Crackdown on Judiciary: Buhari is a Tyrant Like Idi Amin of Uganda

Deji Adeyanju:

In its latest act of dictatorship and disrespect for the rule of law, the Directorate of State Security (DSS) raided the homes of several Judges of the Federal High Court and Justice of the Supreme Court in the early hours of October 8th, 2016.

In one swoop,
raided the homes of Justices Walter Onnoghen & Sylvanus Ngwuta of the Supreme Court as well as the homes of Justices Adebiyi Ademola, Muazu Pindiga and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court. DSS agents spent time breaking down the gate of Justice Dimgba’s house with a sledgehammer before beating his brother to pulp when they could not find him. At this time, Justices Ademola & Pindiga have been arrested and detained.

This is new addition to a long list of actions that show that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has no respect for the rule of law, the principles of separation of powers and is only interested in using the apparatus of state to harass real and perceived enemies.

Many will recall the disdain with which President Buhari has spoken about the judiciary and the legal profession in Nigeria. On January 31, 2016 at a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia he told an astounded audience that the judiciary was his main headache in achieving some of his plans. To buttress his point, he cited how the judiciary ruled against him in his previous bids to become President.

Many will also recall that prior to that comment, on August 13, 2015 at the opening ceremony of the 55th General Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Buhari had advocated that lawyers should not represent people accused of corruption, in spite of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that guarantees all accused people the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choosing.

Many will further recall that on July 18, 2016 the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC) organised a conference where speaker after speaker took turns to take umbrage against the judiciary. At the end of that event, PACAC (a body unrecognized by the Constitution) gave out sentencing guidelines it had developed to Judges.

These acts of intimidation and harassment come on the heels of other such actions that started with the invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House in September 2015 by DSS and have gone on to include:

• the arrest & detention of online journalists and bloggers;

• the mass murder of more than 1000 Shiite Muslims;

• the continuous extra-judicial murder of Nigerian citizens in the South East;

• the continued detention of several people despite Courts ordering their release;

• the violation of the principles of separation of powers as enshrined in our Constitution, and

• the constant refusal to obey orders of Courts.

It was predicted before the presidential elections that President Buhari lacked the democratic values to be a democratically elected President of Nigeria. He has continuously lived up to his reputation as a despotic, dictatorial leader who views respect for the rule not as the foundation of the existence of a democratic society but as a irritation to be dispensed with by whatever means necessary.

The events of last night mirror the abduction of Justice Benedict Kiwanuka – the then Chief Justice of Uganda – by the despotic President Idi Amin Dada of Uganda.

Members of the Bench are not above the law and must abide by its provisions at all times. However, our Constitution and other laws provide that erring Judges are to be disciplined within the framework provided by the National Judicial Commission not through Gestapo style abductions in the middle of the night.

It is particularly worrisome that these events are taking place when Yemi Osinbajo, a law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

These actions are reprehensible, and all well meaning Nigerians – irrespective of tribe, religion or political leanings – must come together to condemn them in their totality before they completely erode the very fabric of our democracy.

God bless Nigeria.

Signed:

Deji Adeyanju

TSA: Sokoto Uncovers N1.5Bn in 100 Idle Accounts

Two weeks after the formal introduction of the Treasury Single Accounting (TSA) system in Sokoto, the state government said it has uncovered N1.5 billion lying idle in 100 redundant accounts belonging to it in various commercial banks in the country. The state commissioner of finance, Alhaji Umar Saidu, who stated this in Sokoto on Sunday while giving an update on the system’s implementation, said government is determined to trace and close down all dormant and inactive accounts operated by it. He said since the introduction of the TSA, there has been a massive improvement in the reconciliation of public finance figures between the government and commercial banks. This, according to him, has reduced risk of errors in reconciliation processes and has enhanced timeliness and quality of the fiscal figures from such accounts. The commissioner said the introduction of the TSA has now enabled government to regularly monitor public cash balances while at the same time ensuring

Recession: Sokoto Cancels Scholarships, Withdraws its Students from Foreign Universities

Sokoto state government has given approval for the transfer, back home, of 39 of its citizens currently in various schools in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. In today’s exchange rate, the move will enable the government save over N500m from the policy. The government said this signals change of priorities in the payment of scholarship to study abroad. “The transfer/relocation of the students was necessitated by the need to conserve funds and apply same to more critical areas in the education sector,” the state Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said this Friday in Sokoto when he received the report of the committee instituted to advise government on the issue. He added that admissions have been secured for all the students in Nigerian schools, while arrangements have been made to ensure that none of them misses a grade level upon their return home. “As at the time we sent the children to Dubai to study last year, the state government was spending over 400 million naira per

Great Ways On How To Look Taller Even Without High Heels

By FPN Most women who are petite wear high heels to look taller. Apparently, high heels make women feel good and also make us feel sexy. For those who wear high heels to look taller, there are other ways which you can look taller without high heels. 1. Flats and strappy sandals, especially in light or nude colors, that show a lot of skin will help elongate your legs instead of just cutting them off at the ankles. When it comes to boots, look for styles that end just above your ankle, at the narrowest part of your leg, so that as much of your leg is visible as possible. You can also try a fitted over-the-knee boot, but make sure to wear it with something extra short and fitted through the waist to make your legs look as long as possible. 2. Style your hair so that it has some height and fullness around the crown. You don’t have to have a big hair look, but avoid flat and smooth styling on top. 3. When going for jumpsuit, look for something fitted and tailored — n

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