Low Access To Justice Behind Lack Of Trust In Government – Panelists …..Say Nigeria Is Dysfunctional
The seeming dysfunctional nature of democracy in Nigeria has been attributed to weak access to justice by a majority of the citizens.
This was the summation of Speakers at a Webinar organized by a non-governmental organisation called Voice of Reason (VOR) on Friday, June 27, 2025.
The panelists consisted of Professor Toyin Falola, an international scholar, Mr. Kehinde Aina, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Mr. Soji Awogbade, also a lawyer and a public affairs analyst.
They spoke on ‘The Rule of Law and Nigeria’s Democracy’ which was the theme of the Webinar.
Setting the tone for the talkshop, Chairman, Voice of Reason, Dr. Ebun Sonaiya stated that the Webinar “is part of our ongoing efforts to inspire thought leadership and civic awakening among Nigerians.”
He added with emphasis that “without an adherence to the rule of law, democracy remains hollow.”
In his opening remarks, the moderator, Dr. Leke Osunniyi, submitted that the webinar was meant to be a platform for a robust discussion on how Nigeria can “reclaim and reinforce the primacy of the rule of law as the bedrock of democratic stability, especially in the face of institutional decay, impunity and erosion of public trust”.
Opening the discourse, Professor Toyin Falola took a historical route in analyzing Nigeria’s predicament.
He was unapologetic about the damage that corruption and non-adherence to the rule of law have wrecked (and still wrecking) on Nigeria.
Besides saying that the figure of over 200 million being bandied about as Nigeria’s population is overbloated, Falola stated that Nigeria is dysfunctional.
He went further to say that corruption not only prevents development, it can also destroy the nation.
He, however, maintained that although the challenges Nigeria is facing are enormous, the country is still redeemable “if we set our minds to it.”
Mr. Kehinde Aina, SAN, asserted that under normal circumstances, law does not distinguish between the goose and the gander.
In other words, law should apply to everyone the same way without regard to the position or status of such a person.
But in Nigeria, there seems to be laws for those in positions of authority and another set of laws for the rest of the people.
He was quick to add that where the rule of law ends, tyranny begins.
The legal luminary advocated for integrity, decency and decorum to be brought back into how things are done.
Besides maintaining that rule of law should not be a luxury in the hands of powerful, Aina called for the return of our traditional values which encouraged justice and following the rules.
The third speaker, Mr. Soji Awogbade declared that trust in government is usually weak where there is no access to justice.
Awogbade, who is also a lawyer, added that the rule of law is undermined where the judiciary is not independent.Some other participants also made contributions.
At the end of the day, the gathering asserted that ensuring that the rule of law prevails is not for government alone “as anyone violating the law is also guilty of contributing to the rot”.
They concluded that “ensuring that integrity, decency and decorum characterize our conduct and placing merit over other considerations are very vital if our nation is to be redeemed”.
