There are several lessons Nigeria can learn as a country with regards to the ongoing Ekwwremadu’s trial over alleged child trafficking and organ harvesting in the UK.
The speed with respect to bringing the accused to courts for trail is quite impressive and demonstrate an entrenched and strong system of justice administration in the UK.It is instructive that
Mr Ekwwremadu and his wife were arrested on Tuesday and in less than 24 hours they were Charged to court.if this offence was committed in Nigeria it would take weeks to get the necessary evidence and file court processes to arraign the suspects.The brazen delay in the administration of justice is one of the main reason that discourage some Nigerians to approach the court to seek legal redress.This unfortunately could lead to some citizens to result to self help with it attendant consequences on peace and security and stability of our country.We must as a country strive to strengthen our judicial system especially with respect to the speed and promptness of Justice administration.It is a well know adage among legal minds that “Justice delayed,is justice denied”.
Although Nigeria is a “democratic Nation” for 23 years and committed to good governance,we are yet to be in principle and practice a truly law-based state because there is no equality of all citizens before the law.Although most states in Nigeria has demosticated the child rights Act which set legal right of consent at 18,this case would not have been a big issue before the law in Nigeria even when there are evidence that the donor is a minor because a Senator is involved.In Nigeria a Senator and an under- privileged child in Lagos,Enugu,Yenegua or Zamfara does not have the same rights and therefore not equal before the law even if that’s what our extant law says.
Another lesson to be learnt from the Ekwwremadu’s saga is that Children especially those less than 18 years ( minors) are the future of èvery society and are as a fundamental state priority to be protected and nurtured by every responsible society but that’s not the case in Nigeria and most Africancountries. Developed and societies planning for a bright future are investing heavily in the rights of children to Education, Heathcare,Nutrition and also importantly in their emotional well being.The case of Nigeria as at present is in complete divergence to these laudable goals of securing a better future for our country through investment in our Children. We are living in a country with over 13 million out of school children who roam the streets without access to Education,Food,Heath care and emotional nurturing from Parents or Guardians. This is despite the fact that the right child Act is demosticatef and in force in most states of the federation.Regrettably,majority of these out of school children are in Northern Nigeria,a region already bedevilled by chronic insecurity as a result of the poor attention paid by successive governments to basic education and lack of sustainable strategies aimed at alleviating extreme poverty.
Nigeria as a developing country has several lessons to learn from the developed Liberal Democracies with strong systems legal systems especially with regards to equality of all citizens before the law irrespective of their social class or status and protection of the rights of children in tandem with the provision of the child rights Act which saddled the Nigerian state with the responsibility of the provision of education, health care,nutrition and the emotional nurturing of our children.
Dr Mijinyawa Bashir is as Consultant Physician and a Public Affairs Analyst.
He can be reached via: [email protected]
