Femi Falana Urges Tinubu To Lead By Example

[Shola joshua]

Prominent human rights advocate and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on President Bola Tinubu to set a leadership example by ensuring that Nigeria fully complies with the judgments of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

Falana made this statement in response to remarks made by President Tinubu during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.

At the event, Tinubu — who currently serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government — praised the regional bloc’s dedication to democratic values, highlighting the ECOWAS Parliament and Court of Justice as symbols of accountability and citizen-focused governance.

However, Falana, a former President of the West African Bar Association (WABA), criticized the current state of affairs in the region, stating, “With respect, the ECOWAS leaders have failed to uphold democratic norms and the rule of law. Hence, the region continues to witness unconstitutional changes of government.”

He particularly condemned the widespread non-compliance with ECOWAS Court decisions, noting that several member states have failed to implement court rulings. As of December 2024, Nigeria leads the list with 44 unenforced judgments, followed by Togo with 27, Guinea with 15, Mali with 10, and Sierra Leone with 9.

Falana pointed out the irony that some former heads of state who had previously ignored the court’s decisions—including Charles Taylor (Liberia), Laurent Gbagbo (Côte d’Ivoire), Boni Yayi (Benin), Mamadou Tanja (Niger), and Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso)—later turned to the same ECOWAS Court to seek protection of their human rights after leaving office.

“In 2014, Nigeria designated the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as the competent authority for enforcing ECOWAS Court judgments,” Falana said. “It is embarrassing that Nigeria, under President Tinubu’s leadership as ECOWAS Chairman, is now the worst violator.”

The senior lawyer called on President Tinubu to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to enforce all outstanding court judgments immediately. He stressed that doing so would help restore Nigeria’s credibility, strengthen the rule of law, and reinforce ECOWAS’s legal integrity.

 

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