Insulting the president is not an offense.

As the trial of the leader of Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu continues, he was before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial  division on Thursday, 21st of October, 2021 where seven amended charges was brought against him. One of the charges was quite controversial and has gained wild attention of people including that of the media forcing people to ask if insulting the president is a crime or an offense provided for under any Nigerian law 

The controversial second count reads;

Count Two:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult, of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area ot Abia State, on or about the 28th April, 2015 in London, United Kingdom did broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu, Enugu State and other parts of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, referred to Major General Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a pedophile, a terrorist, an idiot and an embodiment of evil, knowing same to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C. 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Was the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu under that Count Two actually charged for insulting the president of Nigeria who is a public official?, Is it really a crime or an offense provided in Nigerian law(s) to insult the president, the Governor or any other public official?

S.375 of the Criminal Code Act which they count two charge was brought under reads;

Publication of defamatory matter
Subject to the provisions of this Chapter, any person who publishes any defamatory matter, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year; and any person who publishes any defamatory matter knowing it to be false, is liable to imprisonment for two years.

It is therefore pertinent that the misconceptions be cleared that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was not charged for insulting the president as many believed but he was charged under that count for the publication of defamation which is punishable under s.375 of the Criminal Code Act.

Insulting the president, state Governor or any other public official is not an offense provided under any Nigerian law and according to s.36(12) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, nobody should be charged or punished for any offense or alleged offense that is not provided for in any extant law in Nigeria.

So people should note that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was not charged under count two for insulting the president rather for publication of defamatory statements.

It has been held in plethora of cases by the court that a public official cannot sue while in office for insults or derogatory statements made against his person. In the case of OMEGA BANK PLC V GOVT OF EKITI STATE (2007) 16 NWLR (PT. 1061) 445 AT 478 – 479 PARA. E (CA), the Court held that “…in view of the personal nature of libel actions, public officers have no right to sue or be sued for libel. In the instant case, the respondent being public officers had no right of action in libel”,” he said in a statement.

“The idea that an organ of government or public officers cannot sue for defamation is premised on the ground that state resources must never be deployed against citizens to intimidate them into silence.

“It will be against the public interest for government/public officers to use the tax paid by the people to institute actions against them in libel. If right of action is granted to the government /public officers to maintain an action in libel.” the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression will be curtailed.

The rest of the charges brought against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) read;

Count One:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male adult of Afaraukwu lbeku Umahia North Local Government Area of Abia State being the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on diverse dates in 2014 and 2015 in London, United Kingdom, did broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu and other areas within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, preparations made by you and others now at large for states in the South-East and South-South zones and other communities in Kogi and Benue States to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to constituting same into the Republic of Biafra and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41(c) of the Criminal Code Act, CAP. C77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Count Two:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult, of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area ot Abia State, on or about the 28th April, 2015 in London, United Kingdom did broadcast on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu, Enugu State and other parts of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, referred to Major General Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a paedophile, a terrorist, an idiot and an embodiment of evil, knowing same to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C. 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Three:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male adult of Afaraukwu lbeku Umahia North Local Government Area of Abia State between the month of March and April 2015 imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulusiuzor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra state within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court , a Radio transmitter known as TRAM 50L concealed in a container of used household which you declared as used household items and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 47 (2) of the Criminal Code of Act ,Cap C45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Count Four:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult. of Afaraukwu iIbeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State in London, United Kingdom between 2018 and 2021 Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu, Enugu State and FCT, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, professed to be a member of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed organisation in Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16 Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.

Count Five:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult, of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State on the 22th of April, 2021 in London, United Kingdom on Radio Biafra monitored in Enugu, Enugu State and other parts of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did an act of terrorism in that you incite the other members (followers) of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB}, a proscribed organisation in Nigeria, to look for security personnel, their family members through a Radio Biafra on 102.1FM monitored through the IPOB Community Radio and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (2) (h) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act.

Count Six:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult, of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia Stale on the 16thh of May, 2021, in London, United Kingdom within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did commit an act in furtherance of an act of terrorism by making a broadcast that “In 2 weeks’ time, what will happen will shake the world, people will die, the whole world will stand still, mark my word” and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (2) (b) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.

Count Seven:
That you Nnamdi Kanu, male, adult, of Afaraukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State on the 31st of May, 2021, in London, United Kingdom within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did an act in furtherance of an act of terrorism by issuing a deadly threat that anyone who flouted your sit-at-home order should “write his/her will,” as a result banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, fuel stations were not opened for businesses and vehicular movements grounded and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1 (2) (b) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.

The accused pleaded not guilty on the seven count charges and the matter was adjourned till 10th November, 2021.

The last time I checked, countless individuals cum entities across the global community had derailed as regards interpretation of the real essence of time in man’s everyday life.

Oftentimes, a lot of questions had been raised in respect of time. Amazingly, on most occasions, people failed to tender the apt answer to the enquiries, hence this topic. It deserves unalloyed attention, because it is targeted to address several anomalies concerning time management.

We cannot shy away from discussions pertaining to time management if we are really determined to excel, or distinguish ourselves, in our various field of endeavour. It would shock, or perhaps surprise, you to note that adequate time management is arguably the secret behind most successes recorded by mankind.

In his words, Baltasar Gracian said “All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that.” This intends to inform us that with time, one can attain to any height in accordance with his or her aspiration. And, the time itself ‘belongs to us’, meaning literally we can make use of it the way and manner we desire.

Frankly, our inability to utilize our time properly has been the prime reason we have failed on various occasions. It’s noteworthy that most of us are still lagging behind when it comes to utilization of time. Those who fall in this bracket can never move ahead, even a bit, until they fully comprehend how best to manage their time.

An associate of mine, years ago, missed a contract worth millions of naira owing to his inability to abide by the time stipulated in the invitation. He was asked via a text message to report to the firm by exactly nine O’clock in the morning. But as a result of the ‘African time’ mentality, he didn’t take the time seriously, thus arriving at some minutes past ten.

He was, however, granted the interview as planned. He reportedly performed very well after all said and done. But surprisingly, the Human Resources Manager (HRM) said to his face “Mister Ken, you are truly qualified for this job but I am afraid of one thing.”

When he tried to ascertain what informed the HRM’s fear, he was rightly told that the company was not ready to engage or contract anyone that believes in African time. That was how they deprived him of the golden opportunity.

William Penn opined “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” Most people spend most of, or virtually all, their time catching funs or engaging in frivolities. They do so, forgetting time waits for no one. Jef  Mallett wisely asserted “If time flies when you are having fun, it hits the afterburners when you don’t think you are having enough.”

It was the famous Nigerian musician, Mike Okiri that sang in the vernacular “Time na money.” In the song, he implored people to use their time judiciously, stressing that good things do not fall from heaven but are acquired by hard work.

Little wonder John Kennedy counselled “We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch”. Among all, it is pertinent to acknowledge that “Lost time is never found again” as opined by Benjamin Franklin.

Hence, we are charged to always take into cognizance that time is invariably of the essence when carrying out any task. This signifies that it is an inevitable tool designed for mankind to be managed and used towards actualizing a conceived goal.

So, no matter how much we make an effort to steer clear of time, we can never succeed. Rather, we will only end up hurting ourselves. It suffices to assert that one who plays with his/her time has played with the future.

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” This was tendered by Maria Edgeworth, and I concur. She was trying to argue that if we properly handle our present situation, the future will certainly have nothing to fear for. It’s crucial to understand it is only adequate management of time that can enable us to conquer the challenges of today, thereby paving the way for a better tomorrow.

On a daily basis, we are expected to schedule our respective useful activities or consignments, and never play with any of the items in the timetable. Each of the items therein must be given a certain time frame, and you must consciously work not to abuse the schedule. Similarly, if you are working on any project, endeavor to prepare a Gantt chart for it, to guide you as long as the journey lasts. This is a keyword to success for those who truly intend to succeed.

It would interest us to acknowledge that, even those we look up to still don’t joke with their time in spite of the level or height they have already attained. Survey shows that successful individuals are more conscious of their time than the incoming ones. This is because, out of experience, they have realized how powerful the said tool is. This is why each time you see them, their eyes are on their wrist watch.

It’s, therefore, on this note I urge us to invariably bear in mind that time is the conqueror of everything under the Sun, hence the need to adore it. Yes, we must adore and cherish it candidly and strongly, if there’s really a goal to achieve.

At this point, I leave you with the words of Philip Stanhope that says “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it… Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”

You have all it takes to be in control of your precious time. So, you shouldn’t allow the reverse to be the case. Do not let your time control you, else you will live your entire life to regret your steps. It only takes proper planning to adequately handle or manage the situation. This implies we must always be mindful of how we plan our schedules.

The time has surely and obviously come for us to treat our time with absolute seriousness, if truly we are determined to arrive at the desired destination as it’s being scheduled.