President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday
said the principle of rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of
the nation’s security and national interest.....
He said where national security and
public interest were being threatened, the individual rights of those
allegedly responsible must take the second place.
Buhari said these in an address he
delivered at the opening of the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association Annual
General Conference in Abuja.
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 favor of the greater good of society.”
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.
He 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 practiced 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.”
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