Ali, Ozekhome Intervene As NBA Crisis Deepens

By Chuks Ekpeneru

The Nigerian Bar Association presently is plagued with issues that have stymied the development of the larger society and which could ultimately destroy its credibility.

What was supposed to be a virtual conference opened up the deep ethnic and religious divide beclouding national development.

Some northern lawyers are angry the manner of the withdrawal of an invite to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as a guest speaker at the association’s conference.

Hence, on Friday, they formed the ‘New NBA.

The breakaway group, in a statement by two lawyers, Nuhu Ibrahim (Convener 1) and Abdulbasit Suleiman (Convener 2), explained that the formation of the ‘New NBA’ was aimed at protecting their interests as enshrined under Section 40 of the constitution.

According to them, “What has been happening recently has exposed the inability of the NBA to manage and contain the heterogeneity of its members, as well as their various interests. Its penal powers have been deployed discriminately on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism.

“Therefore, the NBA cannot afford to be seen not to be upholding the rights and freedom of its own members, if at all it should be seen to be practising what it preaches. As the Hausa saying goes, ‘Idan Kura tana maganin zaho, ta yi ma kanta (If a hyena has a cure for diarrhoea, let her use it for herself).”

Bauchi State NBA also threatened to boycott the conference over the decision of the national body. This was hours after the Jigawa State chapter announced its decision to also boycott the AGM .

 Some northern leaders also came to the defence of El-Rufai. Former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi described the decision of NBA as sad for freedom of speech in Nigeria.

He cautioned the body against allowing the controversy surrounding the issue to take a religious or ethnic dimension.

Yusuf Ali (SAN) is taking a middle line calling for caution “It is normal in an organisation to have disagreements but it is not every disagreement that must lead to disintegration or factions. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Even as much as I have my own reservations, it does not mean that we now have to engage in the balkanisation of the association of the body of lawyers in the country.

“We should not allow our differences, particularly on ethnic and religious issues, to undermine our unity.”

The danger in the breakup of NBA is aptly captured by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who warned of the inherent consequences.

“The reason is that when you begin to create a different Bar, calling it, for example, Northern Bar or new Bar, then people, very soon, are going to start calling for Southern Nigerian Army, Southern Nigerian Navy, Western Nigerian Air Force, Eastern Nigeria Tax Authority etc; where are we heading to? That is nothing but balkanisation of Nigeria and God forbid.”

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