Umenzekwe applauds Fashola for lecture on late Justice Idigbe

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Modestus Umenzekwe has applauded the immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) for the powerful lecture he delivered on Justice Chukwunweike Idigbe.

Umenzekwe who made the commendation while speaking to journalists in Lagos, weekend, stated that the lecture which was delivered by Fashola on the 1st day of November, 2023 at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Edo State, at the19th Justice Idigbe Memorial Lecture showed that Fashola is a man who believes in positive and symbiotic social contract and nothing less, adding that through the lecture Fashola reawakened Nigerians on their duties as citizens.

The title of the lecture was “Duty and Citizenship–The Social Contract”, which according to Umenzekwe was a clarion call on Nigerians to think of what they can do for Nigeria first and not what the nation will do for them, even though their protection is intrinsically tied in the social contract.

The APC Chieftain described Fashola who served the nation consistently for 24 years, as a born leader, philosopher and lecturer per excellence, adding that Fashola has continued to impact society in so many other ways, keeping his brain brilliantly busy by delivering lectures which involve research; “He still burns the midnight candle in search of new knowledge despite attaining the pinnacle of his political career in Nigeria. This, for me, is to say that Fashola still has a lot to offer to this nation.”

The lecture was organized in honour of a truly outstanding Nigerian, jurist and patriot, the late Justice Chukwunweike Idigbe, who sadly departed this world on 31st July, 1983.

Umenzekwe stated that the basis for the lecture was to point out what is expected of citizens just as Justice Idigbe who used his good office to safe the country from judicial catastrophe when he persuaded a full panel of the Supreme Court to reverse their previous decisions which were binding precedents and constraints to doing justice. “Fashola talked about Idigbe’s judgement in the case of Bucknor-MacLean vs Inlaks report in (1980) 8 11 SC 1. That case for Fashola demonstrated Justice Idigbe’s humanity, compassion, sense of justice and fairness to his fellow citizens,” Umenzekwe stated.

Umenzekwe acceded to Fashola’s view when he stated that it is unfortunate that citizens are quick to ask for their rights without a corresponding request for duties and obligations, adding that such state of affairs is not helpful for national growth and development. He said that citizens should consciously acknowledge that they owe a debt or duty of allegiance to Nigeria in their relationship with the country when they assert their rights.

Umenzekwe asserted that Fashola was right on some of the roles he said the government of Nigeria has played in the protection of the citizens as enshrined in the social contract. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we all recall that the Nigerian Government closed the international borders to all traffic as many other Governments did in their countries in order to contain the pandemic. But I recall vividly that whilst some countries, for fear of spreading the virus further, refused entry to their own citizens, Nigeria's government granted entry to Nigerian citizens who were returning home even at the risk of bringing in the virus to the country.

“That was, for me, a profound expression of citizen protection offered by our country, in contrast to the seeming status of statelessness other countries dealt to their citizens when they refused them entry at that time of extreme vulnerability. During the outbreak of war between Russia/Ukraine, Nigeria arranged the evacuation and return to Nigeria of her citizens caught in the war. She had no business with citizens of other countries,” Umenzekwe  said.

He maintained that these are instances of government offering its protection in exchange for citizens’ allegiance. He maintained that the question is whether Nigerians understand that these acts are acts of protection because they are citizens.

He also agreed with Fashola on his claim that security of lives and property is the responsibility of all. “Let me place on record my thoughts about section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. This has often been understood or dare I say misunderstood as suggesting that this is the responsibility of a particular level of Government.

Still quoting Fashola, “Further readings of the responsibilities of Governments set out in the second and fourth schedules of the constitution for Federal, State and Local Governments will show that no particular one of them bears responsibility for ‘security,’ although the Federal Government has responsibility for the Army, Police and Arms. This is not the same as having sole responsibility for security.”  

He said the social contract is an offer of duties by the citizens in exchange for the protection of the state and not the other way around, “It is eminently clear that the social contract is an offer of duties by us, in exchange for the protection of the state and not the other way around. If I may say so, the country that some of us choose to denigrate with our words and actions really owes us nothing because there is no social contract if we offer no duties.

Umenzekwe commended Fashola’s verdict on Justice Idigbe when he said “This is what must commend the life and times of Hon. Justice Chukwunweike Idigbe of blessed and noble memory, to us as citizens. Like him we must offer service and duty in private and public capacities to Nigeria first, before we can expect protections and assertion of rights. This is the proper order for the working of the social contract.”