Politics
OYO State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, has called on the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, to give due recognition to the rule of law when he assumes the mantle of leadership.
Oyewo stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday while enumerating the areas which the incoming administration should focus on.
He said that the Tinubu-led administration should ensure that the rule of law was respected in order to maintain adequate checks and balances.
“Whenever the court gives an order, it must be obeyed by all, irrespective of status or position.
“Furthermore, the new government should ensure that well-qualified judges are appointed into our various courts.
“We need judges whose decisions will reflect the prevailing mood of the society,” the attorney-general said.
The professor of law also stressed the need for improved condition of service for not only judges, but for the entire judicial workforce.
According to Oyewo, the 21st century Nigerian judicial system requires modern technologies and latest software applications to perform maximally.
“Nigeria cannot afford to continue to lag behind among the comity of nations,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch, Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi, has congratulated Tinubu on his victory at the polls.
Aladeniyi told NAN that it was very obvious that Tinubu was going to win the elections, given the fact that he was the only candidate who traversed the whole of the country, campaigning for votes from Nigerians.
She, however, said that the victory would mean different things, particularly relating to the justice sector.
“Judging from his antecedents as a two-term governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007, it was a period that the state judiciary became very proactive because the basic needs of the judges and everyone in the justice sector were taken good care of.
“The court is an integral part and plays important roles in entrenching the rule of law in a democratic government.
“Also, the president-elect is one who believes in ventilating any state grievance in the court of law. This was demonstrated during the local government boundary/delineation cases in Lagos which led to the establishment of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs),” she said.
Aladeniyi further noted that cases on derivative income from tax generated from Lagos were also adjudicated on by the courts.
“Those cases led to the tax regimes of VAT, Capital Gain Tax, etc. The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service became very vibrant because it was empowered by law to perform its statutory duties.
“The waterways cases also led credence to the president-elect’s firm belief in the rule of law,” she said.
The NBA chairperson, therefore, said that if Tinubu remained true to the tenents of the rule of law, the next four years of the national life would be very interesting.
“This is because many interest groups will want to test their grievances and stakes in the law courts.
“Political, economic and social policies will also pass through the crucible of the law courts.
“The benefit of this is that government will be required to be on its toes to please the electorate that voted it in,” she said.
Aladeniyi said she could guess that the president-elect would revamp and empower the Federal Ministry of Justice to take its position as the number one law office of the federation.
This, she said, would definitely have a spiral effect on state ministries of justice,” she said. (NAN)
A.I
Tags: MRS Folasade Aladeniyi Nigerian Bar Association Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo Sen. Bola Tinubu
