The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, William Stuart Symington, on Monday indirectly punched President Muhammadu Buhari when he said that injustice and disregard for the rule of law are worse than the stealing of public funds.
Mr. Symington said this on Monday at the convocation lecture of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, while delivering a lecture on “Citizen Leadership and the Link between Economic Diversity and Democratic Good Governance.”
The US Ambassador viewed disregard for justice and rule of law as “more damning a corruption than stealing of public funds.”
He said, “What many consider as the great corruption is stealing of money but what to me is the great corruption is when people are deprived of justice, when you do things without regard for the rule of law.”
Disrespect of the Rule of Law and court orders has become a hallmark of the Buhari government.
Ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki is still held in custody since December 2015 despite multiple court orders for his release.
In July, a Federal High Court Abuja granted Mr. Dasuki bail but the government still refused torelease him from the custody of Department of State Services (DSS).
Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, frustrated over the human rights record of Buhari’s government and its disregard of court orders, on 16 August, 2018 wrote to the then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, asking him to stop the flagrant disobedience to court orders by his government.
Mr. Falana demanded the immediate release of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzakky, among others.
In the letter titled, ‘Request to end disobedience of court orders by all authorities and persons, expressing his disappointment at the refusal of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF Abubakar Malami to obey court orders and release Mr. Dasuki and others, he said, “It is common knowledge that the AGF, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), has said that Col Sambo Dasuki (retd.); Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky; and his wife, Hajia Zenab Elzakzaky, would not be released from custody in defiance of the valid and subsisting orders of municipal and regional courts.
“While the attention of the print and electronic media has been focused on the three privileged citizens, it is hardly realised that there are many other common people who are languishing in custody due to official disobedience of the orders of courts which have set them free.
“And since judgment creditors are prohibited from levying execution on the funds belonging to the government without the fiat of the AGF, the Federal Government and the various state governments usually refuse to authorise the payment of damages running to several billions of naira awarded by courts in favour of many citizens and institutions.
“But notwithstanding the illegality of my detention and the fact that it was Gen. Buhari that had promulgated the decree, I was able to convince my colleagues in the human rights community to demand his release and that of his deputy, the late General Tunde Idiagbon from detention.
“It is on record that based on our intervention, the Ibrahim Babangida junta released the duo after three years of detention without trial.
“We urge Your Excellency to take urgent and decisive measures to put an end to the disobedience to court orders by many public officers and institutions. Since section 287 of the constitution has imposed a binding obligation on all authorities and persons in Nigeria to comply with the decisions of competent courts, public officers who subvert the rule of law ought to be sanctioned.
“Furthermore, in view of the fact that President Buhari is the current chairman of ECOWAS, the Federal Government should show leadership by example by complying with all the judgments of the regional courts without any further delay.”
Critics of Mr. Buhari have also accused him of prosecuting a selective war against corruption and turning the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into a tool for the harrassment and persecution of political opponents, while shielding members of his party and government, who are accused of corruption, from facing the music.
The Presidency was yet to respond to Mr. Symington’s comments as at the time of filing this report.
WEeTalkNaija Daily Newspaper 