Nyesom Wike, exercising his lawful authority as a Minister of the Federal Government of Nigeria, should have immediately ordered the arrest and detention of the unruly military personnel stationed to obstruct him and officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) from carrying out their legal duties, which included inspecting or enforcing his administrative order regarding any land in the Federal Capital Territory, regardless of whether there were dispute.
Only a deep-seated hatred for Wike (understandably) would explain why many of his detractors would tolerate such impudence by a military officer against him, even in the exercise of his lawful authority as a Minister. It is unacceptable for a young military officer to obstruct the lawful duties of a Minister of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
We have become too used to the abuse and misuse of military power in Nigeria, leading many to accept that it is usual for an officer, who should be on the front line protecting the country’s territorial integrity, to be engaged in a confrontation with a Minister of the Federal Government who is operating in his official capacity.
Sadly, the officer in question is being praised by some Nigerians for his illegal defiance against a Minister appointed by the President to administer the very land over which the officer is defiant, based on some military order.
Many members of the Nigerian military, both in and out of service, seem to believe they are above civil law and view civilians as inferior. This attitude is often tacitly accepted by the public, which tends to tolerate their excesses and human rights violations, especially when they disregard lawful civil authority.
Nigeria’s journey toward democracy has yet to recover from the military hangover, which instilled the belief that force makes right.
So if military personnel can confront a Minister of the Federal Government in the manner that officer treated Wike, what would stop a General Officer Commanding (GOC) from defying the orders of a Vice President or the President himself based on directives from a superior officer? This defiance by this said military officer should be taken seriously, especially considering the statement attributed to the highly respected General Tukur Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, who warned that the clash between Wike and the military officer poses a threat to national security.
Nigeria is playing with fire if this incident, involving the humiliation of Wike by a military officer, is allowed to go unaddressed, as is often the case in Nigeria’s governance.
Therefore, President Tinubu must invoke his powers under the Tribunals and Inquiries Act to establish a panel of inquiry into the Wike-military incident. This inquiry aims to prevent such occurrences in the future by holding accountable all those found to have violated civil and military law, which could have degenerated to something worse. The significance of this action cannot be overstated for the sake of Nigeria’s democracy.
Frank Tietie is a Lawyer & Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), writes from Abuja.
Gatekeepers News is not liable for opinions expressed in this article, they’re strictly the writer’s.
