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Jonathan Seeks Confidence Building To Sustain Democracy
Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has said that if democracy must endure, the democratic process must be developed in a way that people would have confidence in the electoral process.
This is as Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said that the problems of Nigeria are self-inflicted, as they flow from politicisation of everything and the promotion of pervasive injustice.
The former President spoke at a lecture/book presentation to mark the second term inauguration of Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt, last Monday.
Jonathan stated that despite the challenges, the country must embrace electronic voting, adding that electronic voting was the ultimate way going forward.
He noted that the African continent must come up with minimum standards for the establishment of the election management body, insisting that for the purpose of confidence building for credible elections, no single person should have the power to constitute the election management body.
The former president said, “We must come up with new standards for constituting our election management body in a way that people will have confidence. I believe in some quarters, what they do is that a body of people constitute the election management body. It is not in the hands of one person.
“When you leave such responsibility in the hands of a politician, no matter how good the person is, there will be the tendency for people to suspect that the right thing is not done.
“When people don’t have confidence in the system, whatever they do, it is difficult for the people to accept”, he added.
He suggested that, “The continental body, African Union, should come up with a minimum standard across Africa for constituting electoral management body”.
Jonathan added that no single official should have the power to appoint membership of all the Election Petition Tribunals as this erodes confidence in the system.
“Also, the judicial process where one person constitutes all the election tribunals to hear petitions is not right. It is difficult in a democracy for somebody to be extremely neutral. In one way or the other, somebody close to you will be in one party or the other. The only way to be above board is to make sure that one person does not have all the powers to constitute tribunals to listen to all cases”, he explained.
The former president called for the enthronement of independent security agencies that would provide security during elections, and decried the online video in Rivers State where women were dragging soldiers attempting to compromise Rivers elections.
“The African Union must come up with a code of conduct for security operatives that participate in elections. What happened in Rivers State, in a video being circulated where women were dragging soldiers down from walls, was a very sorry sight. When these things are being discussed outside the country, if you are a Nigerian, you feel so ashamed”, Jonathan said.
The former president called on parliamentarians to work towards modifying national laws to ensure that what happened in 2019 was not repeated in 2023.
He congratulated the people of Rivers State for their total support of Wike during the elections.
Jonathan said that the Rivers election was a star election in 2019, as it was used to assess the elections.
“Governor Wike stood firmly. He was courageous. He was a good leader. I urge you to continue with your good works.
“If you did not impress Rivers people, you wouldn’t have received support. Wike tried. He brought unity and physical development to the state”, Jonathan said.
In his address, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike decried the level of politicisation of the governance process of the country.
Wike said, “Although I lack the intellectual impetus to join issues with the learned Professor, but for me, Nigeria’s problems, which are largely self-inflicted, can be reduced to two: the politicization of everything and pervasive injustice.
“Over the years, we have allowed the entire governing system to be corrupted by banal politics and the courage to do what is right and fair to all parts of the country had since departed.
“As a result, we are increasingly becoming insensitive or rather impervious to the injustices and the horrific happenings in our country that have reduced our humanity”.
Wike said that insecurity continues to thrive in the country because the nation has refused to listen to the cries for justice.
He said, “In our case, everyone is crying out for justice, and because we’ve as a nation blocked our ears and hearts to the deafening cries for justice, peace has become a rare commodity in our country.
“My take is that we are going nowhere as a country; we will continue to run round in circles, and possibly crash-land in a very hard way, unless we change our narratives about justice because peace or peaceful co-existence cannot be decreed in a multi-cultural society such as ours, or in any society at all. It is only a real sense of justice that can command and guarantee enduring peace, patriotism and solidarity in Nigeria”.
The governor said that he was persuaded to approve the writing of the book because books document and educate people for the development of the society.
Wike said, “The essence of this book as captured by the short side of the title: ‘Excellence in Governance’, is truly captivating. I think, ‘excellence’ as opposed to ‘perfection’ in governance is attainable, if leaders care about how posterity would judge them after office.
“However, since excellence in governance is not a term of art, how can it be measured in relation to the burden of leadership? Is it by simply making comparisons between governments, past and present? Or by how and to what positive extent the government of the day responded to public issues, challenges and opportunities of the time?”
Wike lauded the quality of discourse in the book, which he said, promotes good governance without any form of sycophancy.
The governor said, “I have been managing people and resources as governor of Rivers State for four years, and it is only proper for stakeholders to start to dispassionately interrogate our performance in office, the quality of our leadership and the extent to which we have delivered public services from different perspectives.
“This book is, therefore, a pioneering effort in this regard from the socio-legal perspective, which I consider very uplifting because it is not about self-serving opportunistic claims to the high moral ground nor the product of sycophantic image laundry and patronage.
“Against this background, I have no hesitation in identifying wholly with this book, and commend both the editors and the contributors for their highly informative and logical arguments that elevated the legal discourse round the contemporary relationship between law, leadership and creativity in governance”.
The Guest Lecturer, Prof Anya O. Anya, in a paper titled: “Re-imagining Nigeria: The Imperative of Democracy, Values, Peace and National Development in the New Nigeria”, said Nigeria was a country under siege and its people and leaders were in denial.
Anya said, “We are at a stage where most nations are in dynamic state; where change is the order of the day. The rules of linear progression in social and economic evolution have given way to a situation where interactive forces act as interconnected matrices”.
He said that ultimately, the forces of peace would prevail despite the insecurity in different parts of the country.
Anya noted that God would manifest in the end on behalf of Nigerians and stop the high level of insecurity, and urged the governor to continue to work for the peace of Rivers State and Nigeria.
The Book Reviewer, Prof M. T. Ladan recommended the book to all students of Law and Politics, because, according to him, it captures the need for the development of Nigeria by examining the outstanding qualities of Wike.
Ladan said that the book was written by 51 authors, with 40 chapters and 735 pages, adding that the lawyers who wrote the book documented the delivery of democracy dividends in Rivers State.
The Book Presenter and Representative of Sokoto State Governor, Engr Bello Suleiman, described Wike as a true leader who would play a key role in the future of the country.
He said the governor has written his name in the sands of time by his superlative performance as chronicled in the book.
The Chairman of Inauguration Committee and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Austin Opara, said that the event was part of the programme to herald the second term of Chief Nyesom Wike as governor of Rivers State.
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.