A cross-section of Nigerians has lauded the acting president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for firing the director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura.
Osinbajo had relieved Daura of his appointment following the invasion of the national assembly complex by some masked DSS operatives in the early hours of Tuesday.
During the siege to the legislative assembly premises, the security personnel who said they were acting based “on order from above” barred lawmakers, journalists and national assembly were barred from entering.
Consequently, Osinbajo sacked Daura and replaced him with Bayelsa State-born Matthew Seiyefa as the acting director of the service.
Reacting to the sack, the former vice president and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Atiku Abubakar saluted the acting president for “halt the illegal and anti-democratic siege” to the national assembly.
In a statement by his media office on Tuesday, Atiku urged all Nigerians to eschew their partisan differences and rally round the acting president.
He also called for an “independent judicial panel of inquiry to investigate Tuesday’s incidence at the national assembly and get to the root of the matter so that those responsible can be identified and punished.”
“These are delicate times for Nigeria and all lovers of democracy and the rule of law must be extra watchful, lest anti-democratic forces take advantage of all we have worked hard to build,” he said.
Also, the senator representing Bayelsa East, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce said Osinbajo “has won the hearts of Nigerians by firing DSS boss.”
In a tweet, Bruce said “Acting President @ProfOsinbajo, has won the hearts of Nigerians by disassociating himself from the anti democratic tendencies of some within the Buhari government. By firing the DG of the DSS, Osinbajo has restored the hope of Nigerians in our democracy https://t.co/6gRMTMHBWo
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) August 7, 2018
In his reaction, former deputy director general of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Ernest Ojukwu, said Osinbajo had renewed great hope that “our democracy shall survive.”
“I am excited to be counted as a Nigerian, a lawyer and a law teacher by this example of leadership by our acting president.
“I urge all Nigerians, the Nigerian Bar Association inclusive, to play more proactive roles in protecting our democracy, the rule of law and human rights. We should not allow a few men and women to destroy our country by impunity.”
Also reacting, another lawyer, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo commended the acting president “for standing up for the supremacy of the rule of law at this difficult phase of Nigeria’s nascent democracy.”
“All lovers of democracy must support him in his decisive action on the unlawful takeover of the national assembly,” said Oyetibo in a statement.
