Refusal to obey court order is corruption - Emir

The Emir of Gummi, Justice Lawal Gummi (retired), has warned that the refusal to obey court order is a form of corruption.

Gummi said the federal government must govern by example through living the change it promised Nigerians before assuming office in 2015.

Speaking at at the Barewa Old Boys Association annual lecture, held at the Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto, the emir said the citizens can only follow suit when the government of the day practices what it preaches.

Gummi who was the keynote speaker on, ‘The challenges of the judiciary to democracy: The Nigeria perspective', said disrespect for the rule of law, bad governance, disobedience to court orders, non-compliance with electoral regulations by political parties dwindles confidence in the justice system.

He also said that such attitudes poses as threats to Nigeria's democracy.

Describing the judiciary as the watchdog of democracy, Gummi said court orders must not be disobeyed in the name of fighting corruption.

Gummi said: “Orders of court are disobeyed at will in the name of fighting corruption. No one institution, no matter how highly placed, should flout the laws of the land, not even under the guise of fighting corruption. Refusing to obey an order of court is another form of corruption in itself."

“The executive cannot play the role of both the accuser and that of the judge at the same time. It is an aberration in a democracy. National security cannot take precedence over the rule of law; rather, it should be guided by the rule of law.

“Any democracy where the executive tries to intimidate and harass the legislature and/or the judiciary into doing its bidding is a democracy under threat. In the same vein, it is not right in a democracy for the National Assembly to make governance difficult for the executive for pecuniary reasons.

“We all agree that we need change as promised by the government, but that change must first begin with them, then, you and me," Gummi noted.

Perviously President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to continue to support the fight against corruption to accelerate Nigeria’s development.

President Buhari made the call in Abuja on Saturday, July 8, at the presentation of two books by Major General Sam Momah rtd, a former minster of science and technology.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the books, Restructuring Nigeria beyond Oil, and Pulling Nigeria off the Brink, were presented to the public to mark the 75th birthday of the author.

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