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Impeachment: It’s Only The Judiciary That Can Instil Sanity Into The Political Class, JS Okutepa, SAN, Lauds Ondo CJ, Justice Akeredolu

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Impeachment: It’s Only The Judiciary That Can Instil Sanity Into The Political Class, JS Okutepa, SAN, Lauds Ondo CJ, Justice Akeredolu

An eminent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa, has described the refusal by Chief Judge of Ondo State to set up investigation panel at the request of the Speaker of House of Assembly of the State as a good step in the right direction.

He said:

“The refusal of the Hon the Chief Judge of Ondo state to set up a seven man panel to investigate the Deputy Governor of Ondo State at the instance of the Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly is a good step in the right direction and in obedience and fidelity to constitutional duty which his lordship sworn to defend and uphold.”

He said the Chief Judge of Kogi State lacked the courage to do something similar when the then Deputy Governor of Kogi State had a pending matter challenging his impeachment

“That is what a good judicial officer should do.That is a CJ that knows his onions. This was what the late CJ of Kogi State my state had lacked the courage to do when the Kogi State House of Assembly requested that a seven man Panel be set up to investigate the then Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba, who had gone to court to challenge the removal process being put in place then by the Kogi State House of Assembly.”

Okutepa (SAN) commended the Chief Judge. He said though the political class will not be happy with the decision of the CJ, the right members of the legal profession must applaud the boldness of the Honourable CJ.

“His lordship CJ of Ondo State, Hon Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu will go down in history as the first CJ that refused to set up a panel to investigate the Deputy Governor when litigation was pending. He said it was sub-judice.

“That is what a good judicial officer should do. Kudo to Akeredolu CJ.
There is no doubt that the political class who want the Deputy Governor removed may not find the decision of his lordship palatable and acceptable. But all right thinking members of the legal profession must stand by and applaud the bold decision of Akeredolu CJ.”

He said by law when a matter is pending in court, no party to it is allowed to do anything to undermine the judicial process.

“It is only the judiciary that can instil sanity into the political class. While the political class sworn to uphold and defend our constitution, practical conduct on their parts shows mockery of our constitutional democracy.” he said

Okutepa therefore urged other heads of courts to copy Akeredolu CJ and that electoral justice system requires bold statements as well

“The example of Akeredolu CJ must be copied by all heads of courts and other judicial officers when faced with decisions to defend our constitution.

“Our electoral justice too requires bold statements to put an end to political rascalities before, during or post elections disputes. For me Akeredolu CJ has done the right thing even if heaven falls even though heaven has never fallen and it will not fall.”

Thenigerialawyer

Magu: Why NFIU’s Office Was Burgled

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Magu: Why NFIU’s Office Was Burgled

* Panel probes Magu’s link to Bureau De Change, Lagos pastor

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) office broken into on Thursday’s midnight has been linked to suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

At least seven computers containing sensitive financial information were taken away from the NFIU’s and others badly damaged.

Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential investigative panel on the allegations levelled against Magu is probing him based on the discoveries made by officials of NFIU, who revealed his alleged link to a Kaduna-based Bureau de Change found to have made transactions of N336 billion, $435 million and 14 million Euros.

Magu again appeared before the panel on Friday from 10:30 to about 7pm, when they closed for the day.

The panel was said to have taken a break and paid the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, to give an update on the NFIU office attack and the links to Magu.

The suspended EFCC boss is expected to provide answers about his links with the Bureau de Change and the huge amount of money in its possession, a Lagos-based lawyer who was also said to have collected the sum of N28 million from the Kaduna-based Bureau de Change.

He is also to explain his relationship with a relatively unknown Lagos-based pastor found with N573 million in his account.

The pastor is believed to be a close associate of the former EFCC boss.

According to a trusted source with knowledge of the investigation: “From the issues before the committee, there are two big issues concerning Bureau de Change being allegedly linked to Magu in Kaduna; that Bureau De Change has been discovered by the NFIU to have transacted business in the region of N336 billion, $435 million and about 14 million Euros.

“There is one other allegation against Magu that there is a little-known pastor in Lagos associated with him that was discovered to have N573 million in his account.

“And again, there is also a famous lawyer in Lagos, he has taken N28 million from the Bureau de Change.”

The panel has been sitting for over three weeks scrutizing the corruption allegation from the Attorney General of the Federation Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami against the embattled ex-EFCC boss.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday finally approved Magu’s suspension from office.

TheNigerialawyer recalls that the NFIU was severed from the EFCC following the suspension of Nigeria by the Egmont Group in 2017.

One of the grounds for the suspension was that the Nigeria financial intelligence unit (NFIU) was not independent.

Nigeria’s failure to comply with the group’s demands for a legal framework granting autonomy to the NFIU by January 2018, the country would have been expelled from the global body which provides the backbone for monitoring international money laundering activities.

If the group had expelled Nigeria, the country would not have been be able to benefit from financial intelligence shared by the other 153 member countries, including the US and the UK, while the country’s ability to recover stolen funds abroad would also have been hampered.

Thenigerialawyer

Reps reject minister’s cancellation of WASSCE

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Reps reject minister’s cancellation of WASSCE

The House of Representatives on Friday disagreed with the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, on the cancellation of the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations, insisting that action was aimed at truncating the future of Nigerian children.

Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education, Prof Julius Ihonbvare, who made the position of the House known in a statement in Abuja said the announcement by the minister was done without due consultation with relevant stakeholders in the education sector.

He said the Education Minister did not inform the country if his decision was in agreement with other West African leaders or in consultation with the examination bodies, the state governments and other stakeholders in the education sector.

He said: “The minister also did not also inform the public, if the decision was the outcome of a meeting with all state governments that are in charge of all, but the unity secondary schools that are owned by the federal government.

“The Minister of State, in his usually consultative and participatory approach, had briefed the nation at the Covid 19 Presidential Committee briefing over the airwaves and in an appearance before the House Committee on Basic Education where he assured Nigerians that all steps had or were being taken to ensure full compliance with all Covid 19 protocols.

“This sudden policy reversal is not good for the country. It is bound to create further confusion in the education sector, create disappointment and suspicion among parents, frustrate the students and show to our development partners and Nigerians that the distortions and disarticulations in the sector are only getting worse.

“The reversal also shows that our policymakers may just be adopting a laid-back approach to the need to confront the novel coronavirus rather than taking proactive and creative steps to manage and contain it.

“The House Committee disagrees with the minister and believes that a reconsideration is urgently needed to save our educational system on the following grounds that Nigeria is not the only country expected to write the examination in the midst of Covid-19.

“Nigeria should insist that the examination be based exclusively on the already covered syllabus of schools; the Federal Ministry should not chicken out of its responsibilities but take charge, provide policy direction, engage the states and other stakeholders, while the WAEC should quadruple its invigilators and use all classrooms and event centres to conduct the examination and comply with Covid-19 protocols.”

Thenigerialawyer

Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock Hits N28.63tn

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Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock Hits N28.63tn

•Lagos leads borrower states with N444bn obligation

Nigeria’s total public debt portfolio, all the states and the federal government inclusive, stood at N28.63 trillion as at March 31 this year.

According to the Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt Q1 2020 report released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the total public debt rose by 4.48 per cent compared to the N27.40 trillion recorded in Q4 2019.

External debt accounted for N9.99 trillion or 34.89 per cent of the total debt. The domestic component stood at N18.64 trillion or 65.11 per cent of total borrowing.

Of the domestic debt of N18.64 trillion, federal government’s share alone is N14.53 trillion compared to Q4 2019 when total domestic debt was N18.37 trillion with the federal government accounting for N14.27 trillion.

Federal government’s domestic debt service for Q1 also increased to N609.13 billion compared to N254.04 billion in Q4 of 2019.

Total domestic debts by states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were valued at N4.11 trillion with Lagos State accounting for N444.23 billion or 10.8 per cent.
Yobe was adjusted to have the least debt domestic stock, accounting for N29.29 billion or 0.7 per cent of total debt.

In dollar terms however, foreign debt was estimated at $27.66 billion.

Debts from multilateral institutions totaled $12.65 billion or 45.75 per cent of total foreign debt while bilateral debt amounted to $3.84 billion or 13.89 per cent of total external borrowing as well as commercial debts which stood at $11.16 billion or 40.37 per cent of total foreign debts.

In addition, the federal government’s domestic debt stock by instrument stood at N14.53 trillion with FGN bonds accounting for N10.55 trillion or 72.65 per cent
of domestic borrowing.

Abia State accounted for N69.63 billion of the domestic debt stock of states, Adawawa N101.58 billion, Akwa Ibom N240.03 billion, Anambra N33.91 billion, Bauchi N100.40 billion, Bayelsa N154.95 billion, Benue N116.19 billion, Borno N83.38 billion and Cross River N165.91 billion within the review period.

Others include Delta N230.75 billion, Ebonyi N42.41 billion, Edo N84.76 billion, Ekiti N77.89 billion, Enugu N62.98 billion, Gombe N82.50 billion, Imo N163.99 billion, Jigawa N36.02 billion, Kaduna N78.69 billion, Kano N107.75 billion, Katsina N66.16 billion, Kebbi N69.26 billion and Kogi N128.91 billion.

Others are Kwara N62.89 billion, Nasarawa N60.99 billion, Niger N59.83 billion, Ogun N143.53, Ondo N65.29 billion, Osun N137.30 billion, Oyo N100.59 billion, Plateau N130.72 billion, Rivers N266.93 billion, Sokoto N47.74 billion, Taraba N81.26 billion, and Zamfara N70.84 billion as well as the FCT with N106.80 billion.

Thenigerialawyer

FG Clarifies Tax On House Rents, C Of O, Others

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FG Clarifies Tax On House Rents, C Of O, Others

The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Ben Akabueze, says tax on rents, Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and others is not a new law to the system.

Akabueze made the clarification while fielding questions from participants at a virtual presentation of 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF&FSP) in Abuja on Friday.

He said the law that permited payment of tax on rents and others was an existing one but had not been observed for a very long time.

“It is not new, it is just N50 to be paid and the law has always been there. I recall in early 80s when I started work, the receipt my landlord used to give me, he would paste a physical postage stamp on that receipt.

“Overtime, because the culture of postage has dropped off and that was not been implemented, what FIRS has done now is to make that into electronic stamp that you can still use to comply with the existing law,” he explained.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had last week announced that henceforth, there would be stamp duty paid on house rent and C of O in the service new adhesive duty.

FIRS urged Nigerians and other residents in the country to make sure that documents pertaining to rent or lease agreements for their homes or offices, C of O as well as a list of other common business-related transaction instruments were subject to authentication with the new FIRS Adhesive Stamp duty.

It stated that it was necessary in order to give these instruments the force of law and make them legally bidding on all parties involved in such transactions.

According to the service, the new FIRS Adhesive Stamp Duty was inaugurated in Abuja at the official inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Audit and Recovery of Back Years Stamp Duties recently.

(NAN)

US Supreme Court Rules That About Half Of Oklahoma Is Native American Land

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US Supreme Court Rules That About Half Of Oklahoma Is Native American Land

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that about half of the land in Oklahoma is within a Native American reservation, a decision that will have major consequences for both past and future criminal and civil cases.

The court’s decision hinged on the question of whether the Creek reservation continued to exist after Oklahoma became a state.

“Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of fed­eral criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion.

The decision was 5-4, with Justices Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer in the majority, while Justices John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

The ruling will have significant legal implications for eastern Oklahoma. Much of Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city, is located on Muscogee (Creek) land. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation cheered the court’s decision.

“The Supreme Court today kept the United States’ sacred promise to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of a protected reservation,” the tribe said in a statement. “Today’s decision will allow the Nation to honor our ancestors by maintaining our established sovereignty and territorial boundaries.”

In a dissenting opinion, Roberts, the chief justice, wrote that the decision “will undermine numerous convictions obtained by the State, as well as the State’s abil­ity to prosecute serious crimes committed in the future,” and “may destabilize the governance of vast swathes of Oklahoma.”

Kevin Washburn is dean of the law school at the University of Iowa, where he teaches a course on federal Indian law — “It’s basically 15 weeks of how the law in the United States has failed my people,” he said.

He served as assistant secretary of Indian affairs from 2012 to 2016, and he’s a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. He called the court’s ruling “a great decision.”

“For Indian people, their land is really important, and treaties are really important. They’re sacred. And this reaffirms the sacredness of those promises and those treaties.”

“Now and then there’s a great case that helps you keep the faith about the rule of law,” he said. “And this is one of those.”

The ruling has a number of significant consequences for criminal law in the relevant portion of Oklahoma.

The first is that going forward, certain major crimes committed within the boundaries of reservations must be prosecuted in federal court rather than state court, if a Native American is involved. So if a Native American is accused of a major crime in downtown Tulsa, the federal government rather than the state government will prosecute it. Less serious crimes involving Native Americans on American Indian land will be handled in tribal courts. This arrangement is already common in Western states like Arizona, New Mexico and Montana, said Washburn.

Then there’s the issue of past decisions — many of them are now considered wrongful convictions because the state lacked jurisdiction. A number of criminal defendants who have been convicted in the past will now have grounds to challenge their convictions, arguing that the state never had jurisdiction to try them.

The case before the court, McGirt v. Oklahoma, concerned Jimcy McGirt, an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma who was convicted of sex crimes against a child on Creek land. In post-conviction proceedings, McGirt argued that the state lacked jurisdiction in the case and that he must be retried in federal court. The high court agreed.

The ruling will affect lands of the Muscogee and four other Oklahoma tribes with identical treaties. Civil court issues are also affected.

It’s important to note that the case concerned jurisdiction, not land ownership.

Ruling that these lands are in fact reservations “doesn’t mean the tribe owns all the land within the reservation, just like the county doesn’t own all the land within the county. In fact, it probably doesn’t own very much of that land,” Washburn explained. “That’s not what a reservation is these days.”

Washburn compares a reservation to a county — terms that describe jurisdictional boundaries.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter released a joint statement with the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole nations on Thursday, indicating that they “have made substantial progress toward an agreement to present to Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice addressing and resolving any significant jurisdictional issues.”

Ian Heath Gershengorn, an attorney at Jenner & Block, argued McGirt’s case before the Supreme Court. He said his team was thrilled with the result and had felt optimistic knowing that Gorsuch could prove to be the deciding vote.

Gorsuch joined with the court’s more liberal members in the decision. Prior to his appointment to the high court, Gorsuch was a judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which frequently sees cases involving Native American lands.

“Justice Gorsuch has made very clear in his short time on the bench that he takes the text deeply seriously,” Gershengorn said. “And I think you saw that the core of his analysis today was a textual one. We felt like we had the right argument at the right time for the right justice.”

npr.org

How Agi Anne Uruegi is Stimulating Nigerian Law Students’ Interest in Space Law

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How Agi Anne Uruegi is Stimulating Nigerian Law Students’ Interest in Space Law

Anne Agi, Esq has been actively promoting awareness on the the fundamentals of international space law and policy in Nigeria by organizing webinars and lectures on this fascinating field of law, attending conferences and mentoring colleagues on Space law. She also encourages the study of space law for students and young lawyers interested in this field of law.

Anne went beyond promoting the awareness to actually commence mentoring of law students to develop interest in space law. Anne’s effort has began to yield result as students interest in this aspect of law has started growing tremendously.

She began her mentoring with law students of the University of Calabar and in October 2019, she led a team of students to represent Africa at the world finals of the Manfred Lachs Space Law competition. The Team which comprised of  Ebruka Nellyhelen Neji, Ushie Augustine and John Kaunda with with Ms Anne Uruegi Agi as Team Coach clinched the Best Oralist award and emerged as runners up of the competition at the NASA headquarters in Washington DC.

This year, on the 3rd of July 2020, Anne again led another Team of students to the 9th African Regional rounds of the Competition and out of several teams from Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Uganda, her team came 2nd place with the University of Pretoria emerging as winners for the regional rounds.

The team was made up of Ekanem Emmanuel, Eyo Emmanuel, Richard Felix-Uche as competing students and Nelly-Helen Ebruka, the team lead student for last year’s competition as student coach. Ms Anne Uruegi Agi, Esq was the Team Adviser for the competition.ALSO READ   NBA-AGC 2017: A’ List Artist to Perform at the Unbarred Event

The Regional Rounds of the competition which was meant to hold in Pretoria, South Africa in May 2020 was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic and was judged on the basis of Memorials (Written submissions).

The Manfred Lachs space law moot court competition is organised yearly by the International Institute of Space Law and is a simulation of a fictional dispute between different countries (also fictional) before the International Court of Justice. The facts of argument for the 2020 rounds was centred on a case concerning jurisdiction and control in outer space, space situational awareness and orbital debris.

Primarily the moot has the core objective of promoting interest and knowledge of space law through research and fair competitive environment.

It is expected that Anne would not only sustain this mentoring but also extend same beyond the boarders of UNICAL.

Congratulations to Anne Agi Esq and her team on the feat achieved.

dnalegalandstyle

Restructure Women Football in Nigeria…Aderonke Bello

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Restructure Women Football in Nigeria…Aderonke Bello

Foremost Sports Journalist and Special Adviser to the FCT Minister of State, Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello has called for the total restructuring of Women Football in the country, to enable it attain it’s full potential.

Ogunleye-Bello, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a Women Advocacy group, FAME Foundation spoke during an interview session on FCT Football Update WhatsApp group, she said the Women Football Department of the Nigeria Football Federation is not well structured to move women football forward in the country.

According to her, ” our Women have won more laurels at the senior level than their men counterpart. We are supposed to give them more attention because they are a serious brand.

“We need to put people who are very intelligent, innovative, strategic, focused, and passionate in the various positions of the Department, and give them free hands to articulate programs that will move the game forward in country.

With our achievements in the game, the NFF are supposed to look for the best hands to drive every program that involves the women. Not by bringing in family members, concubines, girlfriends, boyfriends or errand boys and girls to occupy the positions. They need to engage people on merit and empower them properly to move the game forward”.

She advocated that adequate fundimg should be made available to Women football to ensure that their developmental programs are carried out to the latter.

She was of the opinion that though the Women Footballers should be adequately catered for, but she doesn’t agree that they should be paid as much as the senior men national team counterpart, at least for now,

“We would get there one day, but I don’t agree that the Super Falcons should be paid the same amount with the Super Eagles.
That time will come, but it’s not now, we need to structure women’s football properly, attract sponsors and give it the required publicity and technical support,” she said.

Aderonke blamed the inability of the Women teams to attract sponsors to inadequate publicity.

She said the media shows a lot of apathy in reporting the Women Football.

“Sponsors want to invest their money where they will get mileage. But, how many people report the Women football?. If our media houses develop attention in reporting the game, sponsors will come, and our development will be faster,” she concluded.

Exclusivenews

Ondo Chief Judge Rejects Request To Set Up Probe Panel For Deputy Governor

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Ondo Chief Judge Rejects Request To Set Up Probe Panel For Deputy Governor

Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olarenwaju Akeredolu, has explained why she cannot set up a seven-man investigative panel for the impeachment proceeding against Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi.

She said she cannot constitute the panel until all constitutional processes are followed.

Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun had written to the Chief Judge explaining that impeachment notice has been served on Hon Ajayi.

A total of 14 lawmakers signed an impeachment notice against Ajayi.

Speaker Oleyelogun informed Justice Akeredolu that setting up of the panel was in line with section 188 (5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

A letter to the CJ and signed by the Speaker reads: “By the Resolution of the House today pursuant to Section 188 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended it was resolved that the allegations be investigated forthwith.

“It is in line with the above that request that you set up the 7-man panel to conduct the investigation as resolved by the Honourable House and the Panel, shall soon as possible, report back to the House.”

But the Justice Akeredolu, in a letter dated July 9 and addressed to the Speaker, said the lawmakers have not completed the constitutional process that would lead the Speaker to invite her to set up an investigative panel as stipulated by the Nigeria Constitution.

Justice Akeredolu said she also received a letter from Kayode Olatoke SAN that the matter of the impeachment of Ajayi was subjudice.

The constitutional processes, according to Justice Akeredolu, include: “The Deputy Governor, Hon Alfred Agboola Ajayi must be served with notice of impeachment signed by not less than one-third of members of the House of Assembly of the State.

“The Notice to be served on him must state that he is guilt of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office and must specify the particulars of the gross misconduct.

“He must be allowed to respond to the allegations.

“Within 14 days of receipt of the Notice of the Honourable Speaker, whether or not the Deputy Governor responda the House of Assembly shall pass a resolution supported by not less than two thirds majority of all the members of the House of Assembly that the allegations be investigated.

Thenigerialawyer

Leaving the Diaspora to Take a Gov’t Job is No “Sacrifice”

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Leaving the Diaspora to Take a Gov’t Job is No “Sacrifice”
  • by Farooq Kperogi, Ph.D

It has now become customary for Nigerians in the diaspora who leave their exilic locations to take government jobs at home to emotionally blackmail the nation into seeing them as irreproachable demigods whose “sacrifice” in leaving their diasporic comfort zones should inoculate them against scrutiny. Here are 5 reasons why this is boneheaded.

  1. No Nigerian who benefited from the free or highly subsidized education in the country can ever fully pay back the debt he or she owes to
    Nigeria. Thanks to my Nigerian undergraduate degree, which I couldn’t afford if it wasn’t subsidized, I am debt-free and doing financially well in my diasporic location. My American colleagues aren’t that lucky. Most of them are still paying their student loans. Obama finished paying his student loan debts just a few months before he became president. Had he not made a fortune from his well-received autobiography he would have been paying his student loans well into his presidency. So going back to work in Nigeria after staying in the diaspora is,
    properly speaking, “giving back”; it is NOT a sacrifice. Sacrifice entails an undeserved loss as a result of giving up something more valuable. Since most diasporans won’t even have the opportunity of their exilic comfort zones if they didn’t benefit from Nigeria’s free or
    subsidized education, they aren’t “sacrificing” by going back to the country that nurtured them when they were helpless.
  2. Return to Nigeria after a sojourn in the diaspora often comes with the sorts of perks that people don’t usually get in their erstwhile diasporic locations
    Being head of a government agency, a minister, a special adviser, etc. comes with humongous allowances, a retinue of aides, access to the power structure, etc. Returnee diasporans who want you to give them credit for taking a pay cut to accept a gov’t job in Nigeria are being
    intentionally deceitful. I earn more than two times what the Nigerian president officially earns, but everyone knows the president doesn’t even need his or her salary.
  3. There is really little that people in the diaspora bring back to Nigeria that doesn’t already exist in
    superfluity in Nigeria. There are literally thousands of people who can be, and even better than, whatever any diasporan Nigerian does, but they’re passed over because they don’t have access to people who make appointments— and because they don’t have the social and symbolic
    capital that living abroad confers. So it’s actually a privilege, not a sacrifice, to serve.
  4. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. Most people won’t leave their diasporan locations if it would exert a strain on them and their families. I am an example. Prof. Attahiru
    Jega invited me to work with him at INEC sometime ago, but I politely declined because it wasn’t in the interest of my young children to relocate to Nigeria. I’ve also spurned many other offers since then for the same reason. Should I decide at some point to relocate to Nigeria,
    it won’t be a “sacrifice.” At worst, it would be “giving back” and at best a privilege. There are thousands of people with my skillset in Nigeria.
  5. A diasporan who worked as a contract staff in a country where he was neither a citizen nor even a legal permanent resident is actually enjoying an upgrade if he gets a visible, consequential position in government. Instead of arrogantly saying they are “sacrificing” for the country, they should be grateful for the opportunity to do a job that thousands of Nigerians at home are capable of doing.
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