THE GUARDIAN, Tuesday, April 9, 2013
2 NEWS
CJN berates judges, threatens sack From Lemmy Ughegbe, Abuja N a damning self-appraisal Iwhich of the country’s judiciary she heads, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma – Mukhtar, yesterday in Abuja lamented decline in the performance of judicial officers, warning that the National Judicial Council (NJC) would not hesitate to issue marching orders against erring judges. Speaking at a refresher course for judges and Khadis by the National Judicial Institute (NJI) with the theme – Towards a Culture of Better Judgment Writing and Judgment Delivery, Aloma - Mukhtar admitted that public confidence in justice delivery is fast being eroded as a result of poor performance of judges. She said: “The National Judicial Council through its Performance Evaluation Committee is concerned about the quality and quantity of the output of judges in terms of the monthly returns they file. “Let us not deceive ourselves, the public confidence and trust in our work as judicial officers is beginning to nosedive. This is borne out partly from judgment emanating from our courts which the public or some section of it feels is rather unconscionable.” She said the NJC would not only empower the Performance Evaluation Committee, but would also rely on the committee’s performance reports to discipline them. On the discretionary powers of judges, she held that even though judges have discretion in some cases, “the exercise of any discretion in adjudication must be judicially, judiciously and reasonably done.” The CJN urged judges not to put themselves in positions where the exercise of their discretion would be considered unreasonable in the eyes of a “reasonable” member of the society. She warned that NJC would not hesitate to wield the big stick where a judge was found
to be complicit in the writing and delivery of a judgment. She said: “Of course a public uproar or placard carrying scenario against the judgment of a court of record is not to the credit of the judiciary. “I have heard the aphorism a
couple of times that in the court, the rich get bail while the poor get jailed. To what extent have we as judges turned justice as within the reach of the highest bidder?” In his own welcome address to the judges at the refresher
course, the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Umaru Eri asked the judges to be mindful of the fact that the sustenance of peace in the country depended to a great extent on their judicial pronouncements.
Leaders pay tributes to Thatcher CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Britain. She was prepared to do everything and anything to ensure that what she wanted for Britain she got. But she was unwilling or unable to accept that other people could also be passionate for their own countries too. That to me was a failing in her character. She wanted everybody to be committed to Great Britain. Even though she was against the apartheid policy in South Africa, it was not on moral ground. She simply thought the policy did not make economic sense. We believed then that isolating South Africa was the only way to get independence for South Africa but she did not believe in isolation; she believed in dialogue that called is ‘constructive engagement’. That was where we had disagreement. To me, the most significant negative contribution of Thatcher was dismantling of the social welfare system in Britain, which also led to dismantling of the social welfare system in the developing world, where subsidies are being cut and structural adjustment programmes are becoming fundamental objectives…Oh yes, she destroyed the concept of society. What is more, she replaced the social welfare scheme with the concept of every man for himself; whereas, society is what makes human beings human. Emphasis on individuals turns everything into animals. One other factor we should not forget about her is that she fought unnecessary war in the Falklands; she divided Britain into the haves and the have-
nots. Besides, there is a sense in which all these economic problems all over Europe can be traced to the destruction of the social welfare system. Market forces can’t work as she foisted them on the society. Essentially, that is what Thatcher and the late Ronald Reagan left for the world and we are living the consequences of their policies and legacies…” On his part, Ambassador Tao Otunla said: “Mrs. Thatcher’s domestic policies were … controversial and as a commentator wrote, she could not produce harmony at home. Nonetheless, Mrs. Thatcher was a great Tory Prime Minister and a British heroine of sorts, over the Falkland Islands.” Queen Elizabeth II and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev also paid tributes to Thatcher while current Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a trip to Europe following her death. Cameron, in an early reaction, said: “It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of Lady Thatcher. We have lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton.” To the Buckingham Palace, “the Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family.” Also, Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition Labour Party, which loathed Thatcher during her decade in office, said his party “disagreed with much of what she did” but hailed her “political achievements and her personal strength”.
Gorbachev, whose good relations with Thatcher played a part in the end of the Cold War, said she would have a place in history. U.S. President Barack Obama said America had lost a “true friend” and the world a champion of freedom and liberty. German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed former British prime minister as an “extraordinary leader” who played a pivotal role in overcoming Europe’s Cold War division. European Commission head, Jose Manuel Barroso, hailed her “contributions” to the growth of the EU, despite her famous reservations about continental European integration. Outside Europe, Israel’s conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to speak publicly of Thatcher’s passing, saying that “she was truly a great leader”. In Spain, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said her “firm determination to make reforms” was an inspiration to European leaders who are currently “facing very complex challenges that require great efforts and political courage.” Germany’s ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl praised Thatcher for her “love of freedom” and honesty. Former U.S. President George Bush lauded the late British prime minister as a “leader of rare character” and one of the “fiercest advocates of freedom” in the 20th century. French President Francois Hollande also hailed Thatcher as a “great figure who left a profound mark on the history of her country.”
Boko Haram brought weapons to Lagos in tankers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ments will be carefully worked out and written into the new constitution. Kaduna and Port Harcourt are to be accorded similar status and designated as Special Areas…” The Guardian Intelligence Unit learnt that the security chiefs told the federal legislators and their presiding officers that some of the attackers captured had hinted that the plan of attack on Lagos was deliberate: to cripple the nerve centre of Nigeria’s commerce
and industry, a city that plays host to the international air and sea ports so that Nigeria’s economy could collapse. It was said that the insurgents had reasoned that since they had successfully crippled business operations in the North, there should be federal character spread of the destruction, as even the East and South-South geo-political zones too have been negatively affected by the insurgency and kidnapping. The federal legislators were said to have been alarmed by a revelation
about the sense of urgency of the insurgents to hit Lagos “just to make Nigeria ungovernable for the present administration”, as it was revealed. It was not clear at press time whether the Federal Government’s planned amnesty programme for Boko Haram insurgents has been partly influenced by the confirmed incursion to the unofficial commercial capital that makes the money that Abuja spends. It is on record that as critics of Washington DC often say, “New York makes the money that Washington spends”, so it is with Lagos that consumes about 60 per cent of the fuel that PPMC/PPPRC imports and the rest of the country shares the remaining 40 per cent. The Guardian was told that the implications of targeting the very strategic Lagos Third Mainland Bridge have been worrisome to authorities at all levels. This is part of the reasons for the concerns in Abuja and Lagos. The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The other two are the Eko and Carter Bridges. It is the longest bridge in Africa. The Third Mainland Bridge is a vital artery of the network of federal highways and commands
high patronage in Lagos Municipal Area, as it connects two of the Lagos State’s commercial hubs, Victoria Island and Ikeja. The bridge, which has about 350,000 daily users, is also a vital link to Lekki, Ajah and Epe communities. Midway through the bridge, there is a link to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. The bridge starts really from Oworonsoki, which is linked to the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. Built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the bridge was commissioned by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and it measures about 11.8 km in length. The bridge posts huge economic relevance to the country as it saves commuters who shuttle between two of the Lagos State commercial hubs, Victoria Island and Ikeja, a lot of man-hours. It was said that the last repair of the important bridge cost the nation N1.055 billion. It is feared that if Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is destroyed, Lagos and indeed Nigeria, are destroyed. It was estimated that the cache of arms seized from the insurgents about three weeks ago when it was reported that Boko Haram entered Lagos was capable of wreaking havoc on the vital bridge in the heart of Lagos.