We will expose you to the world - APC tells former President of NBA

The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has noted with regrets a pattern in the character of an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria [SAN] and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association whom it said has gone paranoid in his insult and attack on the impeccable character of the former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

APC Rivers State

The APC in a press statement signed, issued and available reporters by Mr. Chris Finebone noted that as very serious Senior Advocates of Nigeria [SAN] engage and traverse various election petition tribunals across Nigeria following the 2015 general elections, the unnamed SAN prides himself as a local champion who is shamelessly obsessed and totally gone wacko when it comes to attacking the reputation of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for want of meaningful thing to do. He has become the unofficial spokesman of the PDP and governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State.

The statement reads: “Ironically, this same man sometime ago stood before God and man including Most Rev. Ignatius Kattey, Dean of The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and Archbishop of the Province of Niger Delta and extolled the then Governor Amaechi for his magnanimity in sponsoring him overseas for treatment of a life-threatening ailment. Today, the same man says Chibuike Amaechi has no character believing that God has forgotten.

“It is important to remind this elder brother of ours that in fullness of time, the APC will tell the world all it knows about him, how he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and those who played what roles. We will prove that he is the least individual qualified to talk about character.

“Elsewhere in Nigeria those who meritoriously earned the noble position of Senior Advocate of Nigeria [SAN] continue to enrich the legal profession through published works, advocacy and robust participation in the noble profession. It is rather disappointing to us that here this Senior Advocate of Nigeria prefers to reduce the high title of SAN just to enmesh himself in small local issues often seeing himself as a local political champion. The lowly antics of this man confirms that if you give a small office to a big man [not big by physical size as in this case], he will expand it to his size and if you give a big office to a small man he is likely to collapse it to his little size as in this particular case.”

We will expose you to the world - APC tells former President of NBA

NBA, CJN Disagree on Corrupt Judges

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, have openly disagreed over allegation of corrupt judicial officers in the country.

The President of the NBA, Augustine Alegeh, (SAN) has accused some judges of rendering judgments for a fee.

But in his speech, which was earlier the CJN, Justice Mohammed, apparently envisaging the NBA’s statement, described the allegation that judges were taking bribes as ’unfortunate unguarded comments’.

They both spoke at special session of the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2015-2016 legal year and the swearing-in of newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

Alegeh said: “It is indeed very worrisome that certain judicial officers still engage in rendering judgments for a fee.

“Instances abound where judicial officers have resorted to turning the law on its head and making pronouncements which are at variance with the provisions of the law.

“A few others have formed the bad habit of ignoring judicial precedents even when such authorities are brought to their attention by counsel.

“This trend is quite injurious and erodes the confidence reposed in the judiciary by society.”

He said the association would take the matters as prima facie evidence of corruption.

Earlier, the CJN in his remarks had said the allegation by prominent members of the Bar that some judges were corrupt  was unfortunate.

He said: “I regard as unfortunate unguarded comments of some prominent members of the Bar that the judiciary is corrupt.

“Such comments coming from the members of the Bar means that they know the identity of the corrupt judges and as such, they should fish  them out to be dealt with by the National Judicial Council (NJC).”

The CJN noted that the Bench was a product of the Bar and that unless they both work in synergy to ensure that only fit and proper persons remain in the Bar, it would be impossible to expect a different Bench.

The NBA president however, commended the current leader of the Bench under the CJN for bringing transparency to bear in the appointment of judicial officers.

He said the appointment of judges in the past was shrouded in secrecy.

Alegeh said: “The appointment of judicial officers, a process which was hitherto shrouded in secrecy, has been made more transparent under the present leadership of the Bench.”

Speaking on the ongoing legal battle between Senate PresidentBukola Saraki and the federal government, Alegeh said it was an unnecessary distraction.

“The current face-off between the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the federal high court is an unnecessary distraction at this time.

“The constitutional hierarchy of our courts is well settled and we urge all to respect it. Let wise counsel prevail,” he advised.

Justice Mohammed charged the newly sworn in Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to display utmost integrity and humility in helping the court to dispense justice.

He said: “I advise you to display undoubted integrity and humility in the performance of your professional calling.

“I therefore call upon you to act commendably, remembering that your privilege is one of high regard and leadership.”

The CJN also advised the new members of the inner Bar to groom their juniors in chambers well, adding that the quality of lawyers and even judges depended on the calibre of young lawyers that we sow.

On the call for the abolition of the rank of SAN, the CJN equally said the conferment of the rank is a privilege conferred in accordance with section 5 (1) of the Legal Practitioners’ Act by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee and as such, a statutorily recognised privilege.

Responding on behalf of conferees, Edward Kunav Shiekaa (SAN) said the new members of the inner Bar valued their elevation.

He pledged not to toy with the privilege.

“It is our responsibility to provide good and quality leadership at the Bar particularly to the young lawyers,” he said.

NBA, CJN Disagree on Corrupt Judges

Benin NBA Protests Judicial Workers’ Strike

Members of the Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Tuesday, matched through some major streets in Benin City, protesting the three-month old strike of the Edo State judicial workers.

The lawyers are demanding the immediate resignation of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the permanent secretary and solicitor general of the state.

They are also calling for the resignation of all lawyers appointed to political positions in the state for failing to properly advice the state governor to comply with the rule of law.

The NBA members said the lingering strike by the judicial workers in the state has adversely affected the welfare and economy of lawyers in the state, arguing that there cannot be a true democracy without an impartial and independent judiciary.

Addressing journalists at the Edo State NUJ Secretariat in Benin City, the state chairman of the branch, Patience Iyomon, said the need to comply with the constitutional provision granting, financial autonomy to the judicial arm of government, cannot be undermined.

The Benin NBA, according to her, condemns the continued refusal of the Edo State Government to comply with the court judgment reaffirming the constitutional provision granting financial autonomy to the judicial arm government.

According to her, the continued refusal of the governor to comply with the order of the court and meet the judicial workers’ demand and the threat to sack them even without meeting their demand is a violation of the international labor organization’s convention of which Nigeria is a signatory.

Benin NBA Protests Judicial Workers’ Strike

#Bringbackourgirls: Dialogue with Boko Haram - NBA tells Jonathan

By Ehi Ekhator

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has joined those urging President Goodluck Jonathan not to ignore the option of negotiating with the dreaded terrorist, Boko Haram, in order to secure the release of over 200 students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, which was abducted from their hostels on April 14.

The Bar Association, after a committee meeting in Abuja,  urged the president not to sleep with his two eyes closed until the problem associating with terrorism in the country is completely dealt with.

According to the National President of the association, Chief Okey Wali, SAN, said “There is something called burden of leadership, and it is by choice. Once you have chosen to seek to serve at any level, and more particularly, at the level of the presidency of a great country like Nigeria, with its good, bad and ugly, I am sorry to say that you have bid sleeping with two eyes closed, good night”.

NBA who reminded that terrorism is an international phenomenon that has no boundery, commended the effort of the foreign government that have offered to help in the rescuing of the abducted girls.

The association said : “While we agree that the terrorist sect Boko Haram should be routed out, we also advise that no option should be foreclosed in enthroning peace.

“History has taught us that constructive engagement of such insurgents has sometimes yielded dividends. All the years of terrorism in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland were brought to an end by the 1998 Goodfriday Agreement, brokered by the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr Tony Blair. Many of us in the Niger Delta will tell you that we did not believe that the amnesty programme of the Federal Government would bring any peace in the region, but it did.

“If as a nation we had paid this much attention to the activities of Boko Haram and terrorism generally, we definitely would not be where we are today, but like they say, it’s better late than never. This is no time for buck-passing or attribution of faults or blames.

“This is a moment of solidarity, patriotism and support for the efforts to deal with a national problem, no politics or religiosity. Terrorism, as Nyanya bomb blast has shown, does not know religion, tribes or political party membership.

“We also do not think that this is a time of setting up of panels of enquiry; let us bring back the girls first, and then we can start with our usual rituals of panels to find out the circumstances of these abductions. In the midst of International collaboration, to find the girls and bring them back home, such enquiries may very well be a distraction.

“No wonder some of those on the panel from Borno State had boycotted the inauguration of the Committee. Some of the military personnel involved in the search for the girls, may very well be those to appear before such panels.

“We believe that the military has its methodology of dealing with such issues via the court marshal system if proven. We also believe that Service Chiefs and the Military High Command still have our confidence, unless of course, if they have lost the President’s confidence, then, we trust that he surely knows what to do.

“The NBA calls on the Federal Government to pay more attention to our borders with a view to securing them.

“The NBA calls on the government to review its strategy on terror. This current strategy is not working in spite of Trillions of Naira being expended on security. In March, 2014, the National Security Adviser rolled out the soft approach to counter terrorism, which comprehensively weaves multi-stakeholder engagement strategies. The Bar hopes that this strategy works.”

“But the fight against terrorism is not only for the government and foreign countries that offered to assist us; it is for all of us. The good news is that the new-counter terror regime assigns role to every citizen and institution to play in the fight against terrorism, in the sense that it advocates individual responsibility, collective vigilance, creates opportunities for inter faith and cross cultural conversation, establishes non-violent conflict resolution mechanism.

“From the foregoing, the NBA calls on all sectors of economy, social organizations, including the private sector to be involved in the efforts to confront violent extremism in the country”, it added.

 

#Bringbackourgirls: Dialogue with Boko Haram - NBA tells Jonathan

NBA Withdraws From National Conference

Following the allocation of only one slot to it by the federal government in the ongoing national conference, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said that it is withdrawing from the ongoing exercise.

National conference

A communique issued after its executive committee meeting, president of the association, Chief Okey Wali (SAN), said the single slot was not sufficient for the association to make impact in the proposed conference.

“In view of the fact that so many legal issues would be addressed at the national conference, it is only fitting and proper for the umbrella association of all lawyers, the profession with expertise on law making in Nigeria should have more than one slot,” he said.

Wali also condemned the recent violent attacks in North East, Kaduna and Benue states which claimed many lives, and also called for “dispassionate and decisive” action.

While criticizing the dwindling budgetary allocations to the judiciary which dropped from N95 billion in 2010 to N68 billion in 2014, the NBA stated that “only the existence of a virile, fearless, and independent judiciary that can guarantee and enduring democratic government, and the maintenance of law and order.” (0)

NBA Withdraws From National Conference