Falana Offers Panacea For Rebuilding Nigeria

The president of the West African Bar Association (WABA), Femi Falana has said that to rebuild  Nigeria, the rule of law should be institutionalised and must be done alongside the electoral reforms.

Falana stated this in Lagos while speaking at the 2nd Bola Tinubu colloquium to mark his 58th birthday. The occasion was packaged by friends of Timubu.

The WABA president was particularly worried about electoral flaws and suggested proactive measures to tackle the trend.

“We must do away with rigging of elections, and learn to prosecute election riggers, fraudsters for us to have the credible leadership needed to move the nation forward.

“Nigerians must resort to collective fight against corruption and election malpractices as well as fight against injustice across the nation.”

He noted that election rigging deprives people of the right to decide who should rule them.

“it is disheartening to know that three years after the 2007 general elections, the legitimacy of some of the elective offices are still in contest in the law courts and tribunals.

“These are some of the anomalies that the Justice Mohammed Uwais-led Panel on Electoral Reforms have identified in their recommendations,” he noted.

He, however, decried the rating of Nigeria as a corrupt nation, noting that “some of the countries doing the rating are more corrupt.”

“We see a situation where Nigerians are called corrupt for embezzling public funds. In my view those countries are even more corrupt than Nigeria,” he added.

The WABA president called for a new, just, international and economic code that would allow African countries to dictate the prices of their goods.

Also speaking, Uwais’ wife, who is also a member of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (NGO), Mrs Maryam Uwais, said that for Nigeria to stand as a nation, “we must focus on larger pictures rather than religion and ethnicity.’’

“Religion and ethnicity are the greatest challenges Nigeria is facing and it is necessary for us to speak against these boarders,”she said.

In a toast to Tinubu, Governor  Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, described his predecessor as a pathfinder and cornerstone of Nigeria’s democracy and good leadership in Lagos.

“Tinubu is the only Nigerian Leader that has managed to find a good successor for himself,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Tinubu warned that “if urgent steps are not taken to address the fundamental issues in Nigeria, the nation may crash.’’

He said that Nigeria must go back to the basics by strengthening constitutionalism, justice, equity and fair play.

He called for the urgent implementation of the recommendations of Uwais panel, adding: “The rule of law cannot be implemented when there is no government of the people.’’