Governor David Umahi was on Monday bestowed an award as the Infrastructural deity of the twenty-first century by the Faculty of Law Students, Ebonyi State University Abakaliki.
A statement made available to IGBERE TV by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Francis Nwaze said the Governor was presented the award during a LAWSA Dinner at the Christian Ecumenical Centre Abakaliki.
Speaking after being presented with the award by LAWSA as the infrastructural deity of the twenty-first century, Governor Umahi congratulated the LAWSA graduands, one of who is the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Francis Nwifuru for successful completion of their academic programmes.
“Let me congratulate the students for putting this Law Dinner together, I must confess that this is the first time I am attending this kind of Dinner but I cherish the Law Profession.
“Let me also congratulate our Speaker, it is a great feat and I am very proud of the achievement, congratulations. Just a week back, I was in Abuja to ask NUC to register two new Universities for us, that is the University of Aeronautic Engineering and ICT, Science and Technology.
“My heart is more hardened that we are performing, I am coming to the University to develop the Infrastructure, if you don’t like what we are doing, you check elsewhere, they have concluded assessment and they said the best University in Nigeria is the University of Medical Sciences, Uburu.”
Governor Umahi also asked Lawyers to lend their support to the concerted war against fake news in Nigerian society.
“I will be asking the Legal Profession to look at what fake news has done to Nigeria. I can attribute 70% of the insecurity in Nigeria to fake news and that is why we instituted the fake news Law through the House of Assembly.
Governor Umahi however registered his dissatisfaction with the calls for indirect primaries by political parties in the country, saying it would destabilize the Nigeria democracy.
“My position is that it would truncate Nigeria’s democracy, if I were the President, I wouldn’t sign.
“Within the next seventeen months, I am going to pursue the single campus system again, I will prefer to start one Faculty and that is the Faculty of Law and that will be by January, I will also have to give a bus.”
Earlier in an address of welcome, the President, Faculty of Law, Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Miss Jonah Ngozi Precious thanked Governor Umahi and the Management of Ebonyi State University for giving the Law Students enabling learning environment to fulfill their potentials.
“I welcome you all to this wonderful event, I sincerely thank you all for your guidance and patience in the process of grooming us, thank you immensely the Right Honourable Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Francis Nwifuru for your various assistance to the Faculty which ensures that the Faculty is today wearing a new look.”
In an opening remark, the Chairman of the occasion who is the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Chief Cletus Ofoke congratulated the LAWSA students on their successful graduation and Dinner and wished them well in the practice of their profession.
“Your Excellency let me join the LAWSA president to welcome you to this function and to say that this is historic because, since the inception of Law Faculty in EBSU, this is the first time a sitting Governor is attending the Dinner of LAWSA, it, therefore, goes to underscore the importance His Excellency attaches to the Law Profession to the effect that 21 members of the State Executive Council are Lawyers including myself.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, Professor Chigozie Ogbu commended the Students for doing the University and Ebonyi State proud in National and International competitions.
“Your Excellency this is a happy evening because our Law Faculty has done a lot to promote the University, for the past six years, they have won the best prizes in competitions between Law Faculties in Nigeria and beyond.
“We have to deeply appreciate you Your Excellency because, without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today, congratulations to all the graduands one of who is the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly who has distinguished himself throughout his stay in the University.”
In a keynote Speech, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria C. C Nweze lauded Governor Umahi for his developmental strides in the State and called for the integration of separation of powers into the school curriculum.
“Your Excellency we will need someone who would keep up the momentum already in place to succeed you, if that person cannot outperform you, let him not diminish what you have done.
“It is no longer enough to teach separation of powers, democratization in Africa has become an issue and it needs to go into your curriculum.
In a paper presentation titled “the concept of separation of powers, the limitations of competencies between the body of the State”, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Arthur Obi Okafor said:
“The doctrine of separation of power was established to ensure there is rule of law in a democracy, our constitution provides clearly for separation of powers if there isn’t separation of powers, it means power would be concentrated in one individual and that would result in arbitrary exercise of powers.
He commended Governor David Nweze Umahi for the massive transformation of the State and urged him to keep up his zeal to carve a niche for himself in Leadership.
“I must commend His Excellency for what you are doing in Ebonyi State, you have done well and what you have onboard compares to none in the Country and I keep asking where is His Excellency getting the money and you don’t even have any big market in Ebonyi State.
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