Mary Akanbi
16th April, 2025
By Olalekan I. Oladapo Esq.
The saying goes that you cannot eat your cake and have it.
The NBA should be above board as a professional body whose primacy is to promote the Rule of Law. She must serve as a watchdog for the government towards addressing this. Her constitutional duty is to ensure that the government of the day observes the Rule of Law and protection of the Rights of the Nigerian citizens. In all we are ministers in the temple of justice.
Therefore, it is a sad irony and a complete negation of her sacred duty for the NBA to go cap in the hands begging for funds from the government of the day in one hand and engaging and criticising the same government on the other hand.
The organisation to maintain her respect must follow the path of honour, and ensuring her independence as a principled organisation and a watchdog to the government. NBA must be seen as the people’s voice against the oppression and injustice in the land.
She should be a moral compass to the society and should not be found her voice muted in carrying out her primary role as a professional and principled organisation.
I read the recent stand of the NBA on the impropriety of the judiciary flirting and junketing with the politicians under the guises of receiving fund and support from the politicians. The leadership of the NBA reasoned that such gesture to the judiciary is a negation of the independence of the judiciary, say to say.
It is patently incongruous and heretical, for this sermon on the mountain coming from the NBA to the government of the day. It amounts to Nero fiddling with fire to beautify Rome. This is a contradiction and contradistinction of the principles of a watchdog organisation like the NBA. NBA just like judiciary is subjected to the same principle of maintaining independence by keeping away from the money bagged political holders. What is good for the gender is also good for another gender in my own context!
The NBA we have should look inward towards a sustainable funding process without recourse to the government of the day or some politically exposed individuals for help. The past NBA leadership, particularly AB. Mahmoud’s administration had come up with the relevant robust proposals towards institutionalising and professionalising the NBA beyond her present status for her to be strong, reliable independent, and sustainable.
Regrettably, all the succeeding leadership of the NBA have taken the reform proposals with the pinch of salt. Instead they resort to the rhymes and rituals of begging for funds to keep the organisation moving.
I think at the right time, we must sit together as members of this respectable bar to fix all these beyond our annual rituals of the AGCs that have remained motion without movement. It is time to hold our own sovereign conference as lawyers to put things in order for at this stage the falcon cannot hear the falconer.
Without mincing words, the NBA is finding herself neck deep into the muddy waters of politics and it is becoming embarrassing for her to absolve herself from all blames and blackmails hurling against her reputation following the unholy romance with the power.
If we are not suffering from a collective amnesia, we can recollect vividly the accusations and counter accusations bedevilling the past NBA leadership receiving dollar donation above the SCUML benchmark from the political exposed individuals. This is happening withing the comity of lawyers that sworn to uphold the Rule of Law and at the same time we expect the members of the Nigerian public to take us serious.
We continue to subject ourselves to public ridicule under the pretext of support and donations for the convergence of NECs and AGCs. Haba, we must save this profession from the perpetual circle of shame and public embarrassment!
For of those who advocate that Rivers should go to court for refunding. I do not think that will be in the best of the NBA. The money collected in whatever guises must be refunded, it is on this strength the NBA can regain her courage and voice to speak to power in furtherance of promoting the Rule of Law. We must remove the speck in our eyes before removing logs in others. May God uphold the Bar. I rest my case.
Olalekan I. Oladapo Esq.
NBA Bwari
