Femi Falana
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring June 12 the brand new democracy day in honour of MKO Abiola.
He stated the President reserves the appropriate to confer nationwide honour on any credible Nigerian each useless or alive.
The seasoned Lawyer stated this in response to the disparaging assertion made by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore that his posthumous conferment of Nigeria’s highest nationwide honour, GCFR on Abiola was unlawful.
Buhari discovered Abiola worthy of this title as a result of, he supposedly received the June 12th 1993 presidential election.
While, tackling Belgore, Falana made it identified that the previous CJN did not nack his claims with the National Honours Act or some other regulation famous within the structure that the President could have violated.
He stated, “With profound respect to the Honourable Justice Alfa Belgore, the National Honours Act has not prohibited or restricted the powers of the president to confer nationwide honours on deserving Nigerian residents, useless or alive.
“No doubt, paragraph 2 of the Honours Warrant made pursuant to the National Honours Act offers that ‘a person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an order when he receives from the president in person, at an investiture held for the purpose…’
“But paragraph 3 thereof has given the president the unqualified discretion ‘to dispense with the requirement of paragraph 2 in such manner as may be specified in the direction. Therefore, since the national awards conferred on Chief Abiola and Chief Fawehinmi cannot be received by them in person the president may permit their family members to receive same on their behalf.”
Falana, former lawyer to deceased human rights activist and Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, additionally dispelled claims that Buhari’s declaration of June 12 as democracy day was unlawful as a result of he didn't search the approval from the National Assembly.
He defined, “Furthermore, part 2 (1) of the Public Holidays Act stipulates that along with the vacations talked about within the schedule to the act, the president could appoint a special occasion to be saved as a public vacation both all through Nigeria or in any half thereof.
“It is crystal clear that the president is not required by law to seek and obtain the approval of the national assembly before declaring a public holiday in the country.”