"This is not a time to keep the facts from the people to keep them complacent. To sound the alarm is not to panic but to seek action from an aroused public. For, as the poet Dante once said "That the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality" "There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal"
John f.kennedy.
It would be an impediment on my side to let go of this historical event without appending my viewpoint from my observatory perspective. Many a times on my stool of cognitive and evaluative reasoning, I've asked myself pressing questions bothering on the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Most of this questions, I am yet to find answers to. One of these questions is,
'TO BE REALISTIC, IS NIGERIA TRULY A SANE SOCIETY? My answers are mostly hoax, I've to just believe something unpleasant and uncommon to my application of commonsensical reasoning as a political analyst.
Being a student of law, I have been taught the subject of law to an extent I should be able to trace and observe how the existing laws work in the real society but up till this very moment, I'm yet to find out how the laws apply in my contemporary society. As the whole metric and generic is still nebulouse or vague to my basic understanding. It is as if what I'm being taught in the law lecture theatres are different from what is happening and unfolding around me, due to what I see everyday in my contemporary society. It is pertinent to state that from my independent position that Nigeria is a lawless society and as I often postulate in any course of argumentative dispositions that " it is unlawful to be lawful in a lawless society" e.g (Nigeria).
Assertively, I can opine that 96 percents of Nigerians break the law on daily basis. And there's no regulatory law to guide or even still go ahead to correct this ill practices, that is to display the high level of redundancy that has hit our laws which is meant to develop expeditiously. In situation where a person breaks the law and such a person goes scot-free without being questioned or apprehended, it is presumably affirmable that such person would aim at perpetrating a more sophisticated unlawful act which could serve as a threat to the social security of the vast majority. If The case of Evans should be used as a case study here, where were the Nigeria law Agencies when the supposed alleged billionaire kidnapper was enriching his coast?
Evans has been living in a state of affluence all these years without any law agency trying to know his source of wealth. I'm even certain he would have been celebrated in public domains severally. If investigations is carried out diligently, one should not be surprised to hear that the ambivalence is known to law enforcement agencies a long time ago.
On several occasions in this same Ancient Ife community, I've seen officers of The Nigeria police force arrest youths that are into cybercrimes. They go around to access people's phone as against the directives that was issued in a circular on the 31/12/2015 by the former inspector general of police, Solomon Arase and signed by the Secretary in person of Mr Dokummor. This circular prohibits any officer from unlawfully accessing any individuals mobile phones and it was clearly supported by what was espoused in section 37 of The 1999 CFRN. but as of today, reverse is the case. These officers would access people's mobile phones on the ground of ignorance and when they find anything incriminating they would start requesting for money from these youths. Is that not a slap on the face of the law which is meant to serve as deterrent to others perpetrating this unlawful practices. These youths are mostly released at the spot of their arrests if they can pay the required amount to set them free.
However, once they are set free, the go back fully into the act with a preconceived notion of payment if they are caught in the act again. In such a situation, what has the law posited to the general public.
All these things happens in a society blessed with intellectual juggernauts/scholars and nobody seems to bother on what the law says so far it's not involving us as at that very moment.
In as much as I would venerate the existence of law by the virtue of my training, I would be quick to point out it's foibles and it's nebulous precedent.
In Nigeria the law is a limited commodity meant and applicable to the rich class alone. The practical aspect meant for the poor are displayed in Nigeria police stations where virtually every Nigerians pay for bail which is meant to be free. The Nigeria police force settle disputes in their stations. Because most of these poor people knows not the right quarters to channel their matters to. In most cases, police officers scare them of court processes as though once they get there they are heading to jail. In most of these stations you hear new laws been made by police officers on the ground of ignorance of the parties they are been made for and this purgate explicit ignorance and illiteracy which has hindered our developmental process as a Nation. Fundamentally, it is an unforgivable breach of duty that these atrocious acts are orchestrated by men who are meant to propel the detailed requirements of the law.
Without much ado, I'll commend the effort of EFCC to look into our university administrative structures to know if corruption is embedded in it. I would say like every parastatatal in Nigeria, corruption has a root here too. I will also applaud the Agency for drawing the attention of the general public to what president Buhari promised Nigerians during his campaign period, where he promised to eradicate corruption from our society so that it would not kill us all. It is however so painful that no case of a topmost Nigeria politician has been recorded so far. At some point, The corruption fight came as a form of witch-hunting as it's primary aim was at the oppositional leaders.
Obviously the university is also part of the Nigeria system. It is not a breach of jurisdiction on the part of EFCC to extend its investigations into this administrative cadre. Although, This is the first time I would be feeling them closely, I've always viewed them from afar. However, I hope their spur to investigate PROFESSOR ELUJOBA, the erstwhile vc of OAU is invigorated by passion to serve and uphold the tenets fo their duty. But if my conjectures are right that this is all about witch-hunting then I would circumspect whollistically that they've brought shame and denigration to the acts that found them.
The consciousness of the whole great ife community has been awoken lately as events unfolds day by day. There about a year ago. OAU needed to appoint a new vc for another interregnum, different factions and interests group where on the quest of claiming the mantle of leadership. Arguments arounsed amongst comrades. Individual characters of the aspirant were put to questioning.
The process that brought in professor Salami who was largely rejected by members of ASUU and NASU respectively. It was adduced that he was a presage of then out-going vc in person of professor Bamitale OMOLE who in his capacity has irked different unions in the university setting. Professor Bamitale OMOLE-led administration was nothing to write home about. He was less concerned about the Academic calendar, students welfarism was in bad shape, it was under this same man we witnessed a hike in school fees. In short the community was in lounge of disarray. During this period our union was even proscribed and rendered powerless by this arbitrary leader.
The emergence of professor Salami was protested to an extent that the Federal government had to take an initiative to interfere in the process that brought in professor Salami. By the extent of the inconsistency of the process it was declared null and void by the federal government. An acting vc emerged in person of professor ELUJOBA. Once again, sanity was restored back to our community.
Professor ELUJOBA was loved by all and sundry, his impeccable personalty was quickly known across students community, he was regarded as an agent of change, he promised a smooth academic calendar, he also reinstated the students union body. Under this same man, renovations were made in our halls of residence, backlogs were paid to workers. For a while the issue of incessant closure of the university was cleared out of the atmosphere. Solutions were proferred to problems around the university community. Encomiums is not enough to be thankful for the sanity he restored back to our polity. He was always ready listen to matters no matter how small it might look. At some point it was visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that the right man for the job has arrived. Peace was looming in the jocund atmosphere of great ife once again. I think that was why it came as a surprise to the general public when EFCC came around to make enquiries bothering around attempts to commit felony: misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, intention to defraud the university under his watch. obviously, these acts are predominantly inherent in our society at large.
At this point, I would commend the burning support of the public for showing up firm interest and support in this germane case. This signify that our level of apathy towards governance is reducing. Our burning alacrity shall continue to thread the path of justice which is the only redeeming factor from the laxity of our government. But, it should be clearly posited that our collective consciousness should be meant to guide the law to take it's respective course appropriately without victimization from the public. At this point, it is sine qua non to allow our justice system to prove to us that the arm of government is really that hope for the common man. In as much, as the erstwhile vc is still innocent of the charges against him, the public should not cease to support him morally but it is fundamental to state that the support been shown to him should not aim at misleading the just course of justice. If at the end of his trial he his found guilty of the alleged charges levelled against him by a court of competent jurisdiction then he should carry his cross and bear the wrath of the law. It would be unforgivable to records and precedents if public supports assist him in evading justice if he's found guilty. Then it should be expected of other individuals to start investing in good characters in other to commit an act of treasonable felony to the public at large. Paradventurely the erstwhile vc is vindicated of the allegations against him then it's very certain he is the last good man standing. Then the act that found EFCC should be questioned further.
Sometimes last year when the minister of information(Mr Lai Mohammed) visited OAU. A students activist urged the minister to help bring it to the notice of president Buhari that the BAMITALE OMOLE-led administration be brought to book to answer questions bothering around corrupt practices but till this very moment nothing has been done to probe this outgone VC whom the general public are not oblivious of his corrupt practices. Although that is Nigeria for us. The system is battered with sordid and deleterious governance. Virtually every sector of the country is corrupt because of the redundancy experienced in the promulgation of the laws of the land.
My candid advise to OAU student union and other sister unions is thus, we should be thankful to God that a case of this nature is happening during our time. Whatever position we stand for now would be documented down in History and it would serve as relevant authorities for future generations of great Ife students. We should be conscious of the steps we would take as events materialize. We should avoid making errors because of hasty decisions reached in times of exigencies. It's however stated that " An error left uncorrected will become an intellectual immorality". In this case, we can use this avenue to move ahead regardless of whatever vendetta the case is aiming at to ask the governmemt salient questions affecting our contemporary society. I think we need to ask EFCC AGENCY how far they've gone in curbing cybercrimes which is rampant in our today Nigeria society, we should ask The code of conduct tribunal what precedent was documented in the case of the Senate president in person of Bukola Saraki. We should also remind them of the celebrated case of Dasuki-gate. We should also ask them about the case of Omisore and other corrupt Nigeria leaders whom their cases was in limelight at some point but up till this moment no valid judgement has been given so far.
Most of our convictions have been weakened by philosophical and sociological influences placed on us by our immediate society, these influences might be in form of religion, family, pressure groups, heritages and backgrounds influences, through this we've had cases of misplaced public priorities. it has now gotten to a stage where a man is struggling to fight for his head alone meanwhile the struggle is meant to be collective in other to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. We shouldn't foget that an injury to one is an injury to all.
In conclusion, Law, justice and morality works interchangeably, its basic purpose is to uphold the tenets of our fundamental dignity expoused and entrenched in the detailed letters enshrined in the formation of our fundamental inherent human rights that have been made available even from the inception of man. Having passed through different developmental stages, yet it purpose is still to foster uneven development, unity and progress of mankind at different levels with a view of achieving it's primary objectives which Is to protect human dignity in all spheres of human endeavours.
Signed:
HON.SOLANKE ADESEYE ENITAN
parliamentarian representing faculty of law
SRC'17. OAU.
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