President Buhari
Speaking while delivering a speech at the opening of the 2018
Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Abuja on Sunday,
President Muhammadu Buhari, said the principle of rule of law must be
subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest.
According to PUNCH,
the president said where national security and public interest were
being threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly responsible
must take the second place.
He said, “The rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest.
“Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue
in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that;
where national security and public interest are threatened or there is a
likelihood of their being threatened, the individual rights of those
allegedly responsible must take second place, in favour of the greater
good of society.”
Presdient Buhari noted that the theme of the conference, “Transition, Transformation and Sustainable Institutions”, was apt in the light of contemporary domestic and global challenges.
He said he also considered the theme significant in view of the
fact that it demonstrated the willingness of the NBA to address issues
not only related to the immediate practice of law but more importantly,
to solutions of wider society’s problems.
Buhari recalled that since the inauguration of his administration,
he had had the privilege of observing first-hand how societies
experience transition, attempt transformation and build or strengthen
institutions to manage the processes.
He said given the enormity of the challenges he inherited and the
yearnings of a citizenry earnestly desirous of a new way of running
national affairs, his first challenge was to transform the country
speedily into a society where impunity in the management of national
resources would be replaced with a culture of accountability and
transparency.
He said his government needed to deploy the nation’s resources to address common needs rather than the greed of a callous few.
The President added, “In order to achieve this, we have had to
disrupt age-old assumptions and unsettle ancient norms in the management
of our national patrimony, as you have all witnessed in the last three
years.
“While we have made appreciable progress in several sectors,
including public awareness of the need to challenge the corrupt and the
brazen in our midst, we have also learnt useful lessons on the dynamism
of our society.
“However, elements within every society, including some
lawyers, can equally become unduly resistant to change, even where it is
proven that such change is to serve the interest of the larger society.
At worst, corruption fights back.”
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Buhari enjoined lawyers to
remember that by reason of their profession, they all had a
responsibility to work for national cohesion and unity through their
speeches and public positions and most importantly in their advocacy in
court.
In the context of opinions and narratives about past and present
political and socio-economic experience, Buhari said the lawyers could
not afford to jettison rational and proper analysis of issues in a
manner which would build, rather than destroy the nation.
He urged them to work to uphold and improve the sanctity and
integrity of the nation’s judicial and electoral institutions, which he
said played a fundamental role in the sustenance and growth of
democracy.
Buhari added, “Let me remind you all, my dear compatriots, that
the law can only be optimally practised in a Nigeria that is safe,
secure and prosperous.
“As you go into this annual conference, let me assure you of
the resolve of this administration to promote measures that will achieve
a vibrant economy under which the practice of law will thrive.
“I believe that lawyers can contribute to another core
objective of enhancing our business environment and promoting social
justice by promoting respect for the rule of law; contributing to the
law reform process and putting national interest and professional ethics
above self in the conduct of their business.”