I’ll govern according to constitution, rule of law – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has promised to govern according to the Nigerian constitution and the rule of law, a promised departure from the path toed by his predecessor.

Mr Tinubu gave the assurance at his inauguration on Monday, promising that respect for the constitution and the rule of law will underpin his economic programmes.

Mr Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, made a similar promise at his inauguration in 2015.

But within the first seven months, the Buhari administration descended into the fray of violation of rights with the massacre of Shiites in Zaria, Kaduna States, and serial violations of court orders.

In the first few months in office, the Buhari administration disobeyed a series of court orders granting bail to a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and the leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

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This attitude became a defining feature of the administration, sustaining a culture of defiance of court orders and disregard for the rule of law throughout his eight-year rule.

In its dying days in office, the Buhari administration pursued an unpopular naira swapping policy in arrogant insensitivity to untold hardship it brought on millions of Nigerians.

Unmoved by the suffering of Nigerians, Mr Buhari for weeks refused to obey a Supreme Court order that directed him and the Central Bank of Nigeria to recognise the legal tender status of old naira notes they had withdrawn from circulation without adequate replacement with their new versions.

The final decision of the Supreme Court on the matter, in March, adjudged Mr Buhari a violator of the court order, a description that he serially exhibited in his eight years in office.

Mr Tinubu, who belongs to the same party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – as Mr Buhari, took over the reins of power on Monday with many of the issues, including the naira crisis, and Nnamdi Kanu situation, still unresolved.

In what appears to be Mr Tinubu’s plan to toe a different path, the new president said he would base his economic policies on the rule of law and security, with the participation of women and the youth.

He said, “In the coming days and weeks, my team will publicly detail key aspects of our programme. Today, permit me to outline in broad terms a few initiatives that define our concept of progressive good governance in furtherance of the Nigerian ideal:

“The principles that will guide our administration are simple:

“Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.

“We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our subregion.

“We shall remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.

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“In our administration, Women and youth will feature prominently.

“Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.”