The Ebola did not scare lawyers away from the 54th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Owerri, the Imo state capital, last week. No fewer than 7000 of them, including House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), gathered to examine the theme: Nigeria, a 100 years after. The highlight of the event was the passing of the NBA leadership baton from Mr Okey Wali (SAN) to Mr Augustine Alegeh (SAN), who unveiled some reforms in his agenda. JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports.
It is a gathering which lawyers look forward to yearly. Since this year’s annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) coincided with the country’s centenary celebrations, its theme was: Nigeria, a 100 years after.
Not even the fear of Ebola could scare the lawyers from attending the conference on large number. No fewer than 7000 of them were in conference.
President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), opened the week-long event, which was chaired by former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon. A historian, Dr George Kwanashie gave the keynote address.
The conference featured a showcase session with discussions by Delta and Imo State governors Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Owelle Rochas Okorocha on the topic: Nigeria’s biggest problem: Corruption or impunity?
NBA subdivisions, such as Judges Forum, Section on Business Law, Section on Legal Practice, Section on Public Interest and Development Law, Human Rights Institute, British-Nigeria Law Forum, Military Law Forum, Academic Forum, Women Forum, Corporate Council Forum, Young Lawyers Forum, Lawyers in the Legislature Forum, Lawyers in the Media Forum and NBA Anti-Corruption Commission, also held separate sessions.
Delivering the president’s speech, Adoke said security agencies were working hard to check the activities of Boko Haram and prevent the sect from spreading its tentacles to other parts of the country.
“The challenges are enormous and all Nigerians must appreciate the difficult circumstances under which our security forces are operating.
“Government has, however, insisted that the war against terrorism and insurgency must be fought without sacrificing the tenets of the rule of law,” he said.
The minister explained why President Jonathan asked for $1 billion to fight terror.
“It is beyond doubt that a lot resources are needed to equip and re-train our security forces for this challenge. This request for the sum of $1billion recently made to the National Assembly is to enable government to fully equip our armed forces for the war against terrorism and insurgency…”
He urged Nigerians to remain united and to appreciate that terrorism is a global phenomenon which requires concerted efforts of all nations of the world.
“Equally important is the need to forge a united front to combat the common enemy. Terrorists would rather have us divided along sectional, religious and political lines as the division would not only help their cause, but also further diminish our efforts to collectively and effectively wage war against them,” he said.
‘I see worsening poverty’
Tambuwal said the common man’s life is yet to experience any positive change, despite a purported economic growth, which he attributed to what he called “a circle of error.”
“We suffer gross infrastructural deficit. We are growing our socio-political and economic institutions with perplexing reluctance.
“Our overall economic growth and indices speak contrastingly with our human development indices, yet true development is people-centered.
“When we celebrate magnificent growth indices in the face of worsening abject poverty, the true implication must be that there is something fundamentally wrong.
“What the nation needs desperately now is to extricate itself from this circle of error and I dare say that we possess the capacity to do so,” Tambuwal said.
He said although he is part of government, he speaks on “governance failings” because he believes “the greatest disservice that man can do to himself and society is to indulge in self deceit.”
“If I see magnificent growth indices and after traversing our rural communities what I see is worsening poverty I should have the courage to tell myself the truth no matter how bitter,” he said.
“Nigeria is not a lightweight”
For Gen. Gowon, despite the country’s challenges, Nigeria deserves regard for having existed for 100 years.
“Without argument, any nation or institution that attains the century landmark cannot be seen a lightweight. Neither can it be treated with disrespect, regardless of whether or not the positive achievements in society outweigh the challenges of nation building or vice-versa,” Gowon said.
He, however, admitted that there is still a long way to go. “Nigeria at 100 years of age has not achieved its full potential,” he said.
Part of the problem, he said, is a conflict of ideologies. “For me, the issue is not to say who is right or wrong but what is right or wrong.
“One of the issues that may not easily lend itself to easy resolution in this regard is the conflict of ideologies between liberal democracy and sharia… I am confident that the conflict can and should be resolved by the reconciliation of both ideologies,” he said.
Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN), said the two ideologies must be reconciled in the country’s interest.
“We must celebrate our diversity and fight to enshrine national unity and reconciliation, factors that are necessary in shaping Nigeria’s two ideologies Islam and liberal democracy and the relationships between them.
“The Sharia proponents, as has been shown are at war with the Constitution. There is need therefore for reconciliation of the two ideologies if it is possible,” he said.
On how to achieve such a reconciliation, he suggested: “For the future peace and development of Nigeria that would include industrial revolution, the NBA must promote the following actions:
“(1) Draft two bills for the consideration of the political parties viz: (I) Reconciliation Commission Bill very much like the Truth Commission Act of South Africa with emphasis on Ideology and Reconciliation; (II) A Constituency Assembly Bill with emphasis on Ethnic Representation in which every Ethnic Nationality must have not less than one and not more than ten representatives.
“These two drafts should be sent to all the political parties interested in the 2015 elections for their consideration and the political parties should eventually make same the bases of their campaign,” he said.
Okorocha’s unique economic theories
The showcase session featured Uduaghan and Okorocha, who thrilled guests with their sense of humour.
Uduaghan said anger is at the heart of Nigeria’s problems, including insecurity. He urged politicians to get rid of anger and watch things change for good.
According to him, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has become the “Angry Peoples Congress” because it is where those angry with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) go to.
“When you’re angry with the PDP, you go to APC. That is what is happening now,” Uduaghan said.
But Okorocha, who is in APC, disagreed. “Let me say to my colleague: I’m not angry,” he said, adding that Nigeria is in need of good leadership.
There was a mild drama when Okorocha’s speech was interrupted as Uduaghan got up to leave. It was while the Imo governor was highlighting his state’s “meagre” allocation compared to what the likes of Akwa Ibom and Delta get.
Okorocha spoke about governors who are “executive cashiers” and those who create wealth, saying government is not about awarding contracts but transforming the common’s man’s life.
He also explained the economic principle of “Rochonomics”, “Kwashiokorism” and “Ohasierism” which he propounded.
He said: “Rochonomics is an economic theory for the supersonic transformation of the country,” he said. According to him, Nigeria has a “big head” with a “bulging tummy” and tiny legs.
“Nigerian economy is suffering from what we call kwashiokorism. It’s not balanced. Let me ask you, gentlemen: if you see a woman with a big head, bulging tummy and feeble legs, you will not marry her. But if you see a woman with a small head, moderate tummy with a big balance, you will marry.
“That’s why nobody can marry Nigerian economy. That calls for systematic devolution of power to shed this big head, bring it back to the legs so it can move fast.
“That is what is called Ohashierism (meaning Oha siere ofu onye, ofu onye agaghi ericha) (A person cannot finish the food cooked by many people).”
According to him, most leaders do not have the vision or the passion to move the country forward, adding that a man who cannot manage resources cannot manage a nation.
“You cannot give what you don’t have. You cannot go beyond your capacity. That is why we must allow people who have the vision to lead us irrespective of where they come from.
“Governance is not about Federal allocation. It’s about ability to create wealth. Any leader who cannot make sacrifice has no business in governance,” Okorocha said.
Alegeh’s ‘populist’ policies
A new NBA leadership led by Augustine Alegeh (SAN) was inaugurated. The new NBA President reversed some of the policies he inherited from the outgoing president Okey Wali (SAN).
First, he said all lawyers who have been verified in the NBA Data Base shall be issued with NBA Identification Cards.
The card would contain name of the lawyer, photograph and Supreme Court Enrolment Number. The card would also function as a payment card for ATM, POS and online transactions.
The card would entitle a lawyer to a variety of discount and other packages negotiated by NBA. The best news is that the card would be issued free of charge to lawyers.
Alegeh also reduced Bar practising fees by 10 per cent for all lawyers except SANs.
He surprised the packed hall by slashing the association’s conference fees by 40 per cent from what was paid for the 2014 conference.
Alegeh condemned what he described as the “secret shrouded” appointment of judges, and called for a system that is more transparent where merit rather than cronyism is the basis for appointments and promotion of judicial officers.
“The fight to rid the judiciary of corruption would remain a mirage unless and until the appointment and promotion system is reviewed.
“We cannot expect judicial officers appointed through the back door to be incorruptible especially at this time when those who arranged the appointments have retired but rather than stay quietly at home to enjoy their retirement, now masquerade themselves as consultants in cases where they have never seen the court processes.
“Their main claim to fame and consultancy fees remains the fact that the judge is ‘my boy’. This is utterly disgraceful. It should be discouraged. It should be condemned,” Alegeh said.
He called for the passage of the several justice sector bills pending before the National Assembly, which, when passed, would enhance justice delivery system in Nigeria.
On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), he said: “A child conceived at the same time as our PIB would have finished school, started work and be married with children by this time.
“Countries that came to Nigeria to get a peek at our PIB when it was conceived has since passed and amended their PIBs several times.
“We are a country dependent essentially on petroleum and yet our National Assembly is playing poker with our collective fortunes and future.
“I believe we still have men of integrity, courage and valour at the National Assembly and I call on them to take up the challenge of ensuring that the PIB is passed without further delay,” Alegeh said.
He expressed doubts that the $1billion being sought for the military would have any positive effect on the war against insurgency.
“It is surprising that the military only realised in the middle of the insurgency that they had no weaponry. Strange, indeed!
“The military should at least help locate and free the Chibok girls to redeem our collective pride. That is the least we expect from our military,” he said.
Lawyers conquer Ebola fear
Prior to the conference, there were calls that it should be cancelled to prevent the spread of Ebola. However, all participants were screened for the virus before being allowed into hall, while hand sanitisers were provided.
Lawyers were not afraid to shake hands and hug each other. It was as if Ebola was not a factor.
“We must also thank God for keeping Ebola away from this conference,” Alegeh said.
However, lawyers complained of not receiving conference materials in time, despite the “high fees” charged by Wali’s administration. Besides, nearly all the sessions started behind schedule.
Statutory reports
A highlight of the conference was the annual general meeting, where NBA announced that it has a cash balance of over N131million in its account.
Statutory reports were also presented by the Council of Legal Education, Legal Aid Council, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Nigerian Law School said it would not close down its unfenced campuses in Kano State and Yola in Adamawa State due to insurgency in the Northeast.
The Council of Legal Education (CLE) has been under pressure to close the campuses following the kidnap of the school girls in Chibok, Borno State, on April 15.
The two campuses are said to be unfenced, making them even more vulnerable
But the Law School Director-General, Olanrewaju Onadeko, said so far, there has been no incident that justifies the fear expressed about those campuses.
He said the management had embarked on fencing of the campuses “to forestall their apparent vulnerability”.
Onadeko said: “We have also secured the support of the Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff and the State Security Services for the deployment of plain clothes officers and men to the precincts of all our campuses.
“Within our modest means, we have also acquired and deployed modern security gadgets at all campuses. We also have in place CCTV camera at strategic locations on the advice of our security experts to aid the operation of our security personnel.”
Onadeko said the Law School is also faced with the challenge of violation of admission quota by law faculties of universities.
He also bemoaned increased number of applicants from “foreign universities” such as those in the Republic of Benin, Ghana, Cameron, Saotome and Principe, among others. He said the school would admit only law graduates from faculties whose programmes are recognised by the Council of Legal Education.
“There is a moratorium on recognition of programmes of new foreign faculties in place,” he said.
