By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Executive Committee of the Nigerian Forum of the African Bar Association has condemned the forceful takeover of democratic governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea by the military.
This is just as it called for the immediate return to democratic rule.
The association’s Chairman, Dr. Samson Osagie, made this call during the inauguration ceremony of the forum which held at B’s Hive Hotels and Suite, Abuja.
“We join in condemning in the strongest of terms, the forceful takeover of governments in some African countries and therefore urge that urgent, responsible and immediate steps be taken by the military governments in those countries to return to democratic rule,” he declared.
Speaking about the objectives of the Committee, he said they were aimed at strengthening and facilitating the defense and quality of the nation’s legal profession, ensuring access to justice and defending the rule of law.
The 5-man eExecutive Committee has Dr. Samson Osagie as its Chairman, Mr. Owoicho Adejo Ogiri as Vice Chairman., Ms. Edurancedan Jumbo as Secretary, Mr. Zacchaeus Akubo as PRO, and Ms. Aaron Vallari as Assistant Secretary.
They are to collaborate with the national and local bodies of the Nigeria Bar Association to achieve the forum’s noble objectives.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Osagie said the law is an instrument of social engineering to pursue the enthronement of good governance, as well as an orderly and democratic society among African countries.
The chairman explained that the mandate of his Committee was designed to be a federation of national legal associations, corporate and unincorporated legal entities and individual lawyers to facilitate in the African continent the defense of the legal profession, ensuring access to justice and defending the rule of law.
The former Lawmaker called for a high standard of conduct and discipline of the legal profession.
He said the association will work assiduously to collaborate with the national and local bodies of the Nigerian Bar Association to achieve its noble objectives.
On the incidences of banditry, kidnapping and senseless killings fast eroding the sanctity of lives in the country, Dr. Osagie urged the government and all the security agencies to rise much more forcefully to the occasion and rid the nation of all forms of security challenges so that citizens can enjoy their constitutional rights, particularly the right to life and freedom of movement.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and member of the Association, Ehiogie West Idahosa said the association will promote the rule of law in Africa adding that “with the new platform, we can now tackle very many issues at the bar that the African level should be dealing with.
According to him, “we have migration issues, maltreatment issues, we have discrimination issues, we have border dispute, we have very many independent panels that have been set up to deal with these matters and their reports are never known.
“I believe that with an active executive, it should complement the continental body and at the end of the day, should also liaise with the Nigerian Bar Association as far as the Nigerian Chapter operations are concerned”.
The President of the African Bar Association, Mr. Hannibal Uwaifo, superintended and performed the inauguration virtually.