Lawyer hails Obasanjo’s letter to Buhari, urges good governance
ALEGAL practitioner and Global Research Fellow, International Centre for Not for profit Law (ICNL), Washington DC, Solomon Okedara, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter as a Freedom of Expression right provided in the constitution.
Okedara stated that Freedom of Expression does not only protect speeches that are inoffensive but also covers speeches that offend, shock or disturb.
The Lagos lawyer, who spoke with Theguardian, maintained that the letter portrays an open, diverse and democratic society.
He said: “Dr. Obasanjo is a Nigerian who has his right to Freedom of Expression provided for in Nigeria’s constitution and other regional and international instruments and he has just exercised same.
“The former President while in some part of his piece referred to President Buhari as “brother” showing he has not written the piece to attack the President but to show him what Nigeria and Nigerians deserve, clearly emphasized that his loyalty to Nigeria supersedes any other.
Okedara stressed that some of the assertion by the former president proves true considering the state of the nation.
“To my heart, Dr Obasanjo cannot be crucified for this. If we have to be sincere anyway, who is that Nigerian that is not affected by “poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion”? We all indeed are affected by these woes and the proofs live with us.
“Without any attempt to address all the issues raised in a piece, the beauty of leader- ship is in the core of one’s ability to make a “U”-turn when the advocated path is not leading to the projected destination.”
The legal practitioner then urged President Buhari to take decisions that would make him leave happy legacies in the country.
“Some of the crises we have in our societies today are due to inability of leaders to turn back on their earlier resolves even when projections are clearly no longer working. It is indeed such a rare act in leadership.