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.”
