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Tag: AFBA

  • AFBA promises ‘world class’ conference in Port Harcourt

    AFBA promises ‘world class’ conference in Port Harcourt

    The leadership of African Bar Association (AFBA) has assured participants in its  2017 Annual General Conference holding in Port Harcourt from this weekend to deliver a world class international conference.

    In a chat with The Nation, the Vice President (Budget) of the association who also was a  former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),  Mr. Ibrahim Eddy Mark said: ‘’The conference will be fantastic, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) under the chairmanship of Rivers State Governor, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has done a marvelous job. The host governor is ready to showcase the wonders of Port Harcourt to the world’’

    On the security of the conferees, he said: ‘’Port Harcourt is safe, nothing is happening here, we have hosted several national and international events here in recent times”

    The National Vice-Chairman Northwest of the ruling All Progressives congress (APC), Mr. Inuwa Abdul Kadir who is also chairman of Nigerian Forum and chairman of the Marketing and contacts  committee for the conference said: “ The conference will be a tremendous success, we have made the right contacts, we have created the required awareness, we have visited our colleagues in high and low places to create awareness for the conference.

    ‘’We visited the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC),  Bauchi State Governor, M.A. Abubakar, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and so on

    ‘’The Conference theme “Overcoming the Legal Challenges of Doing Business in Africa” is apt,  Keynote Speaker who is the  immediate past President of the Republic of Tanzania Dr. Jakaya M. Kikwete , other Heads of State, past, present and distinguished personalities from across the Continent and outside are  expected to attend the Conference.

    ‘’It promises to be an interesting conference indeed” Abdul Kadir stated.

  • Respect rule of law, AFBA tells African leaders

    Respect rule of law, AFBA tells African leaders

    The African Bar Association (AFBA)  has urged the continent’s leaders to respect the rule of law and uphold democratic norms.

    It stated this on  Saturday at the end of its National Executive and Governing Council meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    AFBA president Mr. Hannibal Uwaifo told host Governor Nyesom Wike, who was decorated with the AFBA gown of excellence, that the association chose the state “in recognition of its peaceful nature and unusual transformation.”

    Declaring the session open, Wike called on AFBA to help deepen democracy and uphold the rule of law in the country.

    He promised to continue to provide basic amenities and dividends of democracy in the state and afterwards led the lawyers on an inspection tour of several developmental projects initiated by his administration.

    In a chat with The Nation, Uwaifor said: “We had representatives from different parts of the continent, and the difficulties we had was that the flight schedules could not be coordinated easily. We thank God that the two-day meeting was  successful, We thank J. B. Daudu (SAN) for presiding over the council meeting and I chaired the Executive Council meeting. I feel very  happy that the AFBA has reached the level it has reached at this time.

    Chairman of African Women Lawyers Forum of  AFBA,  Iyom Josepine Ananih said the meeting covered quite “a lot of areas” including human rights problems in different parts of Africa.

    She said: “We took very strong  positions about them because the AFBA is the voice of Africa and we have to be a credible and  an audible voice.

    “We need to speak out and I am happy that we were all together with one mind determined to speak and stand firmly for the less privileged in Africa and to stand against any government that is abusing human rights in Africa.

    Ananih said the theme of the conference concerned the ease of doing business in Africa and the meeting resolved to stand against exploitation of African business people.

    She said: “Africa has  the largest  market, Africa has a huge potential for prosperity but the way business is being done in Africa, people from outside come and exploit Africans and we are saying no, it should stop.

    “We need to also look at ways of doing business in Africa so that we can make it easy for people to come and do business in Africa  and for Africans to also benefit from those interrections.

    “As they are coming to do business to make profit, the people they are doing business with in Africa will also make something from those transactions.

    “They will also make sure that they also have confidence for those people who think that Africa is a dark continent filled by 419ers, who deceive prople.”

    Another participant and former minister for youths and development, Inuwa Abdulkadir said: “I feel delighted that these things are  happening after some  years of slumber of the AFBA which is really a sad experience.

    “I feel happy too that Nigeria is driving the process of resuscitating or  re-awakening the African Bar Association, because Nigeria is answering its name as the leader of Africa in all spheres of human endeavour.

    “The importance of having the AFBA cannot be overemphasised as there are a lot of efforts to integrate Africa in terms of social and economic challenges the continent is facing.”

    He stated that Africa “is the target of every investor in the world today and the African economy is key to other economies in the world. Even the so called developed countries are looking at Africa, because whether anybody likes it or not, because of the population we have in the continent, there is no doubt that  the market is here.

    “So, whatever is happening elsewhere in the world, whether by or among the so called super powers or biggest economies, you can’t do away with Africa as a  market,  as a source of raw materials and a source of labour in some instances.”

    Abdulkadir said the focus of  AFBA now is “to assist African governments and nations on how to do business in Africa, how to make it easy to come and invest in Africa in terms of the legal frameworks and to provide a the framework for safeguarding Africa’s interest as a continent”

    Council member, OkeyAkobundu stated that the meeting had provided Africans with a voice to champion their rights.

    He said: “With the attendance of former NBA president Chief Charles Idehen and his full participation at the meeting, lawyers in Africa and indeed all Africans could be said to now have a voice and champion for their rights in today’s Africa.

    “People within repressive governments can now have AFBA fight for it without fear of individual harassment. The future of enduring and deepened democracy and sustainable development of Africa has just begun.

    “Of course Nigerian lawyers are being offered another platform for cross border interactions and practice.

    “The expansion of learning and practice horizon is provided within this association. And with Nigerians in all parts of Africa the AFBA platform provides opportunity for cross border collaborations with a view to meeting clients’ needs outside Nigeria with minimal pressures.”

  • AFBA to publish report on Burundi crisis

    The African Bar Association (AFBA)  has concluded its investigations on the political crisis and human rights violations in Burundi.

    Its President, Hannibal Uwaifo, said the soon-to-be-published  findings followed meetings with stakeholders and first-hand observations.

    At its rebirth conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, AFBA inaugurated a fact-finding mission to Burundi, one of the world’s poorest nations struggling to emerge from a 12-year-ethnic-based war.

    At the conference’s plenary session, reports of various disturbing issues relating to the legal profession and the overall wellbeing of Africans were addressed and recommendations made.

    Uwaifo said: “The situation in Burundi and Gabon were particularly worrisome. The conference then resolved to send a fact-finding team to both countries. We have visited Burundi and were  well received and attended to by the Government of Burundi, the organs and its people in a very transparent manner.

    “We met every segment of Burundi – political parties, opposition politicians, civil society groups, women groups,the press,the judiciary, Legislature, the  Attorney-General  and Minister of Justice, relevant Ministers and officers of the ministries, the military, the police, students and others.

    “What we found in Burundi will surprise everyone including the international community. The African Bar Association will soon publish the report.”

    Chairman of AFBA Governing Council and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Mr. Joseph  Daudu (SAN) said Africa was grappling with problems of leadership, good governance and rule of law.

    He said AFBA, which was moribund for years, would help with proffering solutions to Africa’s problems.

    “AFBA went comatose after the grand 1991 Abuja Conference under the leadership of Mr Charles Idehen, then President of the Nigerian Bar Association. It took quite a lot of efforts to revive it, particularly because the modalities of setting up a regional or sub-regional professional organisation is not the same as that of a national organisation.

    “In Africa, you must consider mundane but perennially recurring matters such as linguistic, religious and at times ethnic differences.

    “These are polarising factors, which also act as stumbling blocks to the unity and progress of African professional associations.

    “The rebirth of the AFBA will encourage African lawyers to interact, network, cross-fertilise ideas and seek solutions to their common problems.”

    Hr urged Nigerian lawyers to support AFBA.

    “It is beneficial to attend the annual conference of the AFBA because of the local content of the resource materials than to attend the IBA or other continental conferences.

    “Of very great importance is the opportunity that  the gathering provides for peer review and for the analysis and proffering of solutions to the multi-dimensional problems confronting Africa,” Daudu said.

    AFBA Vice Chairman, Budget and Finance, Mr. Eddy Mark, said the conference was a result of collective efforts to resuscitate the  association.

    “The conference had 16 sessions covering all aspects of law,  trade, commerce and immigration just to mention a few.

    “We must realise that Africa’s problems require African solutions and not the importation of the dainty mode of life in Europe America and Asia.

    “African political problems are easily understood, appreciated and workable solutions found for them with the home truths which the conference engineering template provided,” Mark added.

  • Xenophobia: AFBA threatens to drag South Africa to UN

    The African Bar Association has threatened to file criminal complaints against the South African government at the United Nations Security Council if the country fails to prosecute perpetrators of xenophobic attacks.

    It said adequate compensation must be paid to affected persons as well as murder charges being preferred against the culprits.

    This was contained in a press statement issued to journalists in Benin City and signed by President of AFBA, Hannibal Uwaifo.

    Hannibal stated that the body would constitute a team of lawyers to file its findings to the UN Security Council.

    He said it was sad that the South African Government was reluctant to deal decisively with the criminal acts, which according to him emboldened the miscreants to further desecrate the African hospitality and brotherhood.

     

  • African Bar to partner states on good governance, others

    African Bar to partner states on good governance, others

    The African Bar Association (AFBA) will partner with heads of government in Africa to enthrone good governance, its President, Hannnibal Uwaifo,  has said.

    He stated this in a message on the last elections.

    He praised Nigerians for ensuring credible election that led to the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari and Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

    He said: “The demonstration and steadfastness and love for fatherland displayed by Nigerians has now put Nigeria and indeed Africa on the threshold of democratic  culture. Indeed, Nigeria now truly represents the touch for Africa and growing democracies across the world.’’

    The AFBA chief argued that the concession of victory and the congratulatory message by President Goodluck Jonathan to the President-elect, Major-General Buhari even  before the final votes were counted “speaks volume of the content of the  character of President Jonathan”.

    “While we congratulate General Buhari on this well deserved victory, we urged him to live true to his character, ‘’’ it stated.

    AFBA suggested eight-point agenda to the President-elect upon assuming duty next  month.

    It urged the in-coming government to deal with corruption, stressing that there should be a code of conduct for public officers.

    It said the rule of law must be adhered to and extra-judicial activities of all security agencies must be checked and punished where it occurred in the new government.

    According to AFBA, the independence of the judiciary of the judiciary must be ensured and wrong doings promptly investigated and punished.

    He suggested that official salaries of political office holders be set to reflect the lean purse of the country and to make more finances available for social services, adding that deliberate welfare policies must be put in place as a priority to cater for the vulnerable and less endowed in Nigeria.

    AFBA advised that the rate of unemployment among youths must be tackled decisively, adding that government and social services must be also be improved upon for the betterment of the country.

    While advocating a robust foreign policies for the country and greater move towards African integration, AFBA canvassed  for the encouragement of a free enterprise through deliberate government policies and programmes especially in Agriculture technology and small and medium scale businesses.