HOJ Ends Summit On Governance, Security, Harps On Justice, Inclusion, Reforms, Others

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA– The House of Justice, (HOJ) Kaduna has ended its 2021 annual summit and banquet, with the theme ” Leadership, governance and National security on Friday in Kaduna.

Speaking at summit the convener and CEO House of Justice, Barrister Gloria Ballason, said the focus this year is to engage citizens in the conversation around what to do with the problems of governance and insecurity that the country is currently facing.

” for us at House of Justice, we are not just about conversation, so we are about stocking the spines of citizens for them to take action, this is not for Kaduna state or Nigeria alone adding that ” at this moment ‘ there are Judges and magistrates who have not been paid or their salaries slashed, there are people whose houses and businesses have been pulled down arbitrary, without due process

” and you see all kind of impunity happening; it was Dr Kabiru Shafe, during the program that said clearly, that we must build a system around governance, it must seize to be about person and that is great and that’s the essence of why we put together this conversation and annual summit, adding that, whether it is in Kaduna where we have all of these issues or in Nigeria where there are perennial issues”

According to her, such issues as the controversial removal of the former ” CJN through an exparte that has not been addressed, the raid of Judges homes and the fisticuff involving the code of conduct tribunal chairman and he’s still there in his office, which is against the ethics of the profession”

” injustice should not be what governs us and what has become sad is that those who do right are not the heroes in our society, it is those who do wrong that the government and the state support to continue to build a situation of impunity; the legacy problem that it creates is very troubling especially, the generation coming after us, but we are hoping with this conversation that this will be corrected ” he stressed

Ballason further hinted that the banquet later in the day is expected to give Nigerians and others a good time ” our summit is not just for Nigerians but also for global citizens, adding that ” with this summit especially the banquet in the evening, will remind our judiciary of their constitutional oaths and the need for courage ” in the face of the present challenges they face

Earlier, the Keynote Speaker and immediate past Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, gave a historical background of leadership, governance and insecurity in the country and how successive governments have handled it since independence to the return of democratic rule in 1999 till date .

Represented by a Honourable member of the House of Representatives, Dr Abubakar, Yunusa Ahmed, said the message of the former speaker is that of hope that the country will surmount the challenges of insecurity bedevilling it now, while faulting the kid gloves approach, he added that besides the challenges of banditry there’s the issues of Corruption ” and the way corruption is been fought much needs to be done to nip it in the bud” he said

Similarly, one the penal discussants, a research and development expert, Kabiru Chafe, noted that in a democracy the citizens surrender their sovereignty to their elected Leadership, who should in turn serve and be accountable to the people, to protect and secure the lives and property of Nigerians adding that we need to reform and create a system that gives Justice, equality, that gives power to the people not not individual or parties owned by government.

He however lamented insecurity in the country ” what is happening now is a total absence of law and order, where human lives don’t matter at all, we are virtually in anarchy now there’s failure of government, you now have bandits in Sokoto and Zamfara who are pronouncing themselves as village heads, they are collecting taxes as I am talking to you, this is not hearsay, so do you have a government? He then called on President Buhari to reform the country, to avoid self-help and anarchy.

On his part, CEO strike Leadership foundation, Arch Polycarp Gbaja, while speaking on governance and Inclusion challenges, said ” we have conflicts today because because of this issue of non- inclusion of the perspectives and perception of people, is that they have not been included in the gains and responsibilities of governance in our country

According to him, the conflicts you see from all corners, from the Northeast, Northwest, South west, South south, North central and middle belt, is people simply expressing their desire that they are not satisfied with the level of inclusion, they have been left out of the good and gains of being Nigeria, hence the need for these issues to be addressed

In the same vein, another panel discussant, Barrister Grace Sim Auta pointed out that it is a constitutional right of Nigerians to be protected by those entrusted with power, because it says the security of lives and property shall be the primary purpose of government, but however wonder if Nigerians can freely say that has been achieved owing to the several reported cases of insecurity.