“Faith by itself, if it does not have (good) works, is dead” – Holy Bible Somebody once wrote about the Nigeria wartime head of state General Yakubu Gowon, saying: ‘I will never pray with General Yakubu Gowon’. It is not that a praying general is an anathema to this writer, but within the biblical context, as James 2:17; New King James Version bluntly puts it; “… faith by itself, if it does not have (good) works, is dead”. The prayer circus of General Gowon viewed in this light, one finds it rather curious and difficult understanding why he would hide…
Author: Law Mefor
The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)’s caucus in the House of Representatives recently raised alarm over alleged plans to subvert the case of the party’s candidate in the 2019 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, at the Supreme Court. The caucus, in a statement jointly signed by its leaders in the house alleged that there was an attempt to influence the selection of the most senior Justices to hear the case. The caucus stated that it was unconventional to attempt to subvert the age-long and time-tested practice, precedent and convention of selecting the most senior Justices of the Supreme Court to hear the…
The undercover journalist, Kikki Mordi of the BBC, who brought to light what has now been trademarked as ‘Sex for marks’ in the nation’s citadel of learning, has without a doubt opened a can of worms. Nigerians and indeed the world were alarmed to learn that female students are no longer being groomed and honed in both character and learning in the nation’s institutions of higher learning but are being turned into objects of a noxious practice of exchanging sex for marks by some irresponsible lecturers. Though the nation may be losing it on many fronts, of all the ills…
The chilling story of what happens in the Cold Room of University of Lagos is enough mirror of what goes on in the rest. It took the undercover, investigative journalism of Nikki Mordi of the BBC to open the can of worms. Our little daughters, sisters and even mothers are being blackmailed and devoured by the same caregivers in the nation’s citadel of learning where students are meant to be groomed and honed in both character and learning. Ours has since become a means-ends inversion (a case of something becoming a goal, which displaces the end (goal) that the method…
The Nigerian nation state has, since inception, become a workshop in nation building. Many development rolling plans have been formulated by the past and present variegated regimes. Huge resources not even available to many developed nations have been haphazardly deployed with predictably erratic results. You do recall the two broad objectives of Vision 20:2020 are to: Make efficient use of human and natural resources to achieve rapid economic growth and to translate the economic growth into equitable social development for all citizens. Both objectives failed. Any attempt to paper over and bypass national question to develop the country will remain…
The problem of the Nigerian nation is prebendalism (political systems where elected officials and government workers feel they have a right to share government revenues, and use them to benefit themselves, supporters, co-religionists and members of their ethnic groups) and Machiavellian conspiracy of the inept ruling elites. What the Nigerian nation state has since become is therefore not so much for issues of tribe or religion but actually the result of the evil machinations of the said political elites. The Nigerian political elites are perhaps the worst to be found in any clime, bereft of any progressive ideas, and overly…
“We have no friends among you” – Justice Nikki Tobi The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the nation’s final court of appeals on all matters – socioeconomic, political, cultural, traditional and even religious. It also serves as court of first instance on matters for interpretation of the Nigerian Constitution. The Supreme Court has also been the final court of appeal for presidential election ligations and petitions, on both election and pre-election matters. In order to hear the presidential election petition appeal, just as Atiku Abubakar and the PDP are bringing before the apex court and avoid undue pressure and suspicion…
“Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.” -Bertrand Russell It was quite a relief reading senior lawyers like Jibrin Okutepa, repudiating the strange judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Lawyers call non-lawyers laymen and themselves learned. Law is not just an ass but also a strange profession. Facts and laws can be bent or made polar opposites. Facts and truths are also not in bed together. Our nation’s judiciary has now abandoned the laws, truths and facts to embrace technicalities.…
