Complaining Usefully
“It would appear that the minister of justice would like to see the death of free speech in the country, with many Nigerians in chains. How does he expect the press to assist the government in enforcing
accountability?”
Chije Ofodile will not like to be called controversial. But the minister of justice is turning out to be the most controversial man in Nigeria. To be sure, Ofodile is not cut out as a man of controversy. He is soft-spoken, has wit and looks kind. His appearance epitomizes the saying that appearance deceives. I have seen the gentleman only once in my life. The occasion was at the Decree 4 trial of The Guardian reporters, Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor. Ofodile came to the tribunal to save the government’s case against the journalists when it appeared that Rotimi Williams was on his way to doing destruction to the charges against the reporters. Williams had been arguing that Decree 4, as drafted, appeared ridiculous and that he was sure that the government did not intend to kmake a ridiculous law. The state counsel arguing the case for the government was getting drowned in the mountain of references produced by Williams to buttress his argument. At that point, the presiding judge asked if the governmentwould not wich to prepare a fitting rebuttal to Williams. When the tribunal resumed sitting, Ofodile showed up for the government. As lawyers do, Williams and Ofodile, both SAN, greeted each other, and it appeared that, between the two of them, and agreement would be struck: something like the government had conceded its error on the question of the intention of the decree, and the boys should be let off and warned to behave better next time.
That didn’t happen. After Ofodile had replied to the questions of law raised by Williams, he added in his soft, hardly audible voice, that his argument and the preceding one by Williams were merely academic. The issue was, he argued, that the tribunal was bound to consider the law as it was, whether the law was indeed an ass or not. After that, not much was heard again from Ofodile until the furore broke out over Decree 20 and the execution of the cocaine boys Ofodile, again in his quite and hardly audible voice, said that if the government could think of any punishment more finak than death, it would unleash it against drug pushers. Another controversy! After that no much was heard again from Ofodile until observance of the NUJ Week when the journalists celebrated 30 years of the founding of their union. Ofodile was asked to come and talk about Decree 4 and press freedom. And, again, in his soft and hardly audible voice, Pfodile created the greatest controversial of all. He was reported as saying that “Journalists have no professional right to secrecy.” I did say above that Ofodile believes in the power of wit, even if twisted. He quoted Rousseau, the philosopher, to back his position: “Man is born free, but is always in chains. The media,” concluded Ofodile disingenuously, “should not be an exception.” Ofodile had cleverly twisted the wit of Rousseau was speaking of the desire for man to be free absolutely as he was born and that he should not be shackled. But Ofodile thinks not. Man should be in chains. But why?
What one can make of this situation of tough laws now flying about is that they represent the working of Ofodile’s mind. Those whi have criticized these harsh laws have blamed the drafters of the decrees for their character. That supposes that the draftsmen are making mistakes in the manner in whih they write these laws. But from listening to Ofodile on these decrees, it comes out quite clearly that they are not products of mistakes, but a reflection of the beliefs of Ofodile, who can’t see the virtue in the basic freedom of the human being. I think that the statement by Ofodile is dangerous, and I hope it is not the testing of public reaction to a decree on a drawing board. It would appear that the minster of justice would lik to see the death of free speech in the country, with many Nigerians in chains. How does Ofodile expect the press to assist the government in enforcing accountability if the press lost its rights to protect its sources of information? Apart from the Secretayr to the Military Government, Ofodile is the only civilian on the Supreme Military Council. In addition to hsis duties as the minister of justice, I believe that he should serve as a bridge of understanding between the military government and the civilian population in the country.
It is apparent that the relationship between the intelligentsia and the military is strained because one group does not understand the other. If it appears that the disagreement is between the press and the government, it is because the press is the open avenue through which those who disagree with actions of the government can make known their dissent. No, Nigerians, except those with political ambition and who may consider the military as standing in their way, will want to destroy a government they asked for. Most criricisms of the government, I believe fervently, are born of the honest desire to see correction of mistakes made in good faith. Most Nigerians called for the fall of the abysmal Shagari regime and welcome the coming of the military. Decree 4, more than any other factor, started the disagreement between the government and certain sections of the Nigerian population, especially the intelligentsia in the press, the academe and the professions. And things are so bad now that one group is accusing the other of regarding it as an alien body. Soldiers and civilians are all Nigerians, and as Muhammadu Buhari has said, none has any other country that he can run to. Ofodile, perhaps more that any civilian in Nigeria today, has more influence on the young military officers running Nigeria. He will help the movement of the country to better tomorrow if he tempers his public etterances and assists in finding a common ground between all the groups in the country. I urge Ofodile quite seriously to consider my entreaty.
©Newswatch, June 3, 1985
(Pp.267-269)
