Democracy has failed in Nigeria -NBA President -Blame military for Nigeria’s woes -Fashola -Aondoakaa, Fashola differ on seniority

Kunle Awosiyan and Akeem Nafia, Lagos - 18.08.2009

THE Oceanview, Expo Centre, Eko Hotel, venue of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual general conference, witnessed a drama on Monday, as the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), told the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, that he was his senior in judicial hierarchy.

The statement came following the remarks of the minister in his opening speech that he was made a Senior Advocate of Nigeria the same year with Governor Fashola and that they had been good friends since then.

However, Fashola said that Aondoakaa was not among the lawyers that were made senior advocates in 2004, when he bagged the SAN but that the minister became a SAN later with another set of lawyers.

Fashola said: “In matters of seniority in the Inner Bar we were not elevated the same year as Senior Advocate of Nigeria at the Bar, I was elevated in 2004, not the same year with you. Yours came much later.”

According to the governor, the issue of seniority in the law profession was taken with passion, noting that he became SAN in 2004, when he was the Chief of Staff to former Governor Bola Tinubu while Aondoakaa became SAN in 2006.

His disclosure generated reactions in the audience as they blamed the minister of justice for making claims when he did not have accurate records of events.

Meanwhile, the movement for the abolition of the rank of SAN within the Lagos branch of the NBA has called for abolition of the status of SAN as it described it as unjust, injurious, discriminatory and oppressive.

In a 12-point handbill distributed by agents of the branch on the premises of Oceanview Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos, where the 2009 NBA national conference is taking place, the state branch noted that the status of SAN now seemed hereditary and dynastic as it now ran in families, offices and chambers of prominent lawyers.

It stated that the status of SAN now portrayed a cult within the legal profession, saying that lawyers would prefer a level playing field for their professional practice.

“Unless the status is abolished, a level playing field cannot be achieved in the law profession in the country,” it said.

The group stressed further that call to the Bar was not sufficient for a successful private legal service until a lawyer was called or initiated into the body of SAN, adding that the status of SAN was impoverishing non-senior advocate lawyers, especially the junior members of the legal profession.

Earlier, the president of the NBA, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had berated the President Yar’Adua-led government, saying that recent events in the country had placed the country in a perilous condition.

Describing Nigeria as a failed state, Akeredolu said that it was common knowledge that across Nigeria, public trust in democracy was being challenged due to the perception that democracy had failed to improve lives.

He said: “Democratic institutions such as parliaments, executive branches and political parties are seen as ineffective in representing the people. Popular discontent with the lack of economic and social development cannot be divorced completely from recent upheavals.”

The NBA president said the body had resolved never to harbour interests extraneous to the wellbeing of the general public, saying it was a cruel paradox for a country so richly endowed to continue to wallow in abject poverty, while the commonwealth was concentrated in the hands of those he called ‘avaricious few’.

He said: “Corruption ranks as the vice with the most debilitating impact on the country. There is virtually no sector of the national life of the country the pernicious influence of graft, extortion and outright thievery are not noticeable.”

Meanwhile, Governor Fashola has said that military incursions into the nation’s polity played an aggravative role in its underdevelopment.

He stated this on Monday at the NBA conference in Lagos. Governor Fashola, while speaking on the theme of the conference, “Underdeveloped Nations, Failed Economies and the Future of the Legal Profession,” noted that underdevelopment was a manifestation of the failure of law and its practitioners.

He asked policy makers to see the current challenge posed by the global economic meltdown as an opportunity and not as a threat.

Declaring the conference open, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who stood in for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, noted that the theme of the conference was timely and very relevant to the prevailing global economic recession.

He used the occasion to assure Nigerians of the commitment of the Yar’Adua administration to the rule of law, stressing that it was the foundation for the country’s growth.

In his speech at the occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, called for more collaboration between the legislature and the judiciary for the good of the country.

The speaker decried the absence of internal democracy in the country, saying, unless this was achieved, the much-talked about electoral process would be a mirage.

He expressed his displeasure at what he described as the refusal of the NBA to respond appropriately to some issues made against it by the House.

Specifically, the speaker alleged that the association had not responded to the report of the findings of the House on the probe of the power sector that was sent to it.

Mr. Bankole challenged the NBA to present its own set of bills for consideration to the House.

Other personalities at the opening ceremony included the Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, and the Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

More than 8,000 lawyers from across the country and in dispora are attending the one week-long conference.

Nothing annoys me like this lazy manner political analyst in the country blame their failure/corruption purely on the military. This is not doing the country any good .

I beleive this excuse is outdated. 1999-2009 is 10years and one can hardly see development in any strata of our socio-economic life and people still blame the military. what a waste.

I am definitely not a believer in the statement that "the worst democratic government is better than the best military rule" at least not in nigeria.

na_so:

Nothing annoys me like this lazy manner political analyst in the country blame their failure/corruption purely on the military. This is not doing the country any good .

I beleive this excuse is outdated. 1999-2009 is 10years and one can hardly see development in any strata of our socio-economic life and people still blame the military. what a waste.

I am definitely not a believer in the statement that "the worst democratic government is better than the best military rule" at least not in nigeria.

The Military actually destroyed Nigeria.

You cannot blame the Military enough.

The unitary nature of the Military and the legacy it left on the country is what we are still battling to tackle from Fiscal Federalism to State Police.

Without Military intervention in Nigerian Politics we wont be debating about 13% or 40% derivation because in the 1st republic it was 50% and we wont have such a high number of unviable States waiting for Federal Allocation to take care of over 80% annual expenditure and the entire country is  nearly 90% dependent on Oil & Gas.

folem:

The Military actually destroyed Nigeria.

You cannot blame the Military enough.

The unitary nature of the Military and the legacy it left on the country is what we are still battling to tackle from Fiscal Federalism to State Police.

Without Military intervention in Nigerian Politics we wont be debating about 13% or 40% derivation because in the 1st republic it was 50% and we wont have such a high number of unviable States waiting for Federal Allocation to take care of over 80% annual expenditure and the entire country is nearly 90% dependent on Oil & Gas.

So military is why governors wire public funds abroad?, military is to blame for our inability to organize credible elections, which we have been struggling with since first republic even before the first military coup?

Military is to blame for the state of our roads which would conveniently pass for sophisticated death traps. Abi?

My point is while the military have their blame for some of our challenges, there is sufficient evidence that our crop of politicians are just a bunch of criminals that are envied even by the devil. They blame the military and steal the money, they blame the military and subvert due process, they blame the military and celebrate the IBORIs ,Igbinedions and KALUS of this world.

na_so:

Nothing annoys me like this lazy manner political analyst in the country blame their failure/corruption purely on the military. This is not doing the country any good .
I beleive this excuse is outdated. 1999-2009 is 10years and one can hardly see development in any strata of our socio-economic life and people still blame the military. what a waste.

I am definitely not a believer in the statement that "the worst democratic government is better than the best military rule" at least not in nigeria.

You and me both oo!!!

na_so:



So military is why governors wire public funds abroad?, military is to blame for our inability to organize credible elections, which we have been struggling with since first republic even before the first military coup?

Military is to blame for the state of our roads which would conveniently pass for sophisticated death traps. Abi?

My point is while the military have their blame for some of our challenges, there is sufficient evidence that our crop of politicians are just a bunch of criminals that are envied even by the devil. They blame the military and steal the money, they blame the military and subvert due process, they blame the military and celebrate the IBORIs ,Igbinedions and KALUS of this world.

Actually, yes it was. The military rulers and their chronies were notorious for taking public funds abroad. The military was a complete disaster. Our economy actually contracted. Do you know that 60% of all revenue generated in Nigeria's history was between 1999-2007. That is an incredible statistic.

If the military comes back, Nigeria is over. I personally would vouch for a complete breakup. Burn your passports and run. I would actually support foreign intervention. Anything but the military. To be honest British rule is better than the military.

Yes, they were culpable but not entirely. The military left 10 years ago and nothing has changed in this country. Even countries that were war torn have since moved on. I am referring to Liberia, Angola etc. See what Angola has been able to achieve with the same oil money.
I read somewhere that there was a move to impeach the NBA president by some factions since the association has been polarised along AC/ PDP divides.
I am not a fan of the military institution but I want to believe that Akeredolu shifted the blame to the military when he could not continue bashing PDP and risk being impeached. I love the man and i support most of his reasonings but not this one. Ibori, Odili, OBJ, Mantu, Yar Adua, Ali, Mark, Bankole, Igbinedion, Anenih, Ojo Maduekwe (pls add to the list) and their ilks should be held accountable.

as long as we remained in one Nigeria we will continuing blaming some formar leader's and military as Nigeria problems the only problem we got is Nigerians by accepting to remained in one Nigeria.

emyah:

as long as we remained in one Nigeria we will continuing blaming some formar leader's and military as Nigeria problems the only problem we got is Nigerians by accepting to remained in one Nigeria.

What the heck?