Nigerian Bar Association Members

NBA Will Not Take Part in National Conference



nba.org.ngA attorney, Dele Adesina, on Monday restated the Nigerian Bar Associations refusal to take the single slot it was allotted at the ongoing National Conference, insisting the Association should be given five slots.

For us, we consider that the company of constitution making or drafting or change is a very serious company and I don't know the stage that can be bigger and better in relation to the platform of Nigerian Bar Association as a body(as an association), he said.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association as well its National Executive Committee had rejected the single slot allotted to the Association prior to the commencement of the Seminar. But while appearing as a guest on Channels Televisions breakfast programme, Adesina affirmed that no one was at the assembly for the NBA.

Adesina countered arguments that there are some delegates at the Summit who are also attorneys within their individual capacities or representing groups, maintaining that the NBA is concerned with official representation and that five time slots would be adequate.

He defended his demand by referring to how many time slots allotted to the Trade Union Congress (6), the Nigeria Labour Congress (6), Civil Society Organisation (24) and stressed the seeming exclusion of the NBA would cause the Summit to lack legal input and dynamics.

He also said that the Conference could have benefitted from a document comprising the NBAs review of the 1999 Constitution which had been submitted to the president. The Conference would have profited from the pool of knowledge, which today isn't there, he said, hinting that the said record may not be released to lawyers who are in the Conference in their own individual capacity.

Mr Adesina, who said it'd be unfair to suppose the NBA wasn't worried about the Seminar for refusing to attend based on the slot allotted, consented that the Association should have taken the slot and ensure that its representative worked with other attorneys at the Summit.

He nevertheless said that people are there for multidimensional interest objectives and that there may be conflict of interests when a lawyer representing a particular group is anticipated to also urge the standing of the NBA.

It is the position of the majority of us that uncountable number of amendments of an organic record like a Constitution is the best thing, he said.

Nigerian Bar Association On The Conduct Of The 2011 General Election

The Nigerian Bar Association has throughout the procedure leading to this election been an genuine associate with all stakeholders INEC, local and foreign civil societies, Authorities and well meaning people in the quest for a credible election- a theory that has eluded Nigeria for such a long time.

In the build up to the general election, the NBA collaborated with NDI, Justice Development and Peace Commission/CARITAS, FOMWAN and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).

The Coalition which functioned as the Operation Swift Count blanketed the whole state with observers/monitors and covered every facet of the election commencing with the Enrollment exercise. It really is also to be noted that apart from this coalition, many of our 88 branches nationally set up their own independent election monitoring groups.

The aim of all this coverage was to put us in a location at any stage of the exercise to evaluate the integrity or otherwise of the electoral process. We are happy to notice that participants in the election monitoring procedure, Swift Count et al performed impressively and in a patriotic manner. It really is depending on their report and other parameters that we now issue this statement.

INEC must be congratulated for running a transparently credible election so far. INEC cannot be held accountable for the poor democratic culture shown by some of the losers. It really is on record that this is the first general election where alarming reports of disenfranchisement in the way of subserviced polling stations, inability of registered voters to vote, violence at polling stations and the hijacking of ballot boxes were recorded at the barest minimum.

There's a consensus among all observers, local and international and men of repute that covered the election thus far that the entire process was free and fair. The NBA has therefore been proved right when we refused to join others in castigating INEC during the botched day1 election. We expected logistical challenges and understood that power and capability to be resilient will function as determinant factor in INECs success or failure. INEC in the following election has shown both.

NBA only at that stage congratulates all those that won in the 2 elections President Goodluck Jonathan inclusive. Even though the procedure or steps resulting in the election were marred by factors such as (a) inferior or absolutely non existent internal democracy mechanism for political parties, (b) evident lack of doctrine and or ideology in the campaign manifesto or statement of the political parties, (iii) reliance on poster politics and inability to communicate with the electorate, (iv) pre-election violence and (v) excessive monetisation of political campaigns, notwithstanding the foregoing the integrity of the real election cannot be faulted. The pre-election glitches referred to above must always be addressed and eliminated for us to become properly admitted into the comity of democratic states.

Yet, it is with great disappointment and depression that the NBA notes the tragic wake of the Presidential election, especially after the rightful winner was declared by INEC as duly elected. In the past 3 days hundreds of innocent Nigerians, who are not of northern origin or are from the north and are Christians have been brutally and savagely killed, churches in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe etc have been torched/burnt down, shops and other companies of Nigerians known as strangers in their own state have already been looted. The highways are not passable as Christians and other identifiable non indigenes are pulled from vehicles and slaughtered. Etc. The implication is legion and we shall cope with them here beneath.

Federal Government of Nigeria must vigorously address the security dilemma. The approach to the current catastrophe is deplorable. It challenges the unity of the nation and calls for urgent mechanisms to address that concept. There is no point in living in any part of the world where your hosts turn against you killing and maiming their guests if they can be so referred to.

It is essential to guide that this episode mustn't be swept under the carpet and the cold blooded murderers must be brought to publication and justice served to the memory of all that untimely lost their lives in this crisis. If however FGN refuses or omits to bring the culprits to justice we shall be left with no option that to approach the International Criminal Court of Justice for warrants to issue against the leaders of organisations that gave platform for these offenses that include mass murder and genocide.



nba.org.ngAuthorities must also act in the interest of preserving the unity of this nation. Unless we have so soon forgotten the lessons of history, the 1967-1970 civil war started on a similar note of loss of lives. If not restrained by bringing persons who partook in such crimes to publication, then what we may be up against will be terrifying. What however isn't understood is where the theatre of redress will be located.

Hence, Authorities is enjoined to bring all those involved in this carnage to book. It's also essential to establish a high powered commission of inquiry so as to collate the extent of loss of lives and property and every opportunity given to aggrieved or affected individuals to speak out, Thirdly, such commission should be empowered to pay compensation for lives and property lost and same be deducted from the accounts of States where the losses or deaths happened.

Fourthly, the National Assembly must look into enacting stiffer laws to protect the lives, liberty and property of every Nigerian regardless of where he resides in this nation. Fifthly and most importantly is that the Governorship elections in the affected States must be postponed until at least law and order are completely restored. Part of the aim of the masterminds of the purge will be to intimidate non indigenes for the last election together with penalize them for daring to vote according to their choice and conscience. It'll be a travesty of the electoral procedure if the remaining election is conducted under this very menacing cloud in the affected States.

Eventually, the NBA thanks Nigerians in States not affected for resisting the temptation to take reprisal action. An eye for an eye will make the entire country blind. That is a significant evaluation for the Jonathan Administration, which will succeed itself shortly and it shouldn't think lightly of the duty ahead. The Party is over. Nigerians expect security, the industrialisation of the country, the provision of basic amenities like power, education, health, transport and a peaceful environment for the conduct of business. The in-coming government must deliver.