Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, has urged the Federal Government to separate the office of the Attorney General of the Federation from that of the Minister of Justice, warning that combining the two undermines justice delivery.
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Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Ozekhome argued that while ministers are political appointees, the Attorney General, as the country’s Chief Law Officer, should remain impartial.
”There should be a Minister of Justice, and an Attorney General of the Federation.
“The Attorney General should stamp his feet on the ground and say no to politics, yes to my role as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, whose allegiance is not to the federal government but to the Federation,” Ozekhome said.
Ozekhome faulted recent actions of the AGF over the disbursement of local government allocations in Osun State.
He recalled how a High Court nullified the elections that brought All Progressives Congress council officials to office, yet the Attorney General still wrote a letter directing funds to them.
“He knew very well they had been sacked from office and never reinstated by any court of law,” Ozekhome said.
According to him, the Bola Tinubu administration must learn from history.
“The Supreme Court held that the federal government could never withhold the funds made for local governments in the state,” he reminded, referencing the 2004 case between Lagos State and the federal government during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure.
“If the Attorney General failed to give the President the right advice, it is a failure on his part. And if he did give that advice, and Mr. President refused, all he needed to do was resign from office,” he stated.
The lawyer also linked his call to broader governance and constitutional issues, stressing that Nigeria needs more than piecemeal constitutional amendments.
“One million amendments cannot cure the Constitution of its original sin of being a military position not subjected to referendum of the people,” he said.
Beyond legal reforms, Ozekhome urged Nigeria to show leadership in Africa.
“Don’t just be giant in size alone, be giant in acts, in action,” he said, citing Africa’s history of exploitation during the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 and praising the 2018 African Continental Free Trade Area as a step forward.
The lawyer warned that impunity, insecurity, and weak institutions continue to undermine Nigeria.
“We need to speak truth to power. We need to challenge impunity,” he said, stressing that the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual conference must not shy away from pressing national issues, including electoral reforms, constitutional restructuring, and the rule of law.
Also speaking on the programme, former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, raised concerns over worsening insecurity. He warned that Nigeria faces “an existential crisis” and called for national consensus on security reforms.
“The country is bleeding, and it is time to stop it. We cannot surrender this country to non-state actors. It is totally unacceptable, and it is the road to Syria,” Chidoka said.
He urged government and opposition leaders to unite, insisting that “the number one purpose of government is the safety of the lives and property of citizens.”
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