Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has turned Nigeria into a banana republic, citing prevailing
Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has turned Nigeria into a banana republic, citing prevailing cases of banditry, insurgency and violence that beclouded the country. Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), added that Buhari’s civilian administration was apparently worse than the military rule he presided over between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985.
Specifically, the human rights lawyer cited Buhari’s records of respecting the rule of law, which according to him, had worsened since his heydays as a military dictator. In a comprehensive analysis of the two administration, Falana said the irony of such official impunity is that whereas the Buhari military junta released detainees from custody on the orders of the courts.
He decried worsening cases of violence, banditry and insurgency, which he said, had become prevalent since the president returned to power in 2015. He, therefore, concluded that under the Buhari administration, Nigeria had become a banana republic, saying the president’s human rights record is worse than when Buhari was a military dictator.
Apart from treating the orders of the courts with contempt, Falana said Buhari, currently the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had ignored the orders of the Community Court of Justice with respect to the restoration of the civil liberties of Nigerian citizens.
He faulted Buhari and his Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, saying the contemptuous act of the administration has been defended by the president who has insisted that national security should take precedence over the rule of law which is why the civilian regime headed by the converted democrat has refused to release or grant bail to several detained persons in complete defiance of court orders.
Falana also cited the case of Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, which he argued, had been discredited through the selective prosecution of corrupt elements in the society. Worse still, he explained that corrupt members of the Federal Executive Council are currently using the police and anti-graft agencies to settle scores with corrupt opposition figures.
“It thus seems that politicians and associates of those close to the seat of power in Abuja are protected, despite strong evidence of corruption and money laundering against them. Such abuse of the rule of law is subversive of law and order in a democratic society.
“Given these types of examples on the part of the leadership and the poor working conditions of most government workers, it is not surprising that civil servants across the ranks have turned to petty corruption, often simply to survive. The net impact of this systemic corruption is a serious erosion of the rule of law, by a government that is supposedly committed to good governance, transparency, accountability and anti-corruption.”
