Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Opinion
Sunday December 30, 2012
2013 and your nextdoor neighbour F orty-eight hours hence, a new year will be pronounced on an innocuous time circle that shapes human existence, grants some soul-soothing allure and ensures the restlessness of hope. For those who survived the somewhat fiendish gale of various tragedies that occurred in this parting 2012, there would be convincing reasons to kneel down at respective worship centres on new year day, and jabber words of prayer, seeking forgiveness of sins and asking God for every imaginable blessing. But as in the mutating wonder characterising human moments, a man or woman sighted in a church or mosque, or even in a shrine praying, can again appear as a thief, robber, kidnapper, sore betrayer or in the least, a brawler. That is the incertitude in human character, for which those affected themselves sometimes make inward efforts to contain, but in vain. But as a constitution stands to uphold the sanctity of a nation and regulate the acts of power players, so do the statute books exist to maintain law and order by stipulating requisite punishment for any law broken. These are no strange homilies to the ears of anyone given to listening to radio, viewing the TV, reading newspapers or sitting in the patio, to learn from elders. What is, however, befuddling in the character of humans these days, perhaps, dovetails to the cliché of loss in value, which in any case remains a
factor, in the overall drift to this ensuing culture of the serpentine camaraderie. Take the prevalence of kidnapping, for instance. Often time, police investigations usually point in the direction of a black sheep within a family of the kidnapped, who must have arranged with external predators to abduct the victim with the aim of securing ransom either from the child of the kidnapped or someone who greatly cherishes the abducted person. Much as people have been playing Judas from time immemorial, the advancing form of betrayal, as is common nowadays, reeks of parched humanity, corroded by disillusionment. Without denying the fact that religious fanatics exist or that extremists are found in all religions, all yielding to violent acts, these days’ manner is peculiarly Nigeria’s. In a nutshell, it can be traced to the fact that a hungry man is patently angry. A society having 150 million population with about 80 percent of the people consigned to the bottomless pit of grinding poverty arising from joblessness, should go no further to lament its fate. Everywhere, the culture of communal trust needed to live in peace and harmony has taken flight in the face of mutual desperation to, not just survive, but also live up to social expectation. Jerkily, the country wobbles on as the people live with sharp reflexes, not sure of their neighbours and thoroughly disgusted with what seems to be the rudderless approach of government. All that have been hyped as major achieve-
ments of the Federal Government this year, to the ordinary man in the street, are cheap talks that present those in power as heartless comedians. In 2012, while useful efforts had been dissipated by the President Goodluck Jonathan government to catch the hare that are the insurgents, the bomb throwers themselves find ready-made planks in the army of the poor, the set of people who would go do thanksgiving, if they are able to feed two times a day. If I am gainfully employed with a roof on my head and without a landlord to harass me, and if I own a healthy car and I can stock my pantry with choice foodstuff, and if my room or living room is lit up 24 hours to enable me study, watch TV or use electrical appliances for domestic shores, and if I have recreation facilities in my neighbourhood to engage my extra time, and then someone suddenly turns up to engage me in a crime or bloody religious or political vengeance, will I go? While the weird dimensions in climate change come as stupefying scenery of the sculpture of the unseen hands, the western world is already appropriately animated by the changes, to make its environment worth living. They also work conscientiously, making those in government to render genuine accounts of their stewardship or get booted out of office. But here, while those in government are hidden away by tainted car shields and are regaling in the cool breeze of a reserved habitat, the poor also sit back
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Kayode Fasua
kayodefasua@nationalmirroronline.net (08034101207; SMS only, pls)
in happy dejection, as they become carefree with socio-political and invariably, economic ethics. A menial jobber, who having sucked up a sachet of water known as ‘pure water’, ordinarily sees no harm in throwing the refuse on a paved street. Unknown to him, the sachet is not bio-degradable like a leaf or tomato paste. Its bits and mounds on the street, for instance, would be streamed by the rains to block some canal somewhere, resulting in flooding. This dimension of my appraisal of 2012 is what I consider inwardly gratifying in that, for the lot of the Nigerian masses, inspiration was never drawn through discernable mark of government presence, in this receding year. The year, in terms of clear government achievements, is akin to Wole Soyinka’s description of a wasted generation. So, as hunger hits hard in the neighbourhood and as the hope of securing a job by your nextdoor neighbour looks patently forlorn, simply re-sharpen your reflexes, though be merciful. And if you are the jobless pal, take consolation in God. Anything can happen. Happy new year.
Can Justice Ojo get ‘justice’ in Osun? OLUMIDE L AWAL
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rofound dispensation of justice is one cardinal issue that all living beings should hold paramount to hearts in our daily interactions. Be it at family, communal, corporate, state or federal levels, justice should be seen to be done when necessary and equitably too, without sentiments, ill-feeling or bad blood. It should be done with the fear of God.
Even in the Holy Quran, it is expressly stated and I quote Q4:135. “O ye who believe, be ye staunch in justice, witnesses for Allah, even though it be against yourselves or your parents or your kindrens. Whether the case be of a rich man or a poor man, for Allah is nearer unto both than ye are. So follow not passion, lest ye lapse from truth and if ye lapse or fall away, then lo I Allah is ever informed of what ye do”. The issue of appointment of a substantive Chief Judge for State of Osun, after the deserved retirement of the former Chief Judge, Olaniyi Ojo, has been very touchy, intriguing and full of needless innuendoes. It therefore calls for the wisdom of Solomon on the part of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of State of Osun, to do the right thing. And I want to trust, that the governor as a true Muslim, believes absolutely in the above Quranic injunction. It should be his guide in the onerous task at hand, so that he does not lapse or fall away from doing that, which is just right and equitable. Justice (Mrs) Oyebola Adepele Ojo, is about to be an unjust victim of equally unwarranted injustice against her person and career as the next rightful Chief Judge
of Osun State, all parameters and indices put together. Since the creation of Osun State, succession for the post of the Chief Judge has been without rancours, because the state chief executives concerned, be it military or civilian, has always followed due process; and did nothing that would have rocked the judicial boat. Hence an absolute cordiality, espirit de corp and respect among our revered judges in Osun was ensured. For reasons best known to Aregbesola, the status quo, God forbids, is about to be altered. The apple cart is about to be turned and Osun judiciary may not be the same again. Whereas the saying goes, that the last hope of the proverbial common man is the judiciary. Are we sure, that a ‘tainted’ judiciary, the type that governor Aregbesola is about to put in place, will be able to serve this noble role again in Osun? It is an unassailable fact that Justice (Mrs) Adepele Ojo is the most senior judge in the judicial hierarchy of State of Osun and so, is eminently qualified to assume the exalted post without hazzles. This much, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has said. The National Judicial Council (NJC) has done the right thing by approving and recommending Adepele Ojo as the most qualified to be appointed as the next substantive Chief Judge of State of Osun. Can such a respected body, as the NJC be wrong in its recommendation of Justice Adepele Ojo to Osun Governor for confirmation, after due diligence, but an aborted screening by the state legislature, which of course, seemed to have compromised itself unwittingly. What on earthdoes Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola wants to prove, by denying Justice
(Mrs) Oyebola Adepele Ojo her due right of becoming the next Chief Judge of State of Osun? Is there anything personal to the issue at stake between Aregbesola and Justice (Mrs) Oyebola Ojo? In this era of 35% affirmation for women in public offices, it is just appropriate, that the State of Osun should be part of history in this realm by getting Justice Oyebola Ojo appointed as a substantive Chief Judge. It is hard to believe that despite NJC Abuja’s due diligence on this matter, having found Justice (Mrs) Adepele Ojo as the most senior judge who also has discharged her duties meritoriously and without any blemish, Governor Aregbesola just wants to ‘sacrifice’ her on the altar of ego and “what-can-they-do-to-me?” parlance. Furthermore, Justice (Mrs) Ojo has meritoriously represented the retiring Chief Judge on several official engagements. She is from a senatorial district, (Osun West) that has never produced the Chief Judge for the state. Why denying her and her district their well-earned chance, based on merit for reasons Aregbesola is yet to disclose to members of the public. Though, I am not carried away by wherever Justice Oyebola Ojo hails from, the incumbent Chief Justice of the federation, Mrs. Aloma Maryam Mukthar was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan based on seniority, backed by the recommendation of the National Judicial Council. President Jonathan did not bungle the system as Aregbesola is trying to do in Osun. The current Chief Judge of Lagos State, a woman of substance, was appointed based on seniority. The insistence of Governor Aregbesola to have a judge from the Lagos judiciary
as the purported next Chief Judge of Osun by whatever means, leaves an ash in the mouth. It leaves much to be desired. Whose ego is Ogbeni Aregbesola trying to satisfy in this regard, if information from the grapevine is anything to go by? Whereas, the said judge, though from Osun State, is at present No. 33 in the judicial hierarchy of Lagos State where he presently works, if he were to be sworn in on the same date he did so in Lagos State, he will fall to No. 11 in Osun judicial hierarchy. Why didn’t those favourably disposed to the Lagos judge being a Chief Judge by all means, not clear the 32 Judges ahead of him in Lagos State and ‘install’ him as Chief Judge? Or would he have literally gone over the heads of the 10 judges ahead of him in Osun State and become the Chief Judge and we would expect to have the other judges smile at him? What really is the matter with Ogbeni Aregbesola in this sensitive issue? Why fishing in troubled water. Why stirring a hornet’s nest for no just cause? It will be recalled that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was himself a ‘victim’ of injustice as a result of the 2007 governorship election and the manipulation of its result. Aregbesola was bailed out of the injustice by the judiciary, in addition to most people being sympathetic to his cause. Walahi, I swear, human memory is very short. That power intoxicates; and absolute power intoxicates absolutely, is just apt to describe Aregbesola’s stand and stance on the issue of the next Chief Judge of Osun State. Why robbing Peter to pay Paul? •Lawal wrote from Ede, Osun State.