A HARSH verdict was delivered yesterday on the Obasanjo administration's human rights record by Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN) who also warned that after the National Assembly probes, "nobody who runs foul of the law will be spared, no matter how highly placed."

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The minister said the past administration was "lawless" and encouraged anarchy.

He also lamented what he described as Nigeria's "unenviable and inglorious position as the 32nd most corruption nation in the world and vowed to deal decisively with all corrupt officials.

The minister who expressed fear that startling disclosures emanating from the various probes in the National Assembly could catapult Nigeria to the zenith of the global ladder of corrupt countries, spoke at a press briefing in Abuja. Aondoakaa described the immediate past administration as an "outright anarchy", stressing that the President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua government would continuously uphold the twin principles of rule of law and due process.

His words: "You are not unaware of the lawlessness, if not outright anarchy that preceded the present administration. The records of abuse of power through unlawful arrests and detentions, unjust and unwarranted impeachments that were upturned by the Supreme Court, flagrant disobedience of court orders and many other violations of the principles of the rule of law by individuals, corporate organisations and government agencies in the country's past are still fresh in our memories."

Aondoakaa said that because the incumbent president had also lost his elder brother, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, to excessive use of governmental power, he chose to return the country to the path of sanity, based on his "desire for a Nigeria where no citizen will suffer the violation of rights, on account of abuse of power and non-adherence to the rule of law."

He said the present government understood the initial opposition to its commitment to fighting corruption under the rule of law.

Aondoakaa admitted that it was an arduous task for him, especially against the backdrop of public perception that government's insistence on the rule of law was a smokescreen to prevent some highly-placed Nigerians from facing the law.

He said that events in the past 10 months had vindicated government's position that corruption must be fought within the ambit of the rule of law.

Aondoakaa took time to explain the concept of the rule of law, saying: "Law should be like death which spares no one."

He explained that a bicycle rider must be protected by the law just as a minister or a legislator.

He solicited the co-operation of journalists in explaining the position of government on the concept of rule of law.

"We all have a stake in this fight. It is your battle. It is my battle. It is our battle," he stated.

Aondoakaa said that in less than one year, the present administration had achieved the following for its insistence on the concept of the rule of law: obedience to court orders, demonstrated that no one was above the law whether private citizen or government officials and that people's confidence had been restored.

To demonstrate government's commitment to the rule of law and obedience to court orders, he disclosed that N6 billion had been set aside in the 2008 budget to pay judgment debt and that would boost foreign investors' confidence in Nigeria.

He, however, refused to comment on the charges against Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, noting that he was a defendant in the case and that it amounted to contempt of court.

He pointed out that a committee had been set up to examine the law establishing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The minister also revealed that the Federal Government would soon introduce a legislation to bar landlords from charging rent of two or three years in advance.

"We are currently examining the housing sector to see how we can use the law to intervene to make life better for Nigerians. We are asking why landlords in Nigeria charge rent two or three years in advance. Most Nigerians are paid monthly. Why should they pay rent two years in advance? People don't pay rent two years in advance in America, they don't pay rent in advance in Britain. I am not sure they pay rent two years in advance in Ghana or in Kenya.

"I believe we can introduce legislation to bar this practice and help make life more liveable for the common man."