Dr. Austin Orette has warned that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful development while the rule of law is routinely ignored and citizens’ properties are confiscated without due process.

Writing from Houston, Texas, Dr. Orette argued that successive Nigerian governments have treated the rule of law as an inconvenience, using demolitions and arbitrary policies as tools of “development” while ignoring the courts. He stressed that “the greater part of development is the upholding of the rule of law and justice.”

According to Dr. Orette, the government’s disregard for citizens’ rights and laws has fueled insecurity, anarchy, and economic stagnation. He criticized the National Assembly for failing to repeal outdated military-era decrees, citing the Land Use Decree passed under Olusegun Obasanjo as an example of laws that have allowed the confiscation of properties without judicial oversight.

Dr. Orette also highlighted the untapped potential of Nigerians in the diaspora, who remit over $25 billion annually but are largely ignored by a government that fails to guarantee legal protection and investment security. He pointed out that countries like China and India leveraged their diaspora to achieve rapid development, something Nigeria has yet to emulate.

He condemned the corruption within Nigeria’s judiciary and political class, asserting that “the criminals who should be in jail are in high positions enacting laws to imprison the people,” and described lawyers as “high priests in the court of Herod” more concerned with bribes than justice.

For Dr. Orette, true progress is not in roads or bridges, but in cultivating a culture of justice and the rule of law. “Development is not a gift you impose on people. It is a process that is necessary for the survival of a people,” he said, warning that without legal reform, Nigeria will remain trapped in underdevelopment despite infrastructure projects.

What You Should Know:

  • Dr. Orette links Nigeria’s underdevelopment to weak enforcement of the rule of law.

  • Arbitrary property confiscations and corrupt institutions have deterred economic growth.

  • Diaspora Nigerians represent a potential source of investment that remains underutilized.

Why This Matters:
Dr. Orette’s analysis raises urgent questions about governance, justice, and economic strategy in Nigeria, suggesting that without reform, infrastructure projects alone cannot lift the nation out of stagnation.