The President of West African Bar Association (WABA), Mr. Femi Falana, has berated the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for dabbling into politics, saying such development would not have occurred in decent societies. Stating that his reservation against Soludo was
borne out of the fact that he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2006 while still serving as the CBN governor, the human rights lawyer added that the former apex bank boss deserves to be clamped in jail.
Falana said: “He (Soludo) told everybody that he became a Peoples Democratic Party member in 2006, when he was still the governor of the CBN. So, all along, we had a politician as the CBN governor. In a decent society, Soludo should be in jail by now. If (Lamido) Sanusi had not become governor when he came in, all the banks recently declared as under stress would have gone under by now.”
He spoke at the inauguration of the Ogun State chapter of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in Abeokuta, the state capital, at the weekend, where the President of West African Bar Association (WABA), submitted that the AGF’s office, as currently constituted, has been bedevilled with “corruption and indolence.”
In his contribution, Legal luminary and former judge of the World Court at The Hague, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), asked President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to split the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), into two.
Ajibola, a one-time Attorney- General and Minister of Justice, said the separation of the AGF’s office was imperative for proper dispensation of justice.
According to him, conferring the authorities of both the attorney-general and minister of justice on one person was confusing and amounted to asking the individual to serve God and mammon.
The legal icon explained that his proposition was being operated in some Scandinavian countries.
Ajibola said: “The position of the attorney- general is like that of an Ombudsman; a man that cares for the welfare of the people in the society. We need an ombudsman that will be there for the people. The minister of justice will be there to serve the government and its institutions, while the AG will serve the people as an Ombudsman, as well as a watchdog against those perpetrating injustice.
“So, no attorney-general should be made the minister of justice. It is a confusing situation of which it is difficult to serve two posts together. It is like serving God and Mammon. The government must quickly do that. We need not allow it to continue because having the two positions in one person is an incongruous situation.”
Falana, who was the guest speaker on the occasion, lauded Ajibola’s performance during his tenure but lamented that the AGF’s position is now associated with monumental corruption.
According to the Lagos lawyer, no individual had served the country creditably in the position of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as Ajibola despite the fact that he served during the military era.
He added: “But today, that office has been polluted by incompetent people and it is very sad for our country for the office of attorney- general to be associated with corruption.
“These days, attorney-generals don’t go to court any longer unlike people like Ajibola who used to appear in court. Though we fought him from all sides during his time, we still have great respect for him, particularly for his performance and contributions.”
He enjoined members of the CDHR to educate Nigerians on their fundamental human rights, saying such effort was imperative for a better nation.
Falana also advised both the executive and the legislative arms of government in Ogun State to settle their rift and focus on their constitutional responsibilities to the people, who elected them into office.
The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Hashimu Argungu, who also spoke on the occasion, warned criminals against hiding under the cover of human rights to perpetrate heinous crimes.
The police boss, who donated N10,000 to the CDHR, stressed the need for a functional education among the citizenry to enable people know their rights and limitations in law.
