By Adeyinka Adeniran
Speakers, scholars and leaders of thought from various background have attributed what they described as dysfunctional nature of democracy in the country, which created gap between the leaders and followers, to the weak or poor access to justice by a majority of the citizens.
The various speakers shared the view during a panel discussions at a Webinar organized by a non-governmental organisation, Voice of Reason (VOR) at the weekend.
The panelists consisted of Professor Toyin Falola, an international scholar, Mr. Kehinde Aina, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Mr. Soji Awogbade, also a lawyer and a public affairs analyst. The trio spoke on: ‘The Rule of Law and Nigeria’s Democracy’, which was the theme of the Webinar.
Setting the tone for the discussion, Chairman, Voice of Reason, Dr. Ebun Sonaiya stated that the Webinar “is part of our ongoing efforts to inspire thought leadership and civic awakening among Nigerians”, adding with emphasis that “without an adherence to the rule of law, democracy remains hollow”.
In his opening remarks, the moderator, Dr. Leke Osunniyi, noted that the webinar was meant to be a platform for a robust discussion on how Nigeria can “reclaim and reinforce the primacy of the rule of law as the bedrock of democratic stability, especially in the face of institutional decay, impunity and erosion of public trust”.
Opening the discourse, Professor Toyin Falola took a historical route in analyzing Nigeria’s predicament. He was unapologetic about the damage that corruption and non-adherence to the rule of law have wrecked (and still wrecking) on Nigeria.
Besides saying that the figure of over 200 million being bandied about as Nigeria’s population is over bloated, Falola stated that Nigeria is dysfunctional with a warning that, corruption not only prevents development, it can also destroy the nation.
He however maintained that although the challenges Nigeria is facing are enormous, the country is still redeemable “if we set our minds to it”.
In his view, Mr. Kehinde Aina, SAN, asserted that under normal circumstances, law does not distinguish between the goose and the gander, stressing that, law should apply to everyone the same way without regard to the position or status of such a person.
“But in Nigeria, there seems to be laws for those in positions of authority and another set of laws for the rest of the people”, adding that “where the rule of law ends, tyranny begins.
The legal luminary advocated for integrity, decency and decorum to be brought back into how things are done. Besides maintaining that rule of law should not be a luxury in the hands of powerful, Aina called for the return of traditional values which encouraged justice and following the rules.
The third speaker, Mr. Soji Awogbade declared that trust in government is usually weak where there is no access to justice.
Awogbade, who is also a lawyer, added that the rule of law is undermined where the judiciary is not independent.
Some other participants also made contributions, all harping on the importance of supremacy of the rule of law to boost people’s confidence in their leaders.
They however added that, ensuring the supremacy of the rule of law is not for government alone to effect, but that anyone violating the law is also guilty of contributing to the rot.
They called for a system which ensures that integrity, decency and decorum as well as valuing merit are vital, if the country is to be redeemed.
