Posted by By Goddy Osuji, Enugu. on
The former Chairman of Constituent Assembly, Justice Anthony Aniagolu has said that because the county's leaders are dishonest, implementation of policies has become impossible. "The basic problem of this non-implementation has risen from the fact that our people are dishonest" he emphasized.
The former Chairman of Constituent Assembly, Justice Anthony Aniagolu has said that because the county's leaders are dishonest, implementation of policies has become impossible. "The basic problem of this non-implementation has risen from the fact that our people are dishonest" he emphasized.
The former Supreme Court Justice in a chat with newsmen in Enugu against the backdrop of the on-going political conference argued that "it is absolutely necessary that we implement what we say or decide in this country". Apparently disillusioned with the administration both at the federal and state, the erudite Jurist lamented that "what I can say from my experience, implementation has become unfortunately bad in this country. The roads are bad, there is no water supply, name it and yet God gave us a wonderful country we should love with all our hearts".
He was however, elated that people were given the opportunity to come together to express themselves "because when I talk and you talk you know what is in my mind and I know what is in your mind. The more we talk, the more we discuss, the more we interact the more we understand each other. The question however is, after the talking what next and that is where the implementation comes in".
The Justice who had chaired many committees bears no grudge against Enugu State government for not choosing him as a delegate to the confab. He accused the executive for emasculating the judiciary and control of power of governance which he described as unheard of "since I've been a Judge, attempts being made to put the judiciary in the arms of the executive has never happened" he shouted
"To put the legislature in the pocket of the executive as an executive man to talk for the judiciary and the executive that is unheard of".
Aniagolu saw it as a terrible thing that is happening in the country and predicted that the country would never get on well "until we do that (separation of power) and continue to do that our country will be in trouble". Unhappy with the situation, the Justice of the apex court challenged youths to get up and unless they open their ears, "think of tomorrow and see that things are done the way it should be done it will be terrible for you. Because the future will be completely unhappy in terms of what the country is going to be like. I am therefore calling on you to take the bull by the horn and make sure that your future is not being destroyed. He contended that what Nigeria is practicing is not democracy.
Explaining that the first tenet of democracy is when the people must speak through election which never prevailed in the country. "Where people are not speaking and cannot speak" and maintained that "when people are supposed to go to the polls and cast their votes and they cannot get there, do you have elections? Where the people express their will that is going to be the person to do some job but is not allowed to take his seat, is that election? So, when we are saying democracy day, I wish we were doing it with a view we are learning to be democratic, he insisted.