President Bola Tinubu pledged on Sunday to promote the rule of law, adhere to the principles of separation of powers, and tolerate dissenting views within the ambit of the laws of Nigeria.
The president made this vow to the largest gathering of Nigerian lawyers even as his administration faces increasing criticism for its growing intolerance towards a free press and dissenting voices.
The vow was made in Lagos, the same city where, earlier on Sunday, the State Security Service (SSS) arrested and detained Nigerian journalist Adejuwon Soyinka for six hours.
Mr Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of Conversation Africa and pioneer editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, was arrested at about 5:40 a.m., shortly after he arrived at Muhammed Muritala International Airport from the United Kingdom.
The SSS, notorious for its Gestapo-like tactics in arresting and unlawfully detaining perceived anti-government figures, has yet to disclose the full details behind the arrest and detention of Mr Soyinka, stating only that he was held at the request of an unnamed government agency.
Mr Tinubu did not acknowledge Mr Soyinka’s arbitrary arrest or the growing trend of such harassment of journalists since he became president.
Still, Mr Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the rule of law pledge on Sunday when he declared open the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos.
He said his administration had made steady progress in rebuilding the nation through legal and judicial reforms since taking office.
Mr Tinubu acknowledged the association’s sterling history of championing democratic ideals and promoting the rule of law.
“Let me reassure you all that this administration will continue to promote the rule of law, adherence to the principles of separation of powers and tolerance of dissent within the bounds of the law,” he said.
Mr Soyinka’s arrest and detention by the SSS on Sunday are characteristic of how security forces have harassed journalists for the flimsiest reasons since Mr Tinubu came on board as president in May last year.
In June, the police summoned a PREMIUM TIMES journalist, Emmanuel Agbo, over a yet-to-be-published report that he was working on.
Early this month, on different occasions, operatives of the Nigerian police and the SSS fired live ammunition and tear gas at journalists and peaceful protesters in a brutal effort to disperse the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance protests in Abuja.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.
The IPI Nigeria condemned Mr Soyinka’s arrest on Sunday. The organisation said the development fits into the pattern of a systematic clampdown on journalists nationwide since President Tinubu assumed office on 29 May 2023.
“Although no reason has been given for his arrest and subsequent detention, we view the action of the SSS as part of a plot to intimidate and harass journalists by the President Bola Tinubu administration,” it said in a statement.
Appeal to lawyers
Mr Tinubu implored Nigerian lawyers and other citizens to join hands with his administration to work towards achieving the Nigeria of everybody’s dream.
He said the nation must achieve sustainable development, assuring that his administration’s policies and actions would bring relief to Nigerians despite making difficult decisions to change the way things were done in the past.
He thanked the Supreme Court for consistently sustaining good governance and the tenets of democracy in the country.
He cited the recent verdict of the highest court in the land, which granted financial autonomy to the local government councils.
The judgment, he noted, “will spur the much-desired developments at the grassroots level.”
He expressed confidence that the third arm of government would achieve more strategic and reform-oriented legal interventions.
Mr Tinubu restated his administration’s commitment to continue making the welfare of the judiciary a top priority.
“I want to assure the learned members of the Bench and the Bar that this government will continue to accord top priority to the welfare of the judiciary to ease the avoidable burden on their Lordships.
“And we will speed up the adjudicatory process, which is sine qua non for social order and economic development.
“It is, therefore, my fervent expectation that the NBA would provide the appropriate legal compass for all persons, government and businesses towards rebuilding our dear nation,” said the President.
Mr Tinubu applauded the NBA’s choice of the theme “Pressing Forward: A National Posture for Rebuilding Nigeria” for this year’s annual national conference.
Okonjo-Iweala, others speak
Earlier, the Director-General, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said efforts must be made to accelerate the growth and development of the country as it had everything required to succeed.
In her keynote address titled, “A Social Contract for Nigeria’s Future,” she regretted that Nigeria was not progressing as much as it should in its over 60 years of existence.
“Strong macroeconomic reforms are needed in Nigeria. Oil has dominated Nigerian exports but we must diversify to agricultural and solid minerals exports.
“We need a new social contract to achieve growth in our country.
“My conviction on the need for a social contract is based on the need to tolerate different political parties and past administrations that preceded any administration in power,” she stated.
Also, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State maintained that the social contract entailed the security of lives and property.
Mr Sanwo-Olu, who urged the judiciary to strengthen the nation’s electoral process, assured that Lagos, as a state, was ready to take on the social contract.
In his welcome address, Yakubu Maikyau, President of the NBA, assured that the bar would continue to work for the course of justice in the country.
According to him, the respect the bar has is a symbol of freedom in the country.
“The bar is represented primarily by the need to serve justice to the people. Our existence as a people is intricately connected to our responsibility as the defenders of the people,” he said.
He urged lawyers to ensure they discharged their duties with determination and eschew corruption at all levels.
The conference also featured the launch of a book titled, ‘History of the Nigerian Bar Association,’ by a Nigerian lawyer, Olanrewaju Akinsola.