The Right to Life

33. (1) Eve

ry person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.




(2) A person shall not be regarded as having been deprived of his life in contravention of this section, if he dies as a result of the use, to such extent and in such circumstances as are permitted by law, of such force as is reasonably necessary -



(a) for the defence of any person from unlawful violence or for the defence of property:

(b) in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained; or

(c) for the purpose of suppressing a riot, insurrection or mutiny.

The Lawlessness of Law Enforcement in Nigeria.

Shielded by the complacency and incompetence of the Nigerian Government, who have overtime fed fat on the wealth of the nation and live in such luxury, they have lost touch with the realities average Nigerians face, Law Enforcement Agents have again cut short the promising future of another young Nigerian.

On Sunday, March 31st, 2019, Kolade Johnson, a young Nigerian and the only son of his parents fell prey to the lawlessness and lack of accountability that pervades the land, when a stray bullet shot by power drunk police officers hit him.

The Police officers who were later identified as Ogunyemi Olalekan and Godwin Orji have been identified.

This is one of so many extrajudicial murders committed by members of the Nigerian Police Force, amongst other heinous human rights violations of torture, abuse, extortion and false imprisonment.

Regardless of the prevailing circumstances we must all continue to be law-abiding, and use our various platforms and positions of authority - no matter how seemingly insignificant to foster the rule of law and hold accountable those who flout it.

Hopefully, justice will be served in this case and the death of this promising young man will be a catalyst for social justice, accountability and lawfulness to abound.

Project Freedom I

“I have no one you can contact outside these walls”

This is the response my fellow attorneys and I repeatedly got while conducting pre-trial interviews at Ikoyi Prisons. We got this response upon asking interviewed in-mates if they had friends and relatives we could contact to help us more effectively address their cases and get them the justice they deserve.

Data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics show that Nigerian prisons hold more innocent persons than convicted persons. The report, covering data from 2011 to 2015, shows that 72.5% of Nigeria’s total prison population are inmates serving time while awaiting trial and without being sentenced. More recently, the Nigerian Prisons Service statistics show the country’s prisons held 72,277 people as of 16 April 2018. of these, only 23,048 were convicted prisoners. The remaining 49,229 – 68.1% of the prison population were awaiting trial.

You do not need a seer to reveal to you that these are trying times for Nigerians. We often hear tales of the “good times” but my generation, we millennials got to experience nothing other than decadence, corruption, fraud, poverty and failed promises, shielded from these grave realities only by whatever social currency or financial liquidity our families possess. Leaving those who have none to face squarely the consequences of the complacency, incompetence and failure that pervades our system.

Despite the mammoth challenges we face, I hope we look within ourselves and therein find the strength to make sacrifices that would position us, as the answer to someone else’s prayers, a relief to their pain

Backed by the Wells Mountain Initiative, over the course of the next few months, my colleagues, other volunteers and I would dedicate time and resources to offer free legal representation to persons remanded for months and even years without due legal process being followed.

If you feel the need to make an impact, to stand in the gap for persons who have no one. We invite you to join us – send across a PM, your time, talent and treasure are welcome, and maybe together, we can be an integral part of the change, we all so dearly desire.

The dystopian future Hollywood told you about is already here and UOENO

With great power, Ben Parker once stated, comes great responsibility.

Advancement in technology over the years has brought along with it, the ability to do things previously thought of as superhuman. These advancements bring along with them however, cyber threats with capabilities imagined in science fiction movie flicks.

In a blog post by security researchers at Slovakian security firm ESET, Turla a hacker-group, alleged to be affiliated to the Russian government had been instructing malware via spam-like comments under a post on Britney Spears Instagram account.


In the Month of May 2017. A ransomeware attack dubbed ‘wannacry’ infected over 200,000 computers in over 150 countries, crippling the operations of large government agencies and private corporations around the world.
In 2016 alone RiskBased Security, noted that there occurred over four billion breached records; this amounts to 127 breached records per second. Craig Spiezle of Online Trust Alliance noted the cyber landscape has changed dramatically over the last 12 months, and unlike past breaches, which were opportunistic, ongoing Internet user privacy breaches are carried out with precision to target highly confidential and vital information.

Our lives are increasingly being affected by digital activities and policies. Smart cities and the internet of things are not just dystopian predictions but a reality we live today, which is only expected to progress further. There is an urgent need for governments to enact policies that improve technology talent and further cybersecurity otherwise the consequences of lax cyber security policies would be more catastrophic than we could possibly bear.

Lets Have An Adult Conversation on Climate Change in 2017.

"Even though Physics was not my strongest point, I still remember Newton’s third law of motion which can be applied to our daily lives:

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”

Apparently President Trump must not have been taught by my Physics teacher; otherwise he would surely remember this law or risk a good whooping"

Every person who went through a high-school in Nigeria which required students to live in the boarding-house remembers the euphoria of becoming a senior student. It meant less bullying (Since you got to do the bullying now) In my case it meant I had more junior students under my care to do my chores and my bidding, and even more importantly it meant, I could stop wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts and finally put on long sleeves and trousers. But this euphoria was short-lived when you learnt you had to take all Sciences, Social-Sciences and Arts courses in your first year of senior high school and pass all atleast with a C-grade, or risk repeating the class and becoming mates with the juniors you bullied. The consequences of this was best imagined. I still wonder how I scaled through…

Even though Physics was not my strongest point, I still remember Newton’s third law of motion which can be applied to our daily lives:

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”

Apparently President Trump must not have been taught by my Physics teacher; otherwise he would surely remember this law or risk a good whooping. On June 1, 2017. President Donald Trump ignored scientific and research-based facts and confirmed rumors to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, thereby undoing one of the more significant deeds of his Predecessor in office.

I’m not a United States citizen so how does the current White house administration’s decision affect me?  (I nor be U.S pikin how Trump decision take affect me?)

Yes. No thanks to the mediocrity, corruption and buffoonery prevalent at the helm of affairs in this Country, we still have to grapple with issues like conflict and food-scarcity. However here are a few, amongst many ways unchecked Climate changes are bound to affect you.

- The United States is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and it’s emission reduction pledge accounts for a fifth of the global emissions to be avoided by 2030. Climate Interactive states that failure by the United States to abide by the Paris agreement could warm the globe by an additional 0.3C by 2100. The guardian further states this “would push the global temperature rise, well above2C ‘’ This would further cause sea level to rise, which would set off a string of natural disasters and result in the displacement of millions of persons, the creation of humanitarian situations and the loss of ecosystems such as coral reefs.                                                                                                                                                                                  Already Scientists have released images which depicts a giant crack in one of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves. The ice-shelf which is slightly over a thousand foot thick is estimated to be roughly the size of Delaware in the United States, it's breaking off and melting has huge implications. Large water bodies are expected to absorb considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, unfortunately, rising water temperatures, and carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing the acidity of carbon sinks such as Oceans. This impacts living organisms in such water bodies negatively and decreases it's ability to act as a carbon sink.

Food.

Rising temperatures would not only set off a string of disasters and culminate in humanitarian situations around the globe but would adversely affect the ability of the environment to replenish depleted soil nutrients. This could threaten food security and agricultural activity on a scale previously unknown to man. The ability of the environment to replenish depleted nutrients is highly relevant in conserving biodiversity and habitats. Hopefully we realize sooner than later; we cannot eat currency notes.

Air.

Numerous studies posit that if climate conditions continue to deteriorate, by the turn of the century over half of the global population will be subjected to increasingly stagnant and pungent, hot atmospheric conditions. Now this is not a condition, I would want my offspring to live in, neither should you. Get to work!

Let’s have an adult conversation on Climate Change.

Regardless of your citizenship or affiliations, we are all global citizens of planet earth, and here are a few things we can do to save our planet, protect our future and safeguard the future of generations yet unborn, rather than whining and pointing fingers.

i.                     Enact State legislations.

Donald Trump might have pulled out of the Paris agreement, but States within the U.S still have a say. Already Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York has made public his intention to commit New York City to the Paris deal. Get your grit on and press your respective State administrations to commit to the Paris agreement and enact State legislation mandating corporations and businesses to abide by it. It’s time young people got more involved in Politics and stop people who do not have to bear the brunt of any decisions made from making them. Citizens of signatory States to the agreement can lobby and creatively find means to pressure their Governments to ensure compliance with the agreement, while those whose governments still hold out can find ways to push for an adoption.

ii.                   Spread the word.

As the aphorism goes:  Out of sight; out of mind. The consequences of climate change are too dire to be ignored. As noted by Greentumble “It is a sobering thought that only 5% one of the most biodiverse and unique ecosystems in the world (Australia ‘s Great Barrier Reef)will still be intact in 2050”

iii.                  Play your part.

As Millennials, we do not have a soft landing prepared for us by generations past, neither have we the luxury of selfless governments making brilliant policies, but we probably have it better than aliens within the Millennial bracket in Mars, so we have no excuse. We could each play our part by supporting businesses and foundations that promote sustainable development, be energy and resource efficient, plant trees as often as possible, adopt sustainable and ‘planet-healthy’ habits and create as much awareness as possible on this issue.

Small by small says the little mouse; together little changes to our habits and routine can stop climate change and hopefully even reverse its effects. But we can never know if we never really try.