The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ordered Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, a lawmaker representing Akure South/North Federal Constituency of the Ondo State to immediately vacate his seat following his defection from the Labour Party, (which was the political party that sponsored his election and under which he was elected as lawmaker into the federal House of Representatives) to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The supreme court in its unanimous judgement held that the lawmaker who decamped from the Labour Party to the Action congress of Nigeria (now All Progressive Congress) is constitutionally unfit to retain his seat as a federal lawmaker in the federal House of Representatives.

The federal House of Representatives member dumped the Labour Party for the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2011 for the claim that there was an internal party crisis in the Labour Party which forced him to leave the party for the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). 

The Labour Party had gone to court praying the court to declare Hon. Ifedayo’s seat vacant in line with s. 68(1) (g) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which provides that “a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if- being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected”. 

By the implication of this section of the constitution, any lawmaker (be it a senator or House of Representatives member) who dumps his political party, a party under which he was elected, shall vacate his seat at the lawmaking house. 

To this effect, In a unanimous judgement yesterday of the seven manned bench of the Apex Court, the court declared that Hon. Ifedayo  Abegunde by the reason of his decamping  from the Labour Party to the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, is constitutionally unfit to remain in the legislative house and he was mandated to vacate his seat.

The apex court upheld the previous judgments of both the federal high court where the case originated from and the court of appeal which has in its earlier judgments held that the lawmaker should vacate his seat in line with s.68 of the constitution. 

It has ostensibly become compelling for the Nigerian society as a country to look inwards towards discovering her entire natural resources lying within the shores of the country with a view to harnessing them towards economic rejuvenation.

It’s noteworthy that some of the common natural resources on earth are land, water, sunlight, atmosphere, wind, coupled with animal life and vegetation. A natural resource may exist as a separate entity like fresh water and air as well as a living organism such as fish, or it might exist in an alternate form, which must be processed to obtain the required resource to include petroleum, metal, ores, and most forms of energy.

It’s noteworthy that some, including air and sunlight, can be found everywhere, and are known as ‘ubiquitous resources’. Whilst, most resources only occur in restricted areas, and are referred to as ‘localized resources’.

There are very few resources that are considered inexhaustible – these are solar radiation, geothermal energy, and air, though access to pure air may not be possible.

The vast majority of resources are theoretically exhaustible, which means they have a finite quantity and can be depleted if improperly managed; a good example of this is petroleum. Such finite resources required a sound policy and regulation, to be implemented by the concerned government, towards their preservation.

It’s pertinent to acknowledge that every manmade product consists of one or two natural resources. Suffice it to say that everything required or used by mankind constitutes, at least, a natural resource. In most cases, some of these resources such as air and water, are directly utilized or consumed by man without processing them.

The above outlined phenomenon proves beyond doubts that humankind cannot survive or strive successfully, as the case may be, without natural resources. This assertion is not unconnected with the reason every rational government makes frantic effort toward adequate use and preservation of the natural resources found within its country.

In Nigeria, hundreds of natural resources abound, in which each state including Abuja is a beneficiary. Some of these resources are petroleum, tantalite, lead, zinc, glass-sand, copper, gemstone, crystal, oil/gas, bitumen, phosphate, gold, coal, clay, salt, gypsum, iron-ore, uranium, and limestone, in addition to sunlight, wind, land, water, vegetation and air that are ubiquitous in nature.

Some of the aforementioned substances can enable any country to massively embark on agriculture, and attain to any desired height. Nigeria does not possess just land, but a well fertile land that can produce crops in any quantity and quality. Its vegetation and atmosphere is equally invariably good enough to raise every kind of animal life, including wildlife.

Though crop and livestock farming used to be the talk of the day in the Nigerian society, it’s sad to note that currently such lucrative occupation is being relegated to the background owing to over-reliance on mono-resource, petroleum.

It’s really high time we as a people desisted from this irritating high level of dependency that has eaten deep into our socio-economic bone marrow, especially at this time the crude oil price has globally fallen.

Proper utilization of clay alone can take the country’s tourism industry, that’s presently moribund, to enviable heights. Same is applicable to the use of other similar compounds or metals that are in abundance across the federation, to include uranium, limestone, and gold.

In the same vein, it is disheartening that an essential mineral resource like coal has, over the decades, been swept under the carpet; coal can be used to produce energy, both in the form of heat and electricity.

It’s mind-boggling to hear that a country like Nigeria that can boast of abundant sunlight, wind and what have you, is still battling on how to generate steady and reliable electricity, whilst countries like the U.S.A blessed with just a limited amount of the resources, are experiencing uninterruptible power supply.

Away from energy; it could be observed that our forest reserves that could produce enough timber for importation, are currently wearing a pathetic physiognomy as a result of docile policies.

Indeed, Nigeria is densely endowed with various lucrative natural resources, but it’s very sad that the governments at all levels are not doing enough as regards the adequate use and conservation of the resources; hence, this calls for drastic turnaround via deployment of genuine political will.

Now that the sale of petroleum resources is no longer booming, it’s high time we retraced our steps toward ensuring that each of the available resources is thoroughly harnessed for the needed economic emancipation.

The government really needs to ensure adequate conservation and sustenance of these natural resources, through implementation of strict and viable policies cum laws, and their proper enforcement.

Most of these needed policies such as Land Use and Forests Reserve Acts, which were duly upheld in the past, are presently abused or overlooked in various quarters.

We need to urgently revive them, make apt amends where necessary, as well as introduce new ones toward attaining the required emancipation of the country’s economy, which is currently in a dilapidated state.

On the other hand, individuals on their parts, ought to equally think outside the box with a view to diversifying their respective sources of income to avert the foreseen state of doom. The good news is that, if the needful is done, this will surely be regarded as a blessing in disguise in no distant time.

So, as hunger looms in the Nigerian land, the concerned authorities must henceforth act accordingly, else the citizenry might be headed for doom.

The issue the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is having at the moment with the suspended Lagos state Branch Chairman Mr. Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo which is negatively affecting the security buildup of the country especially that of Lagos state can only be likened to a proverbial tree branch that has grown bigger that the main tree itself.

MC Oluomo has in many times been accused for insubordination by the national body and doing things that are not in line with the body’s modus operandi and this led to his suspension by the national body. He refused to honour the punishment that was melted on him and refused to step down. He’s quoted to have said that he’d rather go to war with the national body than to step down as the chairman of the Lagos state branch of the NURTW.

The internal crisis amongst the leadership of the NURTW and its members ought not to be the concern of an average Nigerian or even the government but it is not a news that the suspended branch chairman of Lagos state is very powerful and has a lot of manpower at his disposal that are ready forceful enforce his wishes and cause mayhem if need be, he has been using this to threaten the body and the government and this has been causing a lot of security breach in most part of the Lagos state. 

This is so serious that the Commissioner of Police of Lagos state had to make security exigencies for this; The CP ordered for more security beef up in anticipated areas of the mainland of Lagos in which it appears MC Oluomo “manpowered boys” are scattered all over.  

The NURTW as a body known for advocating for  peace should look for a way to ameliorate the situation and settle their internal crisis instead of dragging the whole country into it and exposing citizens to more security threats.

We know that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is just an interesting baptismal name for motor park thugs and “agberos” who were able to come under a union to protect their interests, so much was never expected of them but the security threat this their leadership tussle could expose the whole country to should never be taken likely.

This is also a clarion call to Mr. Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, if he is really a nationalist and a leader who have been able to transcend from just a roadside and motor park thug to one of the respected figures in Lagos state he should call his boys order to shield their sword and try to obey the directives of the NURTW at the national level, the national level is definitely high above the state level and this should not lead to unnecessary security breach that could lead to loss of lives and properties.