CITIZENS HAVE BECOME GUINEA PIGS

 TWW Goes To The Chambers

It’s another interview day, our second post in the series, and this time, we are going full time legal. Talk with Willy was able to meet up with a very brilliant mind in the legal profession and have a chat with him. He shared on a number of topics with us and we have brought the gist to you for your reading pleasure. And if you are part of those people who fondly say lawyers are liars, get ready for a shift in perspective.

If you missed our first interview with the nurse, that’s another interesting piece you should go back to, as soon as you are done with this. Well, off to the interview we go:

TWW: It’s a pleasure being here, sir. May we meet you?

BOD: My pleasure too. My names are Barr. Oge Danquah Chinweike

TWW: Nice to meet you, barrister. So, for the sake of our readers who might not know, can you briefly explain what you mean when you say you are a barrister?

BOD: I simply mean that I am a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria by virtue of being called to the Nigeria Bar – the largest Bar in Africa.

TWW: Wow, so you must be very good at the bottles? Now, before we get down to the actual topics we have to talk about, I would like to get clarity on something: lawyers are regarded with some kind of fear by members of society. Almost like the police, people see them as who they should stay away from. Some even popularly say that lawyers are liars. Can you make a comment or two to address these notions about your profession?

BOD: Many times I have been confronted with this question and I must say it’s funny. Of course, lawyers are not liars but ministers in the temple of justice. Lawyers are not super beings but mere humans like you. They don’t know the truth, only God knows the truth. As lawyers, we only work with facts made available to us by clients and it’s the same fact(s) that a judge relies upon to give judgement. One thing is to know what happened and another thing is what you can prove in court. On a lighter mood, we do not lie, we misguide you when necessary… thank you.

TWW: Thank you very much. Now, to more serious issues we go. A rather unfortunate event occurred on Sunday; the attack on a church and the gruesome killing of worshippers by unidentified assailants at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo. We pray for the repose of their souls and comfort for the families of the deceased, but we would like to know, sir, if the government of the day, especially the president and state governors, are doing enough on their part to guarantee the safety of the citizens as required by the law.

BOD: Security issues have become very dicey and delicate presently. May be because the ones we look up to for protection are the people endangering our lives for their selfish reasons. The citizens have become guinea pigs for experiment. It is when someone has done something that you consider whether he has done enough. The sad reality is that they are not doing anything to guarantee the safety of the citizens. Obviously the 001 of the Federation and that of the states, the President and the governors respectively have abandoned or disregarded their oaths of office.

They swore to protect lives and properties, to protect us from external aggression, but many times they have said publicly that the herdsmen and the bandits are from Chad and Niger and so on yet no measures are put in place. The chief difficulty is that our dear country’s security blue print has been hidden and that has left us very porous and prone to invasion by those we are better off. I never envisaged a Sunday that people will thank God that they did not go to church. But that is where we are now and it’s disheartening.  

TWW: If it is true that we are in a democratic state and the leaders are answerable to the citizens, why don’t the people hold them accountable?

BOD: You and I cannot hold them accountable from our homes. We have a system of government whereby we elect representatives to the legislatives houses, both upper and lower chamber. They are our voices. In an ideal situation, there could be a vote of no confidence removing a leader from office when the electorates get fed up-the recent case of Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom, though he won the vote of no confidence but the point is there was an attempt to remove him from office. The executives could be impeached from office but I have only witnessed that once in Plateau State. Money and power rules…

TWW: Does this mean the rights of citizens only exist on paper and not in reality?

BOD: The rights of citizens when it comes to questioning or demanding what is right from the government practically, I would say YES, but when it involves individuals, I would say NO. Even the right to protect peacefully no longer exist; take the ENDSARS protest as a case study. When it has to do with the government, the rights of the citizens tend to exist only on paper because the Judiciary is not independent, so you can hardly have a successful challenge. Gone are those days.

TWW: Now, with rising reports of violent attacks and unrest, and the general elections around the corner, is it possible that the elections would not hold as a result of national insecurity? If yes, how bad would things have to be for it to get to that point?

BOD: That has been the rumour with a huge atom of truth because of factional and regional selfish interests. But there has never been a time in Nigeria general election that we don’t witness violence and rumours of violence. We are not new to it but this time I think we are bent on doing the right thing because it’s our future that is at stake. 

TWW: If that happens, what would be the way forward for the country?

BOD: if that happens only God knows what will happen because only him see the future. But certainly there will be a state of anarchy. I hope for the best and at same time I expect the worst.

TWW: Personally, are you prepared to participate in the elections?

BOD:  Very prepared.

TWW: Are you equipped with your PVC?

BOD: Yes, I am. I’ve been a regular voter and I will make a choice again irrespective of the outcome. Thank you.

TWW: Awesome. Our time has flown already, and what a wonderful time it has been. Thank you very much for the audience you have granted us, and I’m sure we’ll come back some other time. Before we leave, do you have any word for our readers?

BOD: I say to them that “Naija” is ours. Let’s keep aside sentiments and selfish interest and make a choice with vision. We can take back our country with our vote because we are all casualties- if you are not affected directly, you are effected. With a glaring protest vote, INEC will be constrained not to do otherwise.  So, tomorrow is now.

TWW: And we are sure if we need professional legal representation, we know who to call on, right?

BOD: Yes of course. Call Danquah.

TWW: Thank you very much for having us

BOD:  Thank you for having me.

So, that’s it for today. If you have any questions for our barrister, you can drop them in the comments section, and I’m sure we’ll be able to arrange for you to get a reply. Till we come your way next week with another sizzling interview, stay smart!