Adams Oshiomhole, The Edo State
Governor has told the international community especially the United Nations and
the European Union to be mindful of the fact that Nigeria is a sovereign nation
and should always uphold the constitution of the country and not the
resolutions of international community that run contrary to the values of the
country.
Governor Oshiomhole who was reacting to the condemnation by the
international community over the hanging of the four armed robbers that were
sentenced to death by hanging by the nation’s apex court, the Supreme Court at
the second annual seminar on the “Role of Public Complaints Commission in a
democratic Nigeria’ organized by the Public Complaint Commission, Federal
Capital territory Abuja yesterday said that whoever deliberately killed
another person if pronounced guilty by the court should face the music.
The Comrade Governor said that Nigerians are part of the international
community and that the country has its values and holds the sanctity of life in
a high esteem.
He said, “We are part of the international community and my views must
just be heard like the views of any other person. I am concerned about death, I
am concerned about the sanctity of the human life and even as a Catholic I am
even more fanatical about the sanctity of human life.
“As a governor and I believe it is the statement of the European Union
he (Ambassado David Macrae, head of delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS European
Union) is talking about the rule of law, the rule of law is the fundamental of
human right.”
He said when he was sworn-in as a governor of Edo state, he was not told
that he would obey resolutions, communiqué and recommendations of the
international community, adding, “the day I was sworn in, I subscribed to obey
the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria there was no suggestion to
me that I shall obey the resolution of the UN or the European Union.
“I do understand that there is no such thing as universal values. As we
speak nations and humans battle ideas on the basis of different value system
and it will be abuse of my own right and my own value if some one thinks that
his views are superior to my own value and views.
“I do not think that my values are less human and at any rate I will act
according to my value that is why I took vow and I say to my brother Ambassador
in trying to understand how best to protect the sanctity of human live, we must
ask question is it better to pardon those who kill? If it is so, will it lead
to more people being killed or should we tell the people that if you kill you
don’t have the right to live,” he said.
The governor who said that Nigeria is a sovereign nation that struggled
to gain independence so as to live according to the norms, values and culture
of the people, regretted that those Nigerians who tried to raise eyebrow over
the decision to execute the robbers, live on foreign handouts.
“I did not do what I did in Edo may be because President Goodluck wants
me to do so, if President Goodluck Jonathan tells me to go and execute one that
does not require it I will not. I will tell him I am the head of the state
government.
“The reason is that both the president and myself are the creation of
law and we are to abide by the Nigeria constitution. A guy went to rob, after
robbing his victim he was not done, he brought out a cutlass and killed the
guy, he was not done, he severed the head from the body and butchered the parts
and buried them in different locations in other for people not to know that
somebody was killed.
“The police carried thorough investigation arrested this guy took him to
take them where the guy buried the different parts and the matter passed
through the Edo State High Court, to the Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court
“I have what is called prerogative of mercy but as a catholic I asked
myself the ten commandments said that thy shall not kill and God who has the
infinite right to forgive decided to create hell side by side heaven, those he
forgive go to heaven those he did not forgive go to hell and if God should
create hell, who am I so I refused to exercised my prerogative in favor of the robber
so that the order of the supreme court could be carried.
“But there are some idle lawyers who read law upside down. I am happy
the bar is here, the bar must be guided by the code, when the supreme court has
pronounced a judgment somebody goes to a High Court to challenge the decision
of the supreme court by a lower court, even we know a lower court can’t
question the supreme court,” he said.
Governor Oshiomhole said it would amount to an abuse of his own value if
somebody should think that his own value was superior to his (Oshiomhole),
adding that as a sovereign nation, Nigeria defined its national interest and
that no other country should define the interest of the country to Nigeria.
“Why should we respect the right of a criminal, what of the right of the
victim. In Edo State, if you kill and the law finds you guilty and convicts
you, you will not live,” he said.
On gay marriage, the governor said that the African values were superior
to the European Union and that African values could be pushed to the EU for
them to examine their conscience, stressing that, “Right from creation it is
that man should marry woman and not man to marry man, that is African value and
it must be superior.
NBA president an embarrassment to the association
Governor Oshiomhole said that he was amazed over the comments of the
President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Okay Wali on the ongoing crisis
in the Nigeria Governors Forum which was won by Governor Chibuike Amaech of
Rivers State.
He said, “The NBA, I have a complain against them. We have had vibrant
leadership and an activists as NBA Presidents. I saw the NBA president lending
support to people who are not ready to accept a small electoral defeat.
“A man (Jona Jang) came from Jos and the other one (Chibuike Amaechi)
came from Rivers to campaign for votes, the Jos man got 16 votes, Rivers got 19
votes. Any day I see the new president, the current president of the NBA, he is
an embarrassment to the NBA. He needs to purge himself of those reactionary pro
establishment agencies.”
FG sitting on N1.8bn Statutory Allocation of Edo State
The Governor regretted that there have been a disagreement between the
Federal government and the National Assembly in the passage of the
Supplementary budget which he said had affected his government adding that the
non release of the appropriation for the state was impinging on his credibility
before his contractors.
“I heard that the Presidency and the Minister of Finance who is the
Coordinating Minister of the Economy are aggrieved that the National Assembly
has refused to entertain or legislate on the supplementary budget, the National
Assembly is saying it has passed the budget.
“My own fear remains how to address the challenges facing Edo state. The
ministry of finance has not released my money in full. From January till now
more than N1.8 billion appropriated to Edo is being delayed by Abuja that is
affecting my credibility as a governor to fulfill my commitments to my
contractors.
“If as a governor I can’t get my statutory allocation on the basis of
the rule of law, I am aggrieved so if Public Complaint Commission can help me.
If we don’t manage the system well, we are going to lose credibility before the
people.”
He commended the FCT Commissioner of the PCC, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu for
the reformations that he had brought to the commission and called on the
relevant authorities to support the commission in order to deliver on its
mandate.
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