EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Sebastian Ozoana, a legal practitioner and Notary Public has said the new dress code introduced by IGP Usman Baba Alkali for female police officers in Nigeria will not augur well.
Ozoana, who served as a police officer with an interest in security management before proceeding to study law at the University of Lagos (Unilag), advised the IGP to think of how to increase the number of police officers in the country rather than trying to bring religion into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The legal practitioner made this known in an interview with TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) when he also spoke on why suspended DCP Abba Kyari cannot be extradited to the U.S; the implications of Justice Inyang Ekwo’s judgment that sacked Ebonyi Governor, David Umahi; the cross-carpeting in Nigerian politics, and more.
Excerpts:
Last week, the nation’s polity was rocked by a judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo that sacked David Umahi as Ebonyi Governor. Though the governor is on the verge of setting aside the judgment, what do you think will be the implications of the judgment stays?
There is a difference between law and morality. There is something we call “lex est lex quod est” (The law as it is written). A lot of lawyers have spoken in favour of it.
The argument is about politicians carpet-crossing. When you win an election with another party and want to move to another party with the mandate, the Supreme Court has said that the votes in winning an election belong to the contestant and not the political party.
But all the same, the political party has a part to play because some people may vote because of the political party.
In my view, we should look at the law and not be sentimental about it. We know that it is wrong morally, for any politician to leave the political party he belongs to and win an election- to decamp to another political party.
I am wondering why we are yet to amend the Constitution, to state it categorically, that if any politician wins an election with a party and should cross carpet, he should go and face the electorates to do that.
If the judgment stays, I think it will be a moral judicial approach for those who do not like cross carpeting that Nigerian politicians engage in. It is subject to appeal, to the Supreme Court.
Like I read from the newspapers, the “ousted” Ebonyi Governor has assembled a team of lawyers to go on appeal and set aside the decision of the lower court, this is the right thing he should have done than insulting the judge.
You just talked about carpet crossing, which seems to be the order of the day in Nigeria’s politics. Does it not paint a picture of zero political ideology among our politicians and can such take this country forward?
Carpet crossing or changing from one political party to another is not so common in other parts of the world. I cannot remember when last I heard of carpet crossing in the U.S or great Britain.
Honestly, to be frank with you, I cannot remember when last but it is very common, particularly, in Nigeria. It is not a common feature in American politics nor is it a common feature of British politics.
Carpet crossing is more common in this part of the world, particularly in Nigeria. This is because of the lack of ideology. Both the politicians and political party, ask them what is ideology- they do not even know the meaning of ideology.
That is why you will see our politicians jump from party A to party B. If they know the proper meaning of ideology, they will not do be jumping from party to party.
You have differences in ideology. In Britain, the Conservative Party, the Labour Party. Labour Party is always for the poor people, the workers, they have their own ideology. The Conservative Party, they have its own ideology but not the same in Nigeria. PDP, APC, all of them are the same thing.
Does it then add to the clarion call on youths to be involved in contesting for political positions in the country with the elites?
From what is happening now, it is becoming clearer that younger people are expected to take over politics in Nigeria, as against these old-timers who have been recycled many times.
Obasanjo was even saying the other day that the youths are in a position now to take over the leadership of this country. The former Military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has also said that Nigeria does not need a walking stick president. By that, he meant he would not like to see someone who is not healthy, somebody who is old but a younger person.
Someone even went as far as saying that anyone contesting for the position of president should not be more than 60 years. That is all indicative of the fact that Nigeria now wants younger people in the position of political authority.
On March 4, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, approved a new dress code for policewomen. Female officers are now allowed to wear stud earrings and headscarves under their berets or peak caps while in uniform. What is your reaction to this development?
The IGP should have better things to think about and not this uniform. He forgot that under the Constitution, Nigeria is a circular state.
By making a law that female police officers should start to dress in Hijab, he is trying to bring religion into one of the most important security agencies of this country. I do not think that will augur well. He should be thinking of how to increase the number of police officers and men.
For many years now, they have not enlisted police officers and men, some officers have retired, some have been killed, some have been dismissed.
The President has ordered the enlistment of 10,000 or 20,000 policemen. Since he gave that order, I do not know how many have been enlisted- he should be thinking of enlisting police officers, to enhance the strength of the force.
United Nations ratio of police to population is one to four hundred. In Nigeria, it is more than that. I think the last research was that Nigeria was about five hundred to one, as against one to four hundred- United Nations ratio. I do not think the IGP has done well in this his new dress code order.
A retired DIG was of the opinion that the IGP was wrong, that he was acting contrary to the Constitution. In my opinion, I do not think that is what the IGP should be thinking about for now. It is wrong. It is politicizing; brings politics into the Nigerian police force.
All over the world, you will see how female police officers are dressed. During the Gulf war, you will see female American military officers; you will not know who is a female or male. All retired police officers so far, not even a single one, have supported the IGP on the new dress code for female police officers.
On the extradition of suspended DCP Abba Kyari to the U.S following a multi-million-dollar money laundering fraud allegation brought against him by Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abass, aka Huspuppi- what do you make out of the scenarios so far presented?
There is a lot of conspiracy theory in this Abba Kyari matter. Some people, some senior advocates and lawyers have said the federal government is just trying to confuse the people by filing a letter for his extradition and at the same time the NDLEA dragging him to the Court.
The NDLEA case cannot be ongoing and you say you want to extradite him, No! There are confusions in that sense. Some people have said that charges filed by the NDLEA is to prevent him from being extradited to the U.S.
I cannot recall if the U.S has properly requested Abba Kyari’s extradition. The important thing is that the two cases coming at the same time are confusing.
What is your position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Russia’s attack on Ukraine does not come as a surprise at all because Ukraine was formerly part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( U.S.S.R.) before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which remade the world map.
Ukraine is a very serious economy to be watched at. So, Russia wants to have a stronger economic power over Ukraine.
There is rumour that Ukraine wants to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which Russia does not like because they feel it will be to their own disadvantage.
In fact, the reason for the ongoing war is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Joining any military or organization should be an option for a country to decide, not for another independent sovereign nation to decide for you.
Russia should allow Ukraine to join any military economy association they like to belong to; they should not dictate to them what to do.
Am happy that the west did not support Ukraine’s military but the provision of sanctions will make Russia learn. Banning Russian oil from the U.S will affect the former.
Nigerian government should cash in on the imposition of sanctions on Russia by the west or America, taking high the price of oil in the international oil market. We are told in Nigeria that the more the price of oil goes up in the international; it is a disadvantage to us. I cannot understand that type of economics.