By the judgment delivered yesterday by his Lordship, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High court sitting in Abuja, the court sacked the incumbent governor of Ebonyi state, Mr. David Umahi with his deputy and ordered them to vacate the seats and stop parading themselves as the governor and deputy governor of the state for the fact that they dumped the political party (PDP) under which they were elected for another political party (APC).

While I as a lawyer and a co-minister in the temple of justice lauds the courage of my Lordship, Justice Inyang Ekwo for always taking the lead and setting the precedents in numerous notable landmark political and constitutional cases, this kind of judgment is the one we in the legal profession do refer to as “judicial activism” and it is highly commendable especially in a country like Nigeria where the judiciary is yet to be financially autonomous and totally free from the executives always trying to use money and material things as bait to swing judgements to their directions.

This judgment whether or not upheld on appeal by the court of appeal and by the Supreme Court (which it’s decisions are the “finale” in every matter originating from any court in Nigeria) will in no doubt restore some sense of decency in our political atmosphere and ameliorate  the act of political prostitution/harlotry that have been the order of the day in the political arena right from the inception of the latest democracy in Nigeria in 1999.

Politicians jump from one political party to another at will, politicians in Nigeria have reduced the act of politics to what the street parlance refers to as “hookup”. Yes, our politicians are into the act of “political hookups”; they spend the night with Party A today and tomorrow they can decide to take party B home for another one night stand, the next day Party C will be the love of their life to share the bed with, the day after next, they could decide to jump back to party A for another love affair.  It is all just a marriage of convenience and they are not ashamed of it. This exposes the ideological deficiencies and the lack of integrity of those that occupy the helms of power of Nigeria

By this judgment, politicians will be forced to seat up and always think it through before they decamp to and fro one political party to another; by this judgment, if upheld after appellate scrutiny, Executives and legislatures will be put on judicial check; you either decamp and lose your political seat or you remain in the political party under which platform you were elected and trash out your internal party grievances (if there’s any) and you don’t just run when the boat appears to be sinking or when your selfish interest are not been met. 

Section 221 of the constitution which the honorable justice hinged a better part of  his judgment on is succinct that no candidate shall stand elected or even go into the electoral arena without coming under or fielded by a political party and by that reason, when you stand elected, you stand elected because of the political party that fielded you and that vote does not belong to you, rather it belongs to the political party on whose platform you got elected on, so once you decamped or dump the political  platform you also dump the votes that got you elected into that political office you are occupying. 

….this is not as simple as it appears but that is the narrow interpretation the courts have given that section of the constitution.

If this judgment is to see the light of the day, Governors like Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers state who was elected for his second term in office under the PDP but dumped the party for the APC may logically be inferred to be sacked too and other politicians who dumped the party they got elected on but are still occupying the political seats can only be regarded as impostors and meddlesome interlopers. 

This and many more reasons; especially restoring some sense of decency, sanity and putting a check on the act of political prostitution/ party hookups in the political arena of Nigeria is the reason why this judgment of my Lordship should stand. 

Politics in Nigeria as I earlier pointed out is just a marriage of convenience and it exposes the selfishness and greedy nature of politicians; a politician whose manifesto and political ideologies claim to be in synchrony with the political platform under which he is canvassing for votes and to be elected on cannot get elected and decide to ditch the political platform, ditching both the political ideologies and manifestos; this proves that the so called politicians have no political ideology at the first stance, it’s all “cut and join” politics. 

Although, keeping sentiments aside, with all due respect, this judgment of my Lordship is marred with a lot of constitutional deficiencies which could make it not to stand after appellate scrutiny and may likely be reversed on appeal by the appellate courts but that concerns and constitutional deficiencies will be addressed in a rejoinder to this piece where a thorough and broader look will be taken on the constitution and the electoral act of 2010 which was just amended some days back and some notable landmark cases which have appeared to be the  judicial precedents on electoral/constitutional matters of this nature.

Tourism has conspicuously emerged as one of the major Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) sources across the global community, and is fast becoming the most highly-rated factor for societal development.

Tourism has over the years showcased its huge capacity in the area of job creation and human capital development, yet it’s often undervalued. Survey reliably reveals that tourism presently provides about 15 percent of the entire world’s jobs.

In spite of the above revelation, it’s appalling that the tourism sector of most countries across the global community, particularly on the African continent, is currently moribund or forgotten.

It’s noteworthy that observing a beautifully-looking environment remains one of the prime desires of every sane being. This is the reason every able-bodied man works assiduously to ensure that his or her immediate surroundings appear enticingly.

Tourism as an area of life or human endeavour is a sector that has over the decades pays an optimum attention to how attractive our surroundings look. This makes the area globally recognized.

Concisely, tourism is the business activity connected with provision of accommodation, entertainment, and other hospitable services for people who are visiting a place for pleasure. In other words, a tourist can be described as a person who is traveling or visiting a certain locality for the sake of pleasure.

Tourism has been proven to be an outstanding industry that can guarantee absolute relaxation for mankind irrespective of background. This implies that no one is exempted when it calls for the essence of tourism among mankind.

In the past, our various heritages were being used by our ancestors as a means of entertaining themselves, and their guests. Presently, the tourism industry has shown that these endowments can equally be utilized as business ventures by upgrading them to international standard.

Noting the positive impact of the tourism industry the world over, it is of no need reiterating that it has contributed massively to the socio-economic development of most nations in existence.

Analysts are of the view that the industry currently represents about eleven (11%) of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and that it is a key revenue sector for developing and emerging economies.

Indeed, tourism plays a very vital role in building blocks of a more sustainable future for all, which is community development. Above all, it is widely acknowledged for its capacity to respond to global challenges.

In view of this, there is an urgent need for Nigeria and she likes to follow suit to ensure that the world tourism industry that helps to foster global unity and complete rest of mind is granted preferential treatment at all cost.

Nigeria can aptly key into the movement by ensuring that her countless socio-cultural resources are optimally rejuvenated. This proposed measure would not only help to encourage the world tourism industry, but would go a long way to elevate the country’s Gross National Product (GNP), thus strengthening her ongoing sagging economy.

More so, as the world is fast embracing technology and its numerous benefits, it’s imperative for the concerned authorities to consider how to aptly deploy tech measures towards harnessing and showcasing the country’s countless tourism potentials.

To actualize this, we need to first acknowledge the impact of tech on our various activities. Then, we can proceed in engaging capable hands that truly understand the nitty-gritty of the said tool with a view to inculcating it into the sector in question.

Hence, the cognoscenti must be well consulted for the way forward. Also, we must reconsider the country’s policy direction in the area of tourism to ensure that tech measures are duly enshrined therein.

Nigeria as an independent state is made up of over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, and each of these groups is tremendously blessed with various socio-cultural endowments.

These cultural resources including dancing, masquerading, dressing, hunting, fishing, wrestling, and molding of sculptures, just to mention but a few, if well harnessed, would definitely help to revive the nation’s tourism sector, thereby boosting her socio-economic ego.

The United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) held in 2012 emphasized that well-designed and appropriately managed tourism can make a significant contribution to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

Tourism, which remains one of the world’s largest economic sectors, was specially well-placed to promote environmental sustainability, green-growth, and human struggle against climate change through its relationship with energy.

Hence, we are all expected to contribute our quota toward ensuring that our respective environments or surroundings become globally recognized as attractive and human friendly localities, so that generations yet unborn would  live to remember that an attractive environment is a society we all yearn for.

The truth remains that everywhere in Nigeria bears tourism potentials, thus all that is required of the government, among other concerned stakeholders, is to swing into action headlong with the sole aim of doing the needful.

The authorities are, therefore, encouraged to revisit the existing policies guiding the country’s tourism sector with a view to making amends where need be. Apt policy formulation and implementation as well as formidable maintenance culture are other inevitable factors.

It’s high time the country quit retrogressive debates and discussions regarding tourism towards focusing solely on progressive ones with a view to attaining the needed heights.

All in all, it’s noteworthy that the goal cannot be duly actualized if the concerned authorities continue to relegate technological potentials to the background.