To those who see everything with the imprint of their hatred for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, building official residence for judges in the FCT is the reason they lose cases in Court. One of such people is one Hassan Husaini, who wrote an article titled; “The Corrosive Reign: Nyesom Wike’s Subversion of Law and Democracy in Nigeria .”;
Though unknown, Hassan Husaini is like another voice of those who have elected to condemn anything Wike. He obviously represents those who would rather have judges live in face-me-I-face-You apartments where their security will be in the hands of their co-tenants. Reason the content of his diatribe deserves to be responded to.
Most importantly, even though the writeup was a clear attempt at selling outright falsehood to the public, it is necessary that the writer, just as others before him, is not allowed the freedom to pollute the minds of unsuspecting members of the public with his lies.
First, it is to the credit of Wike, that there is a Law School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State today. While his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, rejected the proposition to establish a Law School in Rivers State, Wike not only got a law school established in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he also contributed immensely to the infrastructural development of the Law School in Bayelsa State.
As Governor of Rivers State, Wike had attended the call to bar ceremony at the Abuja Campus of the Nigerian Law School. The bad state of infrastructure in the Abuja campus that he saw spurred the intervention in the Yenagoa, Bayelsa State campus of the Law School.
He had approached the Law School Director General, offering to intervene in the Abuja campus, but the Director General told him that the situation in Yenagoa campus was worse and he should intervene there.
Promptly, the Rivers State government under Wike built 900 bed space hostels and 1,500 capacity auditorium for students in Yenagoa campus. He later constructed a brand new campus in Port Harcourt.
Now, are the facilities in the law school in Bayelsa State and the one in Port Harcourt being enjoyed by children of judges and those of Wike?
Late last year, the FCT Minister flagged off the construction of 10 staff quarters for the Abuja campus of the Law School. He also donated Toyota Hilux to the school.
Now, in the warped opinion of Hassan Husaini and his ilks, Wike’s positive interventions in the Abuja and Bayelsa campuses of the Law School as well as the establishment of the Port Harcourt Campus, was to corrupt and influence the judiciary probably because only children and relatives of judges are attending the Law School and using the facilities.
If not, how does putting infrastructure in Law School influence the judiciary in favor of Wike?
In the FCT, the Wike-led Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is constructing new Court buildings, it is building official residence for judges and providing necessary amenities, including roads.
The houses being built for judges are not personal, they are official. They are properties of the FCTA, that will only be used by judges while serving in the FCT.
So how is providing official residence for judges same as seeking to influence the judiciary?
Upon nomination by the President, it is the duty of the National Assembly to screen and confirm the Chief Justice of Nigeria. It is also the duty of the National Assembly to appropriate money for the judiciary. By performing their duties as prescribed by the Constitution, should we also say that the President and the National Assembly members are seeking to influence the judiciary?
When some security men, acting under the instruction of the government attempted to raid a house belonging to Justice Mary Odili, Wike was among the first people to arrive on the scene to repel them. To Wike, a Supreme Court judge should not be so ridiculed. If there was anything against her, she should have been invited through the appropriate channel. But to the haters of anything Wike, that courageous effort was aimed influencing the court. How?
William Howard Taft served as the 27th president of the United States (1909 to 1913). He was also the tenth Chief Justice of the United States (1921 to 1930). In other words, Taft was first President of the United States, and later the Chief Justice
In 1912, the same President Taft proposed a new Supreme Court building. In 1929, it was the USA government that purchased the National Woman’s Party headquarters and razed it for the new building. The Court building was designed by Architect Cass Gilbert, a friend to President Taft. Then, no one accused the President Taft of seeking to construct a new Supreme Court building to influence the judiciary. Rather, the structure is now a national monument.
In the same United States, Supreme Court justices are appointed in line with political party’s affiliation. They are divided sharply along partisan lines with justices appointed by Republican presidents taking increasingly conservative positions and those appointed by Democrats taking moderate liberal positions. Yet, we don’t get to see citizens of America climbing the rooftop to accuse anyone of seeking to influence the judiciary.
But here in Nigeria, litigants who probably failed to prosecute their cases diligently or those who went to court on matters that are clearly spelt out in the Constitution must blame the judiciary. They must blame their failure on a Wike, who is only carrying out his responsibility of providing an enabling environment for judges to do their jobs. They must look for one obscured Hassan Husaini to vituperate. But does Wike really cares? No, he does not.
What Wike cares about is the performance of his duties, and even the most ardent of his critics cannot but agree that he is doing well.
Abdullahi Usman, a public affairs commentator lives in Kano and writes from the city.
