By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq.
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In Nigeria today, especially since the beginning of this year 2024, there has been a slogan widely circulated and propounded and propagated all across Nigeria (with it being highly sponsored and or celebrated on the social media) and that is the slogan ‘NO GREE FOR ANYBODY’, which means ‘not letting anyone bully or cheat you’ (though a pidgin English language). Individuals in the Nigerian societies have what and how they have interpreted this slang to the extent that the Nigeria Police Force feared this slang could be or might be used to instigate violence or disturb public peace. However, in my case, I have viewed that if there should be any person that should not gree at all, the Nigerian lawyers should be such person: in essence, Nigerian lawyers should be the most concerned about this slang for a progressive Nigeria. Hence, this paper.
Nigeria as of today has become overtaken by selfish interests and corruption. A number of individuals (both in private and public capacities) have been held for one corrupt practices or the other by the security and law enforcement agencies of government against corruption and abuse of public office. As Nigerian lawyers, we should not gree for any person to corruptly squander the public purse without us taking any legal step to ensure that such person does not go scot free! This is one of our roles as societal reformers.
Also, there have been bad roads even around the community where some of us as lawyers reside; interrupted electric powers supply; internet disconnection by banks operating in Nigeria thereby restricting and or denying public access to their money in the bank custody (whereas, the banks continue to transact with such moneys with the owners i.e. customers being disappointed due to not being able to access their moneys; incessant bad communication network by network providers whereas the customer’s airtime has been deducted; etc., but with due respect, we (as Nigerian lawyers) have done little or nothing to ensure that government sits right and do what suits the welfare of the people (including the regulatory government bodies and the public complaints as well as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC). Hence, we as Nigerian lawyers must rise for the promotion of accountability and social welfare of both private and public institutions if we desire Nigeria to progress.
Also, public projects have continuously been abandoned leading to for instance: bad roads causing human and mechanical as well as vehicular accidents day-in-day-day-out! As Nigerian lawyers, we must not gree for any government or project contractors to abandon projects in our communities or local government without using the machinery of law to ensure that such responsibilities are not abandoned.
Furthermore, the public needs sensitization about their rights, duties and limitations. Human rights of majority of Nigerians especially the less privileged are being violated by both private persons and security and law enforcement agencies of government. If we as Nigerian lawyers do not sensitise these public members (and even stand up for the protection and or promotion of those inviolable rights man), we might find no one supporting our activism or ideas and the support of the people is needed to effectively achieve our goals in reforming the society and ensuring that Nigeria is saved in the hands of some few corrupt persons.
Security is another great challenge for Nigeria at the moment. Citizens’ lives and properties are being destroyed to the extent that no one is safe whether on the road or at home or anywhere. To worsen the situation, a number of Nigerian citizens (especially the low income earners and the middleclass) have to pay ransom of millions of naira (including in US dollars) to their kidnappers to bail themselves from the kidnappers’ den! We as lawyers must stand up for justice against injustice! Injustice to one is injustice to all! We have to engage the Nigerian system towards finding a lasting solution to the insecurity that has pervaded almost all the Nigerian societies!
It is no doubt that while some few individuals in political powers or as civil servants are being alleged to have embezzled or misappropriated billions of naira, majority of the Nigerian citizens are wallowing in abject poverty, economic degradation, financial abandonment, economic frustrations, among others. Is it actually that we as Nigerian lawyers do not have any role that we can play in holding the Nigerian government and its system to accountability?!
The Court of Appeal Rules, 2021, has made a mandatory deposit of the sum of N50,000.00 before any record of appeal (including the record of appeal emanating from a decision of a High Court in a fundamental enforcement proceedings and public interest suit) would be entered in the Court of Appeal. Is there no positive role that the ‘Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL)-herein after referred to as NBA-SPIDEL’ or we as Nigerian lawyers could play to include the need to interface with the appropriate authority of the Court of Appeal, especially the President of the Court of Appeal, towards waiving the payment of the required N50,000.00, only in a fundamental rights enforcement appeal or appeal relating to or emanating from fundamental rights enforcement suits and Public Interest related suits?!
Some of our legislators are fond of making laws that punish the masses with no societal justice at all! We as lawyers must always scrutinize the laws made by the legislatures and take appropriate steps to challenge such laws that are found to be arbitrary and prejudicial to the Nigerian societies and the voiceless masses.
Some of our politicians are fond of appropriating huge sum of moneys running into a high number of millions as allowances to themselves from the public treasury and tell Nigerians to remain patriotic while those Nigerian majority suffer abject poverty i.e. ‘suffering and smiling’! We as Nigerian lawyers must always be ready to always checkmate the expenses of our Nigerian politicians if indeed we desire Nigeria to progress positively.
Furthermore, as Nigerian lawyers, it is important to ensure we uphold the rule of law and also ensure that appointment to a judicial office is based on merit. Election cases are throwing some of the States of Nigeria into chaos! Will Nigerian lawyers fold their hands and watch the ugly situations as though a football match?!
Also, there have been a number of obsolete laws in Nigerian laws. We as lawyers are the crusaders upon whom the Nigerian society has placed so much hope to remedy the situation.
Finally, it is my humble observation and submission that nothing is badly wrong with Nigeria as a nation, but rather, a lot are wrong with some of the Nigerian citizens (if not all of us as Nigerian citizens)! In all these steps to be taken towards ensuring the wrongs are corrected and or rectified, we as Nigerian lawyers have greater responsibilities than those of the ordinary citizens of Nigeria! Hence, in my humble submission, if any person is not to gree for anybody, that person ought to and or should be the Nigerian lawyers! So, therefore, in my humble view and submission, Nigerian lawyers should be much more concerned about the slang than the ordinary layman or citizen in the society is; if we actually desire progress for Nigeria!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria! , Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com 08168292549.
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