By Ochereome Nnanna When the story broke out about a week ago, it predictably sparked off an outrage. Reclusive Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, was portrayed as detaining his wife, Clara, against her will in the Government House. There were other stories credited to the troubled First Lady, of the Governor’s alleged prolonged neglect of his marital duties. I was dumbfounded that a couple not previously known to have domestic problems would suddenly take their dirty laundry to the public square to wash. For a woman whose husband is occupying such an enviable position to come out and complain so bitterly left me wondering. Goodness knows that a normal marriage is not always a piece of cake. Any responsibly married person will go the extra mile to defend his or her marriage and family without counting costs. It becomes more so if the father of the home is occupying the seat of Executive Governor of a state or any other enviable position. Most women will, at least for the sake of the children and other members of the family and its peripherals, forebear the man’s shortcomings and soldier on. But the matter of forcible detention was quite another matter. It verged on human rights violations, and dehumanisation. If indeed it happened, there would be no hiding place for Chime, not just from Lagos-based lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) who was loudly (as usual) representing Mrs Chime all over the media, but also from all right thinking members of this society. Governor Chime is a media recluse. But this time, he had no choice but to open his doors to the media and assembly all the relevant people around him as he addressed newsmen last week. Among them were his wife, his close relations, his wife’s close relations, her physician and security officials. It turned out that Mrs Chime is seriously indisposed, health-wise. She has been ill for a long time, even before her husband was sworn-in as Governor nearly seven years ago. The manner or name of the illness was not disclosed. But when you hear that a sick person is kept away from the public and denied access to the phone and computer with which she could communicate to the world out there, you can count your teeth with your tongue. In other words, it was for her own good and that of the family that she was kept away from having free access to the public. While Chime spoke, he gave the wife and other members of the family as well as her physician the opportunity to speak to the media and contradict his submissions. Since he was not contradicted, my immediate reaction was that this should be allowed to remain exactly what it is: a family affair. I believe Falana when he says he was “briefed” by Mrs Chime, more so if indeed he has it in writing or on record. I do not fault his good intentions for petitioning the Inspector General of Police to secure her release, or for being concerned over the alleged abuse of her human rights. But before we draw hasty conclusions, we must first of all ascertain if this lady is physically, mentally and psychologically sound enough to hold her own. Is she viable enough to assert her constitutional liberty without harming herself and other persons? Does she want to leave the marriage and live her life in freedom? If the answer to these questions is “yes”, Falana should continue to represent her until she regains her freedom and her human rights. If, indeed, she is not well and cannot competently and safety assert her liberty, Falana should back off. He should allow Chime and members of the family to devise the best means of looking after the poor woman. He should not be a Nosey Parker on a sensitive matter that is none of his business. He should not fish in troubled waters in the name of “human rights”. What Mrs Chime needs is love, care and attention of her family members and physicians. She does not need this unholy and invasive public curiosity. The family does not need the embarrassment of seeing the misfortune of their wife, mother, daughter and sister being commented upon by every Tom, Dick and Harry of questionable intentions. We must know when our “do- gooding” is not required, and take our attention-seeking shenanigans to the Awaiting Trial cells in the prisons, where there is an abundant supply of persons whose human rights have been violated for years. They will welcome us with open arms and pray for us and our families for remembering them. Perhaps, we won’t go there because there is no political capital to be made from it! A shocking dereliction of duty! I watched with numb shock as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on House Services, Yakubu Dogara (PDP Bauchi), in his motion of overriding public interest last week Thursday, disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan has been sitting on 36 bills passed by the National Assembly and sent to his table for assent. Section 50(1-4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) mandates the president to either sign such bills into or withhold his assent. Withholding assent does not mean ignoring bills if he does not want to sign them into. It means that he must notify the Assembly that he was withholding assent. But President Jonathan simply did neither: he ignored the bills! The Constitution does not allow that. The President has so many advisers who should let him know he is not to do that. These include the Adviser on Political Matters, the Senior Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Recently, the President sacked the Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, ostensibly for failing to prevail on the National Assembly not to receive the Abubakar Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in both chambers of the Assembly. The impression being given here is that these appointees are only there to feather the President’s political nest, but when real issues that affect the lives of Nigerians (such as these neglected bills) are affected it does not matter. I agree with Dogara that if these bills are allowed to remain unattended on the President’s desk the lawmaking work of the legislators will be in vain and resources spent on enacting them will be wasted. Therefore, the Assembly should assume that the President has vetoed these bills and invoke their constitutional powers in Section 58 (1 – 5) and override the his veto. Perhaps, next time, he will no longer sleep on duty.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:10:44 +0000
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