Falana enjoins FG to fund Legal Aid Council to aid access to justice

Urges support for govt on war against corruption
Rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has implored the Federal Government to fund Legal Aid Council in Nigeria so that justice can be extended to ordinary people.He also urged religious leaders and all Nigerians to join hands with the Federal Government in ridding the nation of corruption.

Besides, Falana advocated total and equal justice for all Nigerians, saying such will ensure peace and national integration in the country.The Lagos lawyer, who spoke at the international headquarters of the Word Bible Church, Lagos, at the weekend during the 30th anniversary of the church, said there was need for religious leaders to always encourage followers and members to be upright and make integrity their watchword.

He said: “We must not leave the fight against corruption to the government alone because it is a challenge to all of us in this country.“As people, we must ensure that we eradicate miracle centres where school children come out with miraculous results when they cannot write their own names correctly. Christian and Muslim parents and even the traditionalists should not buy marks for their children and wards but allow them to struggle in life on their own and make it.

“Religious leaders must encourage their members to work, pray and be productive so that they can be real men and women of God indeed.”Falana, who advised religious bodies in the country to mobilise their legal practitioner members to protect and defend their people against such wrongful arrests, further said: “Our people are going through a lot of hardship. People are being arrested on the highways without any basis.”

Some detained for wandering, whereas law of wandering was abolished in 1989. There is the need to challenge this.“Also, government must be made to fund Legal Aid Council in Nigeria so that justice can be extended to our people.“Only the rich can access the services of lawyers and get justice as it is and it should not be so. Our government officials should regularly travel on our roads to know about the condition of the roads and not always travel on chartered jet. We are not only talking about justice in the court, but total justice.”

He, therefore, advised governments to invest in the people and make the economy favourable to them.He also called for regular inter-religious meetings among religious groups and leaders to curb religious crisis, saying: “You cannot have peace if young people are jobless, hungry and unemployed. Devil finds work for idle hands.”