Lagos based Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has berated the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s Ahmed Makarfi caretaker committee over its condemnation of the Muhammadu Buhari’s swapping of some Boko Haram members for safe release of 82 Chibok school girls.
The lawyer slammed the group saying only a wicked person would criticize President Buhari for that hard decision that he made in order for him to ensure that the girls were not only released but also that they returned alive to their respective families.
Although the PDP faction hailed the girls release but expressed concern over the “price” reportedly paid for their freedom.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the party, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, it said, “What is, however, of great concern is the price paid to secure the release of the girls. According to reports, the girls were released in exchange for the release of suspected Boko Haram terrorists being held by the government. If that is the case, we say it’s a heavy price to pay and an unusual one at that,” the party stated.
In his reaction to the factional PDP’s condemnation of the mode of release of the schoolgirls, which many people including even the Bring Back Our Girl group’s convener, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, former Vice President Abubakar Atiku and Progressives People Alliance (PPA) have been so excited about, Barrister Ubani, who is a Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said the Makarfi-led PDP politicians should “go and sit down” if they had nothing better to say.
Speaking in a telephone interview with The DEFENDER on Monday, Ubani said the greatest achievement of the release was that everybody was delighted at the release as a major achievement of the government.
“The point is that, everyone is very happy including the families of those girls that were just recovered and even the Bring Back Our Gils (BBOG) group that has been campaigning for the release of those girls are so excited. It is only a wicked soul, any person that does not wish his neighbour good, that will actually be sad over this.
“Of course they (PDP) may be sad because they are yet to recover from defeat of 2015 election. But we don’t need to play politics with this. We need to appreciate what is good. We are talking about where life is involved. These girls have been in hostage for three years and now the government is able to recover up to 82 at a go. Somebody should be excited about it except a very wicked soul. So, tell them to go and sit down if they don’t have anything to say because, that is not how to play opposition.
“But you could play matured opposition. If the government is doing well, appreciate them. If they are not doing well, you can also knock hard at them. But over this one, I don’t support any knocking at all. I will rather support them with commendation so that they can even be encouraged to recover the remaining girls and all that. So, this is not the time to play politics with the lives of the girls. It is unnecessary. It is very condemnable, it is very appalling and doesn’t show maturity politically for them (PDP) and it is purely a minor for Makarfi group,” the Lagos lawyer lamented.
Marking Buhari’s 2nd year in office
Also reacting to the Presidency’s recent statement that it would mark Buhari’s second year in office as it had good story to tell, Barrister Ubani spoke in the affirmative saying the government had not got it all bad as, according to him, it had been the story of the mixture of “the good, the ugly and the bad.”
“It is not bad, bad, bad all through. There has been some level of improvements here and there. There has been some level of resurrection of hope but also there has been some level of minuses here and there especially on the inaction of government on certain issues. The government delays too much.
“They are yet to appoint a board. They are yet to rejig the ministries because some of the ministers need to have been changed and up till now nothing has been done concerning this. So the there are times that this present government has been very slow in taking some very key decisions that would affect the progress of the government.”
All of the highlighted shortcomings notwithstanding, the NBA chieftain said, “It has not been bad all through. There has been some level of good on the side of this government especially on the area of Boko Haram, on the area of the fight against corruption and the level of impunity has also reduced in the system. People no longer do things and feel that nothing will ever happen to them because, everyone is watching each other.
“The whistle blowing policy of the government has actually led to some level of discoveries that can be commended. So, it has not been bad all through. It has been some good, some ugly and some bad. But I think the government should maintain focus.
“Now, that the President also has done the right thing by handing over to the Vice President to fulfill the provisions of the Constitution, that again has reduced tension in the polity. I think if we give this government support, pray for them and do our own part, I think we would make progress.”
On benefits of recession
“Let me tell you this; and I will be very profound, in times like this, a lot of people are making discoveries, a lot of people are finding their feet and a lot of people are going back to the basis and beginning to promote our own indigenous things unlike before that everything was imported. Now, do you know that since this recession started, I have not eaten any imported rice? And I am enjoying that rice.
“So, times of recession like this, people are going back to the use of our own things. Our indigenous things are being used now. People are making discoveries because a lot of people are putting on their thinking caps and discovering a lot of things that we can use indigenously,” Monday Onyekachi Ubani said.
