Public official as public intellectual – Part – 2

In the struggle for human rights in Nigeria, Fawehinmi was a colossus. The subject did not only handle over 5000 cases in the Supreme Court but equally dealt with more than 2000 other cases in varied courts of competent jurisdictions. In articulating the struggles of Fawehinmi, the author provides a matrix for future biographers. All these issues dovetail into the ‘rightfulness of the unit’ of the Nigerian state, which the author addresses under the rubric of federalism.

He avers that the contradictions of the Nigerian state have continued to hobble the realisation of the dividends of democracy in ways that make political party promises mere slogans. For him, the solution lies in a return to genuine federalism in ways contemplated by the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 where a great deal of fiscal autonomy was engrossed. 

Importantly, the author engages with the question of poverty through the prism of his ideological orientation. The well-known statistics are cited. For him, the causality lies in the kleptocracy of state actors and the neoliberal market policies of the Bretton Woods Institutions. His prescription lies in national self-reliance and African integration.

Volume Two is a treatise on democracy and its components, namely, the rule of law and stakeholders’ responsibility. The contribution of the late Dr. Frederick Fasehun, Pioneer Chairman of the defunct Labour Party and Founder of Odua Peoples Congress, to the growth of democracy, provides a vent for the author’s review of Nigeria’s democracy. 

Against a backdrop of democratic cynicism and relegation of efforts of pro-democracy activists, he traces the origin of democracy to the classical era of the Athenian democracy with a selected franchise and concludes that democracy is about faith in the people in ways that affirm the authoritative assertions of David Beetham’s conception of democracy as a rule-making process over which the people exercise control. In what follows, the author underlines the contradictions of Nigeria’s democracy, namely, flawed transition, authoritarian temptation, hounding of opposition, elimination of dissent, extreme poverty, corruption, and consequential instability.

However, Bamidele acknowledges efforts being made to remedy the situation that includes the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta. Subsequently, he calls for faith in government while urging increased political participation, strengthening the rule of law, and resolving the skewed federal structure of the Nigerian state.

The rule of law received particularised attention, an assertion of the professional forte of the author. For him, the rule of law is the core of democracy, and it is to be preferred over the rule of men as John Adams, a former President of the United States once put it. To be sure, an impartial judiciary with legal practitioners is the bastion of the justice sector and democracy. As Justice Timothy Oyeyipo, former Chief Judge of Kwara State has rightly noted, “The administration of justice is the core of any successful democracy in the world. If the Legal profession fails, anarchy will be the only beneficiary.” Besides, it is argued that lawyers as critical stakeholders who must keep vigil over democracy and the human rights of the citizens.

It is their professional commitment. Sapara Williams, the doyen of the Nigerian legal profession, once noted that “legal practitioners as moral agents live for the direction of people and advancement of the course of the country. Chief Fawehinmi makes this role more compulsive. As he puts it, “if you deny the people economic rights, you enthrone poverty, and by that, you misdirect the people, hence agitation for social justice for the people.” the author notes that in the democratic project, we are stakeholders. In this regard, the civil service, the integrity of state actors, and civil society’s engagement with state minders are all invaluable to the consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy.

In the beginning, I mentioned the issue of tension that exists in the position of being a public official and public intellectual. The author runs away from the problematicisation of the law as a class instrument which a positivist interpretation will lead, and tread on the path of a reformer in a system that requires an overhaul. Another structural discontent is the author’s struggle between the official mode of communication and the gilded style of academics. By refusing to stay in one spectrum, the official, missed the spontaneity and poetic license of public performance. Nevertheless, Senator Bamidele holds the beacon for all public officials to ventilate the workings of their minds. The Nigerian people need to know what and how their political leaders think and act.

Finally, the book under review provides the reader with a binary advantage. One, it offers insight into how to navigate the policy environment while securing the acceptance of the people. Another is the seminal contribution to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It is to be noted that the book has other supplementary subjects such as youth, Lagos mega city, and education, that would be of interest to the readers.
 
Concluded.
Leadership through Communication by Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, published by Amicus Law, Lagos and Abuja, was presented on July 25, 2023 in Abuja, and reviewed by Professor Akhaine.