Press Releases

Fashola Warns Of Danger In Withdrawing Orderlies From Judicial Officers
▪ Clears air on Climate Change warning

Mar 27, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Friday warned against any plans to withdraw security orderlies from judges and other judicial officers saying there is danger in implementing such a decision.

Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos House Marina while fielding questions from newsmen, said although he was not privy to the arguments that must have been made in support of the decision, there is danger in carrying it out unless there is a plan to replace the orderlies with an equally effective security.

The Governor who, however, said it would be unfair for him to make a categorical statement on the issue without listening to the argument that gave rise to the decision, declared, “I feel very concerned. For me, there is a problem. Traditionally, the Judiciary has been protected by security agents and it seems that there is a danger here if you remove that security unless you show us a plan that will replace it”.

“I am particularly worried because I know that there are three Senior Advocates in that National Executive Council and therefore they should know”, Governor Fashola said.

The Governor also enjoined the Media in the country to join in the campaign to save the planet earth from extinction, saying the success of the campaign on Climate Change would depend largely on the information being put in the public domain for the people to know and act accordingly.

Denying media report that he said people should not use air-conditioners, Governor Fashola, who chided the press for being sometimes sensational, declared, “In the Tropics like this, it will be irrational for anybody to come out and say don’t use Air-conditioner. Clearly, it wasn’t what I said”.

“We are looking at the convergence of the things that threaten our planet and, therefore, threaten our State and our country. Nigeria is facing desert erosion in the North and coastal erosion in the South. All of these are not unconnected with the global climate change and Greenhouse gas emissions as a combination of things that distort our environment as it is today”, the Governor said.

Throwing more light on what he said, the Governor declared, “Scientists are telling us that these threats are real. They are suggesting to us that we may have, probably, misused nature’s gifts. Nature’s gifts include power, electricity, electrical appliances and we should begin to think of how we can reduce when it is necessary to do without them”.

“Now, some of us go out of our houses without switching off our appliances. They run even when we are not there. This is what we are talking about. Instead of having 43 different cars with air-conditioners running to take 43 passengers, we have put one bus for almost a hundred people and therefore we have become more efficient, and that is the message from the Scientists”, the Governor further explained.

Describing the threat of Climate Change as real, Governor Fashola further said, “I am not a Scientist, but all of the scientific evidence say that this is the way we must go if we must survive”, adding, “This is a campaign that must be pursued in the same way we pursue the campaign against AIDS”.

He urged the media to understand that as people who have the privilege to disseminate information they have the greater responsibility towards the people, adding, “The duty that I insist that you owe us is that if we say things, you owe a duty first to help us clarify those things and explain to the public the self-interest and public benefit of what we say”.

On the Electoral Reform, Governor Fashola insisted that what is more fundamental issue is not the amendment to the law, which he described as a set of rules, but compliance to the law, adding, “When we make rules and we don’t make them to work, we have problem”.

“I say, for instance, the elections were conducted under a set of rules. We have seen decisions from various tribunals, making different findings, upholding contentions that in some places elections did not take place, in some places, ballot papers got there late, in some places, there was violence, while in some other places, some people snatched ballot boxes. These are all conducts that are regulated by the electoral law”, the Governor said.

Pointing out that the Electoral Law provides punishment for all the aforementioned offences, Governor Fashola queried, “Now, have we called the people who were entrusted with conducting those elections to account? What happened? That will be the wholesomeness of the Reform”, reiterating that the important thing is to make the rules work.