Skip to main content

The Criminal Contempt By The Junior Petroleum Minister, Timipre Sylva

Chief Timipre Sylva, Nigeria's minister of state for petroleum | MD Magazine
Chief Timipre Sylva, Nigeria's minister of state for petroleum | MD Magazine

Just tonight, on prime time television (Channels) programme monitored by me in Lagos, Timipriye Silva,  a former governor of Bayelsa State and minister of state for petroleum resources, described a sitting judge of the Federal High Court, Yenagoa Division, Hon Justice Ekwo as a “bad egg that deserves to be flushed out of the judiciary”.

I have read earlier in the day that on another radio programme, he variously described her as a “harlot”.

Timipriye Silva is not a party to the case pending before the court and he is not a lawyer to any of the parties. Even at that, it is uncouth and undignified for a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to descend so low in employing gutter language against a sitting judge.

It is the greatest act of contempt against the authority and integrity of the judiciary for a citizen to describe a judicial officer as a bad egg or a harlot, all because a judgment was delivered by the said judge which is considered unfavorable and for which an appeal has already been filed.

We cannot sit by and watch this flagrant desecration of the temple of justice by people who should serve as role models for others.

I therefore urge the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Judicial Council and the Hon Chief Justice of Nigeria, to proceed against Timipriye Silva urgently, until such a time that he is able to purge himself of the contempt brazenly committed against His Lordship, in the due exercise of a judicial function.

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is a human rights lawyer who is a member of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association; chairman of the Justice Sector Reform Programme Commission of the African Bar Association and patron of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okitipupa Branch. 

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Cardinal Ouellet says three out of 10 priests refuse to be a bishop

Cardinal Ouellet says three out of 10 priests refuse to be a bishop Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for the Bishop, states that proportion of priests declining to be bishops has tripled in 10 years Wearing the mitre is not what all priests want. On the contrary, more and more of them refuse the episcopal ordination when offered to them. According to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops responsible for appointment and management of bishops, about three out of 10 priests refuse when asked to be a bishop. This proportion has tripled in a decade, says the Quebec cardinal. "Perhaps it is because they do not feel capable, lack faith, have difficulties in their lives and prefer not to risk harming the Church," the prefect explained to Spanish Catholic newspaper  Vida Nueva. "It is for various reasons that are respectable," he continues, clubbing this phenomenon with the "general crisis of faith." Nevertheless, the numb...

N28million Worth Of Marijuana Seized By NDLEA In Ondo

N28million Worth Of Marijuana Seized By NDLEA In Ondo The Ondo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday said it had seized a total of 14.3 tonnes of Indian hemp in the state. The Federal Government agency also stated that two persons Ohimai Ayodele and Ojeagbese Asabiya have been arrested in connection with the crime. The commander of the NDLEA in the state, Mr. Haruna Gagara, stated this while speaking with journalists at the headquarters of the command in Akure, the state capital. According to him, the joint task force of the agency in Ondo, Edo and Osun states, in collaboration with the men of the Nigeria Army, went for the operation last week and were able to recover bulks of cannabis in some towns and villages at the boundary of Edo and Ondo states. Dagara noted that all the cannabis seized in the area had been destroyed and burnt, adding that the development was part of the outcome of the ‘Operation Thunder Strike IV,’ which launched in the state last ...

The Adelekes Family Photos: Davido AndHis Siblings Pictured With Their Kids And Spouses Lifestyle News

Household Pictures are an important a part of our lives. Our youngsters develop up so rapidly that we typically overlook to seize these moments when they’re nonetheless younger. The next Adeleke’s household images will present you ways stunning Household Pictures over generations may be and the way wonderful it could possibly create these particular reminiscences. The Adeleke household all wore matching outfits as they posed for brand spanking new household images. The picture shoot included Davido’s father Adedeji Adeleke, his children, together with Davido , and their spouses. Chioma, Davido’s fiancee, who simply gave beginning was absent. The grand children had been additionally current within the picture, together with Davido’s daughters, Imade and Hailey. See extra images of the Adelekes beneath. By Sally READ SOURCE REPORT