Nobody is accountable in Nigeria, people prefer lawlessness, Okutepa laments
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Legal luminary, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, has lamented the breakdown of morals and the promotion of lawlessness against law and order in Nigeria.
The learned silk made the remarks on his Twitter handle, @jibrinSAN, on Friday, following the recently held presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25.
Okutepa noted that as long as nobody is held accountable, Nigeria cannot progress.
Probably alluding to the failure of the judiciary in the country, he said: “see evil sitting in judgment”, noting that those who are supposed to determine the substantiality of wrongs, evidently judges, are themselves not clean.
He also lamented the abuse of the countries’ national resources, adding that the national resources are not being used well.
Okutepa tweeted:
“Any society that people are not held accountable cannot progress. That is why Nigeria is where we are. Nobody is accountable. People are lawless.
Citizens too preferred lawlessness to law and order. Nigerians like to cut corners. Everything seems upside down. A nation without order.
For me the governors and the governed are the same. We celebrate lawlessness so long as we benefit from it.
We argue whether wrong done is substantial to be accommodated. Those who determined the substantiality of wrongs are themselves not clean. See evil sitting in judgment.
The moral decadence in Nigeria has reached intolerable levels. There is moral decadence in all strata of life. How we got here amazes me.
Those we trusted our destiny into their hands are evils continually. Nobody does good. No, no one. Our national resources are not being used well.”
The learned silk also lamented the faiure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections, demanding that we do away with the culture of irresponsibility”
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Tweeting further on Saturday, he wrote:
For Nigeria to have free, fair and credible elections, we must do away with the culture of irresponsibility rooted in the theory of “substantial compliance” with the provisions of the law. It is either we comply with the law or we do not. We should not breach our laws.
We can’t be allowed the luxury of this irresponsibility of substantial compliance and expect elections to be free, fair and credible. Obedience to law and due process must be total. Nothing can work where we tolerate irresponsibility as state policy. That is our bane.
Disobedience of court orders is normal in Nigeria. Many orders of our courts are always not obeyed. In 2018, the Supreme Court made orders that Hon Friday Sani Makama be paid all his salary and allowances following his unlawful suspension from Kogi State House of Assembly.
That order remains disobeyed till date. There are many other orders that lawyers can point out. Orders that INEC should allow for inspection of electoral materials made by the court of Appeal for the just concluded presidential election is not being obeyed.
Nobody respects the law of Nigeria. Nigeria is a lawless society. Like satanic agents, it gives people and institutions joy to be lawless. There are no consequences for disobedience. That is why impunity regns in geometric proportions in Nig. Nig needs help and deliverances.
Societies where wrongdoers are celebrated cannot grow and develop. Developed societies have zero tolerance for wrong doers. Law is strictly followed. Wrongdoers are not allowed to make laws for such societies. But in Nigeria those who put us in this mess are making law for us.” Read more.
