Human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has pledged to take on cases of oppression and abuse on a pro bono basis to ensure that no oppressed Nigerian goes to bed feeling unable to defend their rights because they cannot afford a lawyer.
Adeyanju, who expressed his intention to dedicate his time, resources, and legal expertise to combating corruption, emphasized that corruption had permeated nearly all aspects of national life, and stressed that there was no better time than the present to confront this issue.
The activist revealed this in a statement released on Wednesday, stating that he would regularly encourage the relevant security agencies to investigate corruption allegations. Also, in cases where they failed to act, he would seek orders of mandamus to compel them to fulfill their duties. He also mentioned seeking fiats from the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute corruption cases.
The statement partly reads, "A few years ago, following my desire to impact the human rights space in Nigeria and protect the rights of the oppressed, I took the difficult decision to go back to school and earn a degree in law. Though the process was gruelling, resource and time consuming, I am happy that the dream that was conceived a long time ago has now come to fruition.
"As I join the largest bar in Africa and become a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, today, my commitment to Nigerians is that I will use the knowledge and instrument of the law to advocate for the downtrodden, the oppressed and all those who are unable to speak out or defend themselves.
"I will take up human rights cases on pro bono basis and ensure that no oppressed Nigerian goes to bed unable to defend his God given and Constitutional rights because he could not afford a lawyer.
"Recognising the important role of the judiciary in the life of our nation, I will advocate for an increment in the salaries of all judicial officers across board. It is indeed shameful that while governors, lawmakers and even their aides earn humongous amounts under a four year term, members of the judiciary who have dedicated their entire life to doing justice to all manner of persons earn peanuts.
"A judiciary where a Supreme Court Justice earns barely N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) per month is a judiciary vulnerable to corruption. I will use the instrumentality of the law to advocate that no Supreme Court justice should earn less than N15,000,000 (Fifteen Million Naira) per month.
"I will commit my time, resources and knowledge of the law to the fight against corruption. In almost all areas of our national life, corruption has become pervasive and there is no better time than now for us to confront this monster.
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"I will, as often as possible urge the relevant security agencies to investigate allegations of corruptions and where they fail to do so, I will seek orders of mandamus compelling them to do their jobs, as well as fiats from Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute corruption cases.
"I will continuously seek the interpretation of knotty constitutional issues that affects the life of our nation and the wellbeing of its citizens. My fidelity to the Constitution and the Nigerian people will remain my guiding light in all I do. I commit to use my license and knowledge of the law for the benefit of all Nigerians.
"Lastly, I thank all those who have played one role or the other in bringing this dream to fruition," the statement added.
