A former Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Monday Ubani, has said the order by Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, that anybody found on the street without wearing a face mask would be flogged is barbaric.

The lawyer also said it was reprehensible the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, had made a similar pronouncement earlier.

Ubani, in a statement released on Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 said the governors’ pronouncement was unconstitutional, since it was not backed by any existing law in Nigeria.

Ubani said,

It will be an absurdity taken to the highest pinnacle to permit the executive that executes laws made by the legislature to begin to enact laws and creates offences in the state as being canvassed by some persons who ought to know. It is a criminal breach of the separation of powers as enshrined in our constitution to suggest and approve that in our land.

Much as we agree that the times we are in are not normal and require every hand on deck to stem the tide of the spread of the dangerous virus, we must not allow the birth and delivery of monarchs in Nigeria as governors who will never know when to stop even after we have successfully curtailed this virus.

It is a fact that over 90 per cent of the state governors have failed their people woefully at this critical time to provide the necessary palliatives to cushion the biting effect of hardship occasioned by the lockdown that has become their lot due to the coronavirus pandemic. It becomes a double and tragic jeopardy for the same governments that have failed in their responsibility towards their people to inflict more pain and hardship by prescribing verbal punishment for not wearing face masks that ordinarily should be provided free of charge to the citizens.

To impose unwritten criminal liability on these hapless citizens is not only inhumane but sheer show of wickedness in high places.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.