in our country? What is the state of our public schools today and how many of the children of those charged with the governance of this Nation attend such schools? What has happened to our public hospitals over the years and why have they become glorified death places for very minor ailments?

    The truth is that there is neither equality nor justice in our national life. The Buhari regime may have had the heart to begin the process, but that momentum appears stunted by policy duplicity, official lethargy of public functionaries and excessive bloodletting of uncommon proportions. The regime may have learnt its lessons and the entire country now wants a better deal.
    The good news is that we can begin to dream of it now. Let us start with the basic dreams:

    – That some day before year 2022, this nation would generate over 25,000 MW of power for the use of its millions of citizens.

    – That someday, this nation would upgrade its public schools at all levels to globally accepted standards and the products of such schools would no longer face the international discrimination that they suffer today.

    – That someday, this nation would upgrade its health institutions to health-care delivery levels away from its present day notoriety of being regarded as death centres.

    – That someday, this nation would truly be governed by the rule of law and founded on equality before the law, where high profile thieves in public life would no longer scorn the law and make only petty thieves of necessity to face the law.

    But these dreams would never come to pass until we find leaders who would “show the light and people will find their way” as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe epitomized by the slogan of his now defunct newspaper, the West African Pilot. Our Nation must learn from Queneau Raymond, a twentieth century philosopher who fizzled out all doubts about the need to dream in his famous statement that “man’s usual routine is to work and to dream”.

    *Dr. Ehiogie West- Idahosa is a former Member of the House of Representatives, lawyer and public policy expert.

  • CAN A MEMBER OF THE MINORITY PARTY LEAD THE MAJORITY AS PRESIDING OFFICER IN PARLIAMENT?

    CAN A MEMBER OF THE MINORITY PARTY LEAD THE MAJORITY AS PRESIDING OFFICER IN PARLIAMENT?

    There have been many views expressed on this topic by many. Significantly, the APC leadership has made heavy weather of the fact that this cannot be so. They have therefore called on Saraki to resign. One thing that is fundamental to Nigeria’s democracy is its very constitutional nature. There are so many threads of our national life woven neatly by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended. This is not so with the American model of presidentialism that we unnecessarily copied. We are not a union of voluntary federate states. We did not even mandate those who chose the model on our behalf to do so. More importantly , we did not write the said constitution for ourselves.

    Having said that, we are stuck with our Supreme law and anything done which is inconsistent with its provisions is certain to fail the test of the law, no matter how well intentioned. Bearing this in mind therefore, it is settled that a presiding officer of a law making body is usually elected to the the seat by a simple majority of his colleagues for different reasons. They range from party affiliation, personal friendship to perception of competence.

    Usually, Members of such bodies vote by roll call when the House first convenes. The practice is for individual members to nominate candidates of choice, but members normally vote along party lines and sometimes vote for any other candidate of their choice. In most parliaments, several parties would present candidates for the contest. The majority party normally wins, if their party members stay on line. However, an unfavored candidate within the majority party can reach a deal with other party members and still win the contest if he gets the majority of votes for that purpose on the floor of the House.

    This was precisely the scenario in the 8th Senate. Saraki had a deal with PDP and won as Senate President. This is an acceptable worldwide practice in parliament. It is not strange. A good example in the United States is the election of James Clark of the Democratic Party as Speaker of the US House of Representatives. While he served as Speaker, the Democratic Party lost the plurality or majority of seats in 1917. They no longer controlled the House. The Republicans did. Congressman Clark retained his seat as Speaker as the majority of House Members kept him there.

    Even in the Westministerial Parliamentary model where having majority in parliament is so pivotal to running government business, there are many instances where the Speaker was chosen from a minority party. In 1992, Betty Bothroyd, the first female speaker of the House of Commons in UK was a Labor MP chosen in a Conservative-controlled House of Commons.

    What then is the whole fuss for? What we need most is visionary and pragmatic leadership tailored to meet our present unenviable circumstances in the interest of rapid national development. Such leaders must fully understand Gabriel Almond’s Structural Functionalism or Easton’s System Theory in managing the component parts of Nigetia and the various arms of government for the good of all.

    Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa
    Former member of House of Representatives, Lawyer and Policy Expert

  • Edo people say no to cattle colonies

    Edo people say no to cattle colonies

    WHILE former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was being crowned in Abuja during the weekend as the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over 3,000 members of the ruling party decamped to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at Fugar, Etsako Central local government area of Edo state.

    At a well attended ceremony which was described as a political tsunami by Edo state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, rejected the new National Cattle Policy of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Orbih told the mammoth crowd which included the two former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh (Owan), Johnson Abolagba (Owan); member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Sylvanus Eruaga (Etsako West 11), a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Pascal Ugbomhe and a host of others that the new federal government policy was an indirect way of instituting the discredited cattle colonies.

    He advised Governor Godwin Obaseki not to cede any portion of Edo land for the purpose of the new policy on cattle which he insisted is a subtle way of grabbing Edo people’s land.

    He said: “Edo people say no to cattle colonies. Edo PDP openly rejects the New National Policy on Cattle. It is an attempt at grabbing our land. No Edo community has agreed up till date to give a portion of their land for the purpose of establishing a cattle colony. We say no to the new National Policy on Cattle by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    The decampees who were led by a an erstwhile Secretary of the defunct Action Congtress of Nigeria (ACN) in Etsako Central local government included Capt. Phillip Itsede; Mr. Imakhue, a former PDP chairman in the council; Mr. Benjamin Enakpene, a former APC youth leader; Comrade Augustine Anomhe wet TT r3, former President of the Student Union Government of the Agenebode campus of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; and Mr. Felix Igbanoi, a former Supervisory Councilor of the council.

    The decampees who were former members of the PDP said that it was sweet homecoming after wandering in the wilderness for a long time.

    Itsede said that the lack of internal democracy and, the dictatorial tendencies of some of the leaders of the ruling party has resulted in a situation where the decisions of the party are being taken by people outside the council.

    Left with no choice after persistent protest, Itsede said that he decided to go back to his roots, adding that the APC was doomed.

    HENDRIX OLIOMOGBE- BENIN

  • Saraki/Ekweremadu’s Failed Removal: How APC Lost its Argument Morally & Constitutionally

    Saraki/Ekweremadu’s Failed Removal: How APC Lost its Argument Morally & Constitutionally

    By Chidiebere Nwobodo

    Having failed repeatedly to effect leadership change in the Senate via unconstitutional means, embittered ex-wife called APC has resorted to blatant blackmail and mudslinging in its renewed quest to oust Senate president Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu from their coveted seats. The more they attack the duo, the clearer it becomes to Nigerians that we have a government run by tyrants, who does not give a freaking damn about survival of our hard-earned democracy. These anti-democratic forces are hell bent on setting Nigeria ablaze, just to have their way. I think the time has come to cage this beast and small tyrant called Oshiomhole; enough of his excesses cum impunity.

    Section 52 of Nigeria’s constitution made it crystal clear that for a presiding officer of the senate like senate president or his deputy, to be removed from office, you need nothing less than two third majority of senators. In a Red Chamber of 109 senators, the 2/3 majority is 73 senators! The mind-boggling questions racing through the minds of discerning Nigerians are: can those tyrants in Presidential Villa and their foot-soldiers in the senate muster 73 senators to remove Senate President Saraki and his deputy, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu? Can they infiltrate the impregnable support base of current senate leadership? Can’t they accept the stark reality that they have been outfoxed in this political game of thrones once and for all? Is it too late in the day to give peace a chance, at least for the sake of impoverished Nigerians, that are desperately yearning for the “change” promised them over three years ago?

    President Buhari and his mindless cabal, should be told categorically that they have lost this argument both in the eyes of the law and court of public opinion. They have also lost the moral aspect of the argument. For supporting Hon. Aminu Tambuwal to retain his seat as speaker of House of Representatives, having defected from PDP to APC in 2014, APC and its herd of zombies, masquerading as supporters, have lost the moral ground on which to demand Saraki’s resignation, using the benchmark of morality.

    The APC should better wake up from its hallucination that Saraki and Ekweremadu will be removed “by all means” as leaders of senate. Saraki is not carrying any moral burden as senate president, because APC never supported him to emerge in the first place. Power-drunk APC leaders cannot take back what they did not give in the first place. Nigerian constitution never implied that senate president or his deputy MUST come from majority party (if APC is still majority). Saraki/Ekweremadu senate presidency has come to stay till June, 2019.

    Any unconstitutional attempt to effect change of senate leadership, will be tantamount to toppling Nigeria democracy. President Buhari’s name will be written boldly in the hall of SHAME if he watch his party chairman, aides and conscienceless supporters push Nigeria down the deepest valley of anarchy and political turmoil. Oshiomhole and his fellow desperados in the APC, should know that Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu have become the rallying pillars and formidable shield to roll back the forces of fascism and dictatorship, of which President Buhari’s government has metamorphosed into. Nigerians are solidly behind them as commanders leading the army of democrats, against rampaging chariots and soldiers of tyranny, as we head into 2019 general elections.

  • Princess Marian Iyabode Awolowo, Apologies to Nigerians

    Princess Marian Iyabode Awolowo, the pioneer of Buhari’s Campaign 2011-2015 Apologies to Nigerians

    I sincerely wholeheartedly apologize to ALL Nigerians for motivating, encouraging, sponsoring mobilizers and advocating for a Buhari 2015 Presidency. I can assure you that I took this position after observing incessant killings going on in Nigeria especially in the Northern part of Nigeria in 2010.
    My decision was helped immensely by my beautiful early year’s experiences of Nigeria.

    In around mid-2010, my Conscience refused to turn a blind eye to the Terrorist killings going on in Nigeria, when knowing in my heart that majority of Nigerians are very giving, peaceful, hardworking and accommodating.

    Thus, I find it highly disturbing watching International News especially BBC News about how Boko Haram Terrorist were killing in Nigeria with reckless abandon. This critical point in time was what drove me to create Nigerian Global Awakening Group Page on Facebook in October 2011, with the aims of creating awareness and to advocate for a Change of Government by introducing a President Buhari 2015 whom I believed could help our dear beloved country Nigeria from perilous because he was an experienced former Military President in Nigeria.

    But since the 2015 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians and the global world have endured one avoidable gaffe, mishaps or the other. Between 2015 to date, Nigerian have seen lack of synergy, corrupt white collar crime, targeted of opposition, blackmailing of perceived enemies, incitements against Good Governance Advocates, non-prioritising the needs of the poor, Government sponsored media outlets promoting fake news, no investment in Manufacturing, Corrupt practices in Government, Nepotism, the delayed in critical appointments of Minister, the President Illness and the longest foreign medical trips took the order of the day.

    To make matters worse, premature released of 500 Boko Haram Terrorist from Kano State Prison by President Buhari, and to make worse the situation for Nigeria and Nigerians, the apparent favoritism of Killer Herdsmen who posed a threat to ALL Nigerians, Nigeria and the world at large.

    Here we are in July 2018 faced with the reality that our country Nigeria is in a bigger threat that may consume Nigeria and posed as a threat the world at large. Thus, I CANNOT WITH GOOD CONSCIENCE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OR WISHED FOR THE RE-ELECTION OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI FOR SECOND TERM IN 2019 WITH THE APPARENT DANGERS HIGHLIGHTED.

    So I PLEAD with those with CONSCIENCE regardless of Religion, Political affiliations or region to STOP pretending that everything is alright with the manner President Buhari is leading our beloved country Nigeria especially in terms of securing our country beloved Nigeria.

    The insecurity across Nigeria is very alarming and dangerous to ALL and there comes a time when as humanity directs for us, to search our conscience and chose what will determine our existence in a fast global world.

    POINTS OF CRITICAL THINKING:

    1. The core reason why majority of Nigerians joined the cry for Change and campaigned vigorous against the Ex-President Jonathan was his inactive and slowness in combating Boko Haram Terrorist who are killings Nigerians especially in the Northeast of Nigeria.

    2. Nigerians Globally from ALL REGION, ALL RELIGION, POLITICAL AND NON POLITICAL rose up and came TOGETHER from across the world to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

    3. The above key points were what propagated the need to promote a Buhari 2015 Presidency with the HOPE that he would STOP the infiltrated apparently sponsored Boko Haram killing innocent Nigerians.

    4. During the Campaign 2015, never in the history of Nigeria have there been a time when love, unity and uniformity of purpose seen amongst all Nigerians across the world in a Political Campaign settings as witnessed for All Progressive Congress Political Party and for a President of Nigeria. The mood was so unique, and the euphoria was of genuine love and Hope. For the first time in the history of Nigerian Politics, the world witnessed how ordinary Nigerians poor and rich, young and old from all region and religion donated their money to sponsor a President Buhari. The world also witnessed for the first time in African History how Nigerians globally took it upon themselves to raise the bar in election campaign funds that other African Countries were voicing of emulating.

    5. And on the 29th of May 2015, a President Buhari who was FINANCIALLY SPONSORED by ALL Nigerians regardless of Religion, Region, Creed and Political affiliations took an OATH OF OFFICE with the QUARAN that he SHALL PROTECT NIGERIA, NIGERIANS AND THEIR PROPERTIES. This was the FIRST OATH!!! AND PRESIDENT BUHARI SWORN WITH THE QUARAN!!!

    But sadly, HOPE of Nigerians has been dashed, sacrificed for wickedness and greed. Prior to speaking out in Public against the decline of our beloved country Nigeria, I have spoken directly to President Buhari on several occasions about the State of affairs, on my last visit to him in September 2017; I repeated the same fear that Nigerians are losing faith in his Government. I pleaded for synergy until it became clear that the President of Nigeria has either been hijacked by those his wife Mrs. Aishat Buhari labeled as “Cabals” , or “Presidency” or he is vulnerable and being taken advantage of due to his high intake in prescribed medications for his ailment or he is on a different mission to perilous.

    I have heard the cries of the majority including their respectful Governors. I have read and heard the cries of Global World leaders against the apparent genocide going on under President Buhari’s Governance. I have observed how Presidency is bullying Nigerians to Silence. I have observed how the Government paid social media emergence campaigners attempted to sell LIES AS TRUTH WHILE SUBDUING AND SUPPRESSING NIGERIANS, JOURNALIST AND THE WORLD FROM KNOWING THE TRUE TERROR THAT HAS BEFELL NIGERIA AND INNOCENT NIGERIANS IN THEIR LANDS.

    Majority of Nigerians are NOW certain that President Buhari has BETRAYED THEM AND HAD FAILED WOEFULL to PROTECT Nigeria and Nigerian Lives and their Properties. His recent defeatist statement in reply to the massacre going on in Plateau State, Benue State, Zamfara State, Taraba State, Enugu State, Southern Kaduna, Edo State, Kogi State, Adamawa State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Oyo State, Kwara State and other States across Nigeria saying “there is nothing I can do to help the situation except to pray to God to help us out of the security challenges” should worry all Nigerians regardless whether you are paid to silence the truth or not. This defeatism statement should worry anyone who values their lives as the President has now confirmed he has relegated his duties to God.

    SECURITY is the first that determines efficiency in which all other sections of Governance can be rated. This one area is what is measured, and serves as a determinant as to whether the poor and the rich can have peace and progress in the land or not. And when security fails, everything will naturally fall into pieces. Additionally, history has thought us that it is the very poor in the society that will pay heavily for the negligence of the Leaders. And despite President Buhari came into power to secure Nigeria with a Campaign Manifesto, his deviation from the Campaign manifesto has apparently been replaced by his sudden interest and bullish advocacy for a Cow Colonies in favour of the “nomadic Fulani herdsmen”. Many have raised concern as Nigeria has been having problems with Fulani Herdsmen from across Africa who is represented in Nigeria headed by a group called Miyetti Allah.

    Majority of Nigerians find it frighteningly odd that President Muhammadu Buhari is fraternising and playing petty footing game with this same Miyetti Allah group that is worldly known to be associated with Terrorism. The compounded correlation and the group relationship with the Nigerian President raised a Red alert flag to Nigerians who sees how this skewed relationship has taken over their lives and properties with endemic massacre recorded across Nigeria and spreading.

    Furtherance, the group known as Miyetti Allah is the representative of Fulani Herdsmen across Nigeria. According to the Global Terrorism index, the “Nigerian Fulani militants named as fourth deadliest terror group in the world that only Boko Haram, Isis, and al-Shabab were deemed deadlier than the little-known militant group from West Africa. The report further expressed “the fourth deadliest known terrorist group has been named as the Fulani militant group operating in Nigeria and parts of the Central African Republic.

    The little-known group, formed of individuals from the semi-nomadic pastoral ethnic group Fula people existing across several West African nations, has seen a dramatic escalation of its activities in the past year. As much as 92 per cent of their attacks target private citizens, reflecting the group’s primary concern over the ownership of farmland. Each attack claims an average of 11 lives, with the largest known in April 2014 killing as many as 200 people after a group of the militants targeted community leaders and residents during a meeting in central province Zamfara.

    In the past year Nigeria has experienced the greatest increase in deaths from terrorism, with 7,512 deaths reported – an increase of over 300 per cent – most of which have been claimed by Boko Haram.”

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/global-terrorism-index-nigerian-fulani-militants-named-as-fourth-deadliest-terror-group-in-world-a6739851.html

    Despite the above Global world Terrorism Index report about apparent threat to Nigerian peace and progress, President Buhari’s in responding to Governor Ortom of Benue State complaint about the incessant killings of Herdsmen against Benue Farmers and indigenes was “I am appealing to you to try to restrain your people”. President Buhari further appealed to Nigerians and Governor Ortom to “accommodate your countrymen”. This appeal by President Buhari further raised concern about his involvement in the apparent terrorism that is killing Nigerians in Nigeria.

    CRITICAL INCONSISTENCY, IN DENIAL AND CONFUSIONS BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI:

    1. It is on record that during President Buhari’s United Kingdom visit with the Archbishop of Canterbury who is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England Justin Welby, President Buhari blamed the targeted genocides by armed Fulani herdsmen on deceased Libyan President, Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

    2. It is also on record that during President Buhari’s televised conference with the United State President Donald Trump, President Muhammadu Buhari again blamed killings in some parts of the country by suspected herdsmen on armed men from Libya. He added that “The problem of herders in Nigeria is a very long historical thing. The Nigerian herders don’t carry anything more than a stick and occasionally a machete to cut down foliage and give it to their animals, these ones are carrying AK-47”. President Buhari said “43 years of Ghaddaffi, people were recruited from the Sahel and trained to shoot and kill. With the demise of Ghaddaffi they moved to other countries and region and carried the experience with them,” President Buhari also added a very worrying and severe warning saying “So, people should not underrate what happened in Libya”.

    3. Recently, Department of State Services of Nigeria (DSS) headed by Lawal Daura was on record claiming that “the main perpetrators of the killings are not Fulani herdsmen original to Nigeria but foreign fighters and terrorists affiliated to the Islamic state of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) that is already defeated by the coalition forces headed by the United States”

    4. And the blame game has taken another turn last week when President Buhari is now insinuating that “Opposition are behind the killings across Nigeria”.

    Any Nigerian who valued lives should consider the above four statements and ask WHY would a President who said the above is appealing to Governors and Nigerians to give up their land for cow colonies knowing those who perpetrated the massacre in Nigeria are “ Libyans recruited from the Sahel and trained to shoot and kill” and why would The President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari begged Nigerians to “accommodate “ these worldly armed known terrorist even when the head of Intelligence of Nigeria Department of security Services Lawal Daura who also confirmed that “the main perpetrators of the killings are foreign fighters and terrorists affiliated to the Islamic state of Syria and Iraq (ISIS)”.

    Why then should Nigerians be killed in order to “accommodate” terrorist the President himself have confirmed are “trained to kill”?

    Why ALL STATES IN NIGERIA MUST ENACT ANTI-GRAZING LAWS TO PROTECT NIGERIANS:

    Since evidence has demonstrated that stealing of cows appears to be a consistent reason given by the killer herdsmen to lay claim to killings of humans. It is extremely therefore important to use preventative method by enacting anti-open grazing law in ALL STATES OF Nigeria as this measure has proven to save lives. For the records, “In Ekiti State, there was a law which was constitutionally supported by the people of the state and signed by Governor Ayo Fayose in 2016 had already prohibits open-grazing between 6 pm and 7 am.” This measure in Ekiti is on record that it drove the terrorist camouflaging as Fulani Herdsmen out of Ekiti State.

    Also, “Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State enacted a law banning open- grazing in Benue State in 2017 in order to save Benue State indigenes from terrorist killer herdsmen that apparently killing the people of Benue State”

    “In Taraba State anti-grazing law was created in July 2017, and it came in effect on the 24th of January 2018”

    But shockingly, as soon as the law against open-grazing was enacted in the aforementioned States, the defense Minister of the Republic of Nigeria Dan-Ali released a statement saying the law against open-grazing should be suspended citing an alarming reason that the suspension “would reduce tension.” Many Nigerians find it hard to believe that a whole Defense Minister of the Republic Of Nigeria will asked for the suspension of a State law which evidently protect humans lives from marauding terrorist masquerading all over Nigeria as herdsmen.

    The insensitive statement of the Defense Minister though condemned by Nigerians further supports the notion that the Fulani Herdsmen engaging in massacre across Nigeria have support of the Federal Government of Republic of Nigeria headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    With the above calamity and the dangers it posed to Nigeria, Nigerians and the world at large, I Princess Marian Iyabode Awolowo again sincerely apologise to ALL NIGERIANS for my advocacy for a President Muhammadu Buhari 2015 Presidency. And I SHALL NOT SUPPORT PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI RE-ELECTION BID AS IT POSED DANGER TO THE PEACE AND PROGRESS OF NIGERIA AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.

    And to the LIVING, DO not BE BULLIED TO SILENCE. DO NOT BE AFRAIDTO SPEAK OUT BECAUSE TERRORIST HATES TO BE EXPOSED. CREATE AWARENESS TO SAVE YOURSELF AND OTHERS. 

    Ensure you TAKE PRESERVING YOUR LIVES AS A PIRIOTY. 

    Vote out any Governor who cedes your lands to terrorist camouflaging as Fulani Herdsmen, because the terrorist herdsmen are NOT the same peaceful Fulani herdsmen we have lived with side by side for decades in Nigeria. 

    Please ensure you VOTE for PRESERVATION OF LIVES IN THE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION. 

    Once again, I totally unequivocally apologise to ALL who supported my callings for a Buhari2015 Presidency especially victims of the barbaric avoidable massacre going on in Nigeria. I pray to God, Allah, Olodumare to strengthen and bless all those who are victims of the barbaric killings going on in Nigeria.

    May all the departed souls rest in peace, Amen, Ameen, Ase.
    #AllLivesMATTERS

    Signed

    Princess Marian Iyabode Awolowo – United Kingdom
    Creator – Nigerian Global Awakening Group
    Creator – Nigerian Global Awakening Day
    6th of July 2018

  • Response to Mr. Femi Falana, SAN by Olufab

    Response to Mr. Femi Falana, SAN by Olufab

    I have read the opinion of the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, where he posited that in the main, the President Muhammadu Buhari [PMB] is not prohibited by law to confer national honours on deserving Nigerians, dead or alive.

    In this riposte, I intend only to challenge the opinion of the learned SAN that the award of the GCFR on Chief M.K.O. Abiola, of blessed memory, is legal. On the sanctification of June 12 as democracy day and a Public holiday, I do not wish to express an opinion.

    In the submission of the learned SAN, the former CJN was wrong as he (the former CJN) did not cite a specific provision of the Honours Act or any other law that had been violated by the president.

    Mr. Femi Falana is legally misconceived in his opinion that no illegality has been occasioned by the award of the national honours on Chief M.K.O. Abiola & Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN.

    The enabling legislation is the Honours Act and the applicable provisions are as follows:

    “3. Mode of appointment to Orders, etc.

     

    (1) The President shall by notice in the Federal Gazette signify his intention of appointing a person to a particular rank of an Order.

     

    (2) Subject to the next following paragraph of this article, a person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an Order when he receives from the President in person, at an investiture held for the purpose-

    (a) the insignia appropriate for that rank; and

    (b) an instrument under the hand of the President and the public seal of
    the Federation declaring him to be appointed to that rank.

     

    (3) If in the case of any person it appears to the President expedient to dispense with the requirements of paragraph (2) of this article, he may direct that that person shall be appointed to the rank in question in such a manner as may be specified in the direction.”

     

    A quick recap. The retired CJN opined that the national honours cannot be awarded posthumously, “much less the GCFR”, which is the highest honour in the land. Mr. Falana, SAN, on the other hand stated that it could and that the retired jurist did not state the law violated.

     

    Mr. Falana is very much mistaken in thinking the former CJN needed to provide the sections of the law violated, when it is quite elementary that violence was done to the entirety of the law itself and general principle of law.

     

    The right of the PMB to award national honours is in no doubt. The germane question to pose is, on whom might a national honour be awarded? The answer stares one in the face much like a star. National honours are to be awarded to persons. If we are agreed, and there can be no divergent opinion on that unassailable fact. The next question is to ask whether Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi fall within the LEGAL definition of persons.

    The Supreme Court in Ibrahim v. Judicial Service Committee, Kaduna State (1998) 14 NWLR (Pt. 584) 1 at 36 (1998) 12 SCNJ 255, espoused thus:

    “The definition of the word “person” in the legal sense under the Nigerian law is not limited to natural persons or human being only. It clearly admits and includes artificial persons, corporation, sole company or any body of persons corporate or incorporate.”

    It follows therefore that persons in the legal sense includes “natural persons or human beings” and also “artificial persons” such as corporate & incorporate bodies. Ipso facto, there can be no doubt that PMB may validly bestow national honours on “natural persons or human beings, and on artificial persons. To add further fillip to the definition of persons, the Interpretation Act, CAP 123 LFN 2004 defines persons as:

    “person” includes anybody of persons corporate or unincorporate;

    On their demise, could it possibly be argued that Chief M.K.O Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN continued to share or retained the characteristics of natural persons or human beings? Absolutely not; it would be preposterous and do violence to language to contend so. However, reject my own IPSE DIXIT on this matter. Do I have legal authorities in support of my position, that the dead cannot by any stretch of the imagination be natural persons or human beings?

    In the case of UDEOGARANYA V. ADEYI (2010) LPELR-4415(CA), the Court of Appeal instructively defined a person as follows:

    “It is beyond dispute that the word “person” when used in legal practice, such as in a legislation or statute connotes both a “natural person”, that is to say, a “human being” and an “artificial person” such as corporation sole or public bodies corporate or incorporates”.

    Just to pre-empt some of my colleagues or lay men who may say, ‘but the Court of Appeal is not the highest Court in the land’; I have good news. Let me dispel any doubt.

    The Supreme Court of Nigeria, in OMOKHAFE V. ESEKHOMO (1993) LPELR-2649(SC), explicating on the Legal Personality of a dead person, has this to say, per Onu, J.S.C.:

    “Generally, a dead person is no longer in the eyes of the law a person but in the eyes of the law, he is a person who ceased to have any legal personality from the date of his death and as such, can neither sue nor be sued personally or in representative capacity.”

    If the highest Court in the land has asseverated that a dead person is no longer in the eyes of the law a person, then to have conferred the respective national honours on both Chief M.KO. Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi has been done in clear breach of the National Honours Act. Respectfully, in my opinion, nothing more needs be said on this said over that issue.

    POSTSCRIPT

    On the issue of whether the honours bestowed on both Chief M.K.O Abiola & Chief Gani Fawehinmi may be conferred posthumously; it is pertinent to state that there is no specific provisions allowing posthumous awards in the enabling Act. Until the National Assembly amends the Act, it is respectfully submitted that any such posthumous award is clearly illegal. It is absurd for anyone to read into an Act of the National Assembly what is not therein provided for.

    Compare the above position with the enabling legislation for members of the Armed Forces, you will find the following:

    “3. Eligibility for award of medals

    (1) The Nigeria Star may be awarded to any member of any of the armed forces for the most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy, or for a pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy, or for devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy, and may be awarded posthumously.”

    The legislation pertain to the Armed forces makes specific provision for posthumous award! One would have thought that the lawyers advocating so vociferously for posthumous award would have asked themselves one simple question: “why would one legislation be silent on the issue of a posthumous award whilst another piece of legislation be specific on the point”?