Mazi Afam Osigwe is the immediate past General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Branch, A notary public and a member of Body of Benchers. He is the Founder and Managing partner of Law Forte, a law firm based in Abuja. In This First Part Exclusive and no hold barred interview, He shared with Bridget Edokwe of www.barristerNG.com, his thoughts on topical national issues, Federal Government Anti Corruption War and many more.



Bridget: Mazi, You recently lost your mum and uncle, once again from BarristerNG.com, accept our sincere condolence.

Afam: Thank you so very much.



Bridget: What is your reaction to numerous regional and tribal agitations happening in many parts of the Country?

Afam: My take on it is that all the agitations are attributable to failure of government. People feeling that government has not been fair to them. Government has treated them wrongly and government has been run in a manner that pander to the ethnic origin of those in power and people feel left out, people feel that there are laws which limit their ability to maximize their potentials and they don’t have a sense of being a part of the Federation and for as long as that lasts for so long will you have such agitations. People also have an entitlement mindset that because their region is part of the country produced the President, they are entitled to benefit more than others. I think that the inability so far to forge a nation, a merit-driven nation where people get things because they are entitled to it on merit has fueled this agitations. And if we are able to build a nation where people have a sense of belonging, it wouldn’t really matter where a president or governor comes from. That will be our first step towards building a nation and that will lead to a decline of these agitations if everybody feels that they are being treated equally. If there are equal opportunities in the Governance of the country; we will go a long way in assuaging these feelings.

Bridget: There is also a loud cry for restructuring of the political framework of the country. What is your view on restructuring?

Afam: My view is that the word restructuring as being used means different things for different people but then at the end of it all, is about building a nation, not a country, where people feel that they are compelled to belong to. If people feel that they belong to a nation that cares for them as individuals irrespective of their religion or creed or their tribe or places of origin; where people are free to reside where ever they want and are accepted as part of the nation, such issues leading to clamor for restructuring will be addressed. And then again, I also think that there is also need for devolution of power to the states. We have a Federal Government that is all powerful and many states feel that the Federal Government muscles them which is why the race for the top job in Nigeria is always an ethnic and religious based thing. Many people want to get it and some people feel that if you control the center, you gain more which is why we hear “oh we want an Igbo president” or “we want a president of Yoruba extraction” and such agitations. But when we build a nation and the real politics is in the States where people are close to the grassroots, some of these issues will be addressed and there will not be any more clamor for devolution of power and restructuring. Restructuring means really, changing the balance of power between the Federal Government and State Governments. So whoever attains leadership positions at the Federal Government as President will not be seen as a person who dispenses favor but a person who governs according to law irrespective of you come from and people will have a more sense of belonging and certain items that presently fall in the exclusive legislative list will be given to the states to administer or take care of and the Federal government will be concerned with issues of defence and certain common issues are joined also and not get involved in education and setting standards of what you must do or not do in admitting people in the university even when such universities are privately funded. There are so many issues that need to be addressed really. Call it whatever name you want but these are some of the issues begging for answers and which people have to honestly sit down to address.



Bridget: What is your assessment of the Anti corruption war of the Present Federal Government?

Afam: I think it has been more of a news item, people has been convicted more in the media than in the courts. If you have been involved in some of the trials, you will see that investigations are shoddy, presentation of some of the cases are not well articulated. In a number of the cases, the charges are not well drafted and sometimes the prosecution does not appear serious or interested in diligently prosecuting the cases. So you see people getting convicted in the media with no charges filed against them; people being accused of so many things and nothing being done about it. We have not seen the will. You also see lack of coordination between the office of Attorney-General of the Federation and the prosecutorial agencies like the EFCC and ICPC. In some cases you will believe and rightly so that they are working at cross purposes and it has not helped the war. And also the fact that so many people feel that the fight against corruption is lopsided and that if you belong to particular political party or faction within a party, you may be exempt from prosecution. These are some of the things that have not engendered confidence in the fight against corruption. It has been more of a sloganeering affair than a real fight to eradicate corruption from our society because people feel that those who are close to the present government do not get the kind of attention that those who are not friends of government or those who are not in government get. The prosecution is sometimes carried out in a manner that panders more to appearance than to really securing conviction. The message appears to be: “Oh we are fighting corruption”.

Unserious, shoddy or half-hearted prosecution will almost always fail. Courts deal with evidence presented in the course of trials. When there isn’t enough evidence to convict, they must acquit no matter how much noise has been made in the public space. In any case, it’s has not been all bad news. I must acknowledge that there have been some excellent investigation and prosecution. Some have resulted in convictions while some trials are ongoing. . So I am of the firm view there is need for better coordination. There is also need for those involved in the fight to show more dedication to it. Be more focused and not to unduly politicize it or seek to get millage in the media. The efforts should be concentrated on the real war which relies on forensic investigation and spade work, so that by the time matters are taken to court, they will be able to have a water-tight case with a huge chance of resulting in a conviction.



Bridget: Notwithstanding the dramatic way Judges and some Judicial officials were arrested, the Federal Government is yet to get a conviction on any judicial officer. Is this a proof that the Judiciary is free from corruption?

Afam: No arm of government is free from corruption but focusing on the Judiciary as if it is the problem of the fight against corruption is like trying to find a scapegoat so that one arm of government will appear like the saint while the other will appear like the devil. While there need to root out corruption whether in the Judiciary or the Executive, we must call a spade a spade. Like I said earlier, the Judiciary deals with facts presented before courts during trials. It does not go out to fish for evidence. No matter how a judge feels about a case, if the facts and evidence placed before him do not tend to show that there is ground for conviction, the judge must acquit. It is not about the issue of morality, it is not about the issue of “I feel and believe this man is guilty”. The evidence must bear that out beyond reasonable doubt. If the government is serious, there must be a coordinated fight between the investigative and prosecutorial agencies. Nobody should blame the Judiciary for the acquittal of people charged with various acts of corruption and or financial crimes. A court must not convict simply because the government wants a conviction very badly or because the court of public opinion favours it.

Courts deal with facts. In criminal matters such cases must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. And I say this also bearing in mind that some conviction secured at the High Courts were recently upturned by the court of Appeal. One may refer to the acquittal of former MD of Nigerian Ports Authority and a number of cases that have gone on Appeal. Sometimes, these cases are not well investigated like I said earlier and or are not well prosecuted. The evidence is not there and sometimes the charges are not well drafted to secure conviction and the government could also make use of the plea bargain procedure contained in laws to secure more convictions. The idea is about securing conviction and recovery of assets. If you make noise and you are still not able to get there, then there is something wrong with the fight against corruption.

It is in our best interest that the fight against corruption is seriously waged because it is our commonwealth that is being frittered away. When people steal these monies, they steal what belongs to everybody. They are thereby responsible for that woman who dies at childbirth because the drugs is not there or the doctors are on strike because they are not paid or the roads are not fixed and should could not get to hospital in good time to be attended. They are responsible for that child who is unable to get education because the school is not there or because there are no books and the teachers are not motivated to teach. They are responsible for every bad thing that happens in our society. They are also responsible for the insecurity in our society. So it is in our collective interest that we wage a successful war against corruption. But in waging this war we must focus on the real issues and be result-oriented and do the right things and not seek who to blame or seek to always say we did our best but somebody sabotaged it. That kind of mindset must be discouraged. We need to weed out corruption if we don’t totally do that, we must reduce it to the barest minimum so that the cost of doing business will be reduced; so that there will be more public confidence in government; so that people will have a fair view and good perception of government; so that people will no longer see government as a bazaar where you go to get as much as you can. We must do the right thing so that people will spend less and less in getting things done; so that people will have access to health care, education and so many other things that make for better living and which so many of our people run away to foreign countries to get. And unfortunately too, as laughable as it is, those who steal these monies, when they are sick run abroad. When they move, they move with so much security because, as is said, ‘the rich man cannot sleep because the poor man is hungry’. At the end of the day we are all casualties just like JP Clark will say. We are all in it. No matter how much you get as ill-gotten wealth, you still suffer the same discomfort everybody suffers. So why don’t we ensure that the money remains in public coffers for the good of the society.



Bridget: Can it be said then that the federal government is not using its best hands to fight the war against corruption?

Afam: Well it is a mixture of the two. Sometimes when government makes it look as if, if this fight is not fought by Mr A, then this fight cannot be won. When we promote strong men, sometimes we may bypass the people that can actually do that work better than others because we have a fixation on a person or maybe we want to put our own person there not necessarily a person that has a track record. Public appointments in Nigeria is bedeviled by appointment of wrong persons either based on party patronage, tribal patronage or religious patronage. So most times these people don’t do the right thing, so ultimately the system does not work.



Bridget: Is the sensational Arrest of some Judicial officers and the manner the Federal Government has carried on its anti-corruption campaign affecting the relationship between the Executive and the Judiciary?

Afam: I will not be in a hurry to say it is not affecting it. It may be a natural consequence because there are those who believe that raid was intended to make the Judiciary look bad. Now, that operation was called a sting operation but from emerging facts there was no sting in that operation because my understanding of sting operations is that you have credible information that there is evidence, more like a smoking gun and then you move in to catch those persons with the requisite evidence required to secure conviction. When you look at the totality of it, you will have your doubts for Example, the house of honorable Justice Dimgba was raided and nothing was found. His case files were taken away and it turns out that it was because he had a face-off with the SSS over a matter in his court. Honourable Justice Okoro’s house was raided. The Judge gave account of how the money in his account was acquired. He was never charged to court. The house of Honorable Justice Muazu Pindiga was raided weeks after the petition written against him by the SSS was dismissed by the NJC and nothing was ever heard about that yet he was arrested in the “sting operation”. The house of Honorable Justice Umezurike was a week prior to that day recommended for compulsory retirement by the NJC was raided. And presently he is standing trial not on account of anything found in his house (as nothing was found) but for what have been in public domain leading to the petition against him that parties before him gave him money in a manner that was contrary to code for judicial officers. When you look at the whole cases, the SSS also said they wanted to raid the house of one Justice of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt but they went to a wrong house. Till date, the same judge it claimed is a distributor of bribe from parties in suit to other judges has never been arraigned in court. I am not aware if he was ever invited for questioning. When you look at the whole thing, you want to strongly believe that that particular operation was intended to smear and paint the Judiciary in a bad light and not really intended to weed out corruption in the Judiciary. Should the corruption in the Judiciary be weeded out? It should by all means. Should it be done in good faith? For Sure!. Has it been done in good faith at this time? I don’t think so. And that’s my worry about that. And if you look at the number of them and Honorable Justice Ademola, that was acquitted, if you look at how the trial went, it would appear that the exonerative evidence that led to his acquittal came from an SSS witness. It makes you really wonder what this was all about. I don’t want to address the issue whether SSS should be involved in such raid. They should not. They should restrict their activities to matters of internal security. It would also appear to be the wrong use of security agencies to do a job that has become questionable. That has actually been more lampooned than praised.

Bridget: Some of the Judges were arrested in the middle of the night and their houses searched by DSS operatives. Was the timing of the Search and Arrest wrong?

Afam: Well, the ACJA would appear to have moved the law, a lot further. A search can be conducted at any time of the day and day in this sense does not mean the technical day in the criminal code or Penal code. If you have credible evidence that a man has something in his house, rightly thinking, you shouldn’t wait for day break because that evidence could be disappeared. I have nothing with the timing but I have everything against the modus operandi. The credibility of the information that led to the raid and the manner it was carried out as well as the sensational way news items emanating from it were being planted in the media and at the end of the day, there are only two prosecutions going on. And the raid was supposed to have taken place with credible evidence, smoking gun in those homes and now there are not enough charges in court to justify the media blitz that followed the raids. I worry more about that.

Bridget: There is an article by Mr Julius Atenawehmera accusing you of disrespect to Bar elders and using Mr Joseph Silas Onu to cause disaffection within the unity Bar. How do you respond to that?

Afam: I wish I could accuse Julius too of being used by somebody to cause disaffection. I read that article by Julius and I could only shake my head. One, you don’t write an article and said “abusing elders” and not a single instance was given. And if Joseph Onu had issues with people and it is attributed to me, then it means that in this our profession, people are not respected. People have their freedom of expression and I have never encouraged Joseph Onu or any person to insult any person. I know Joseph had issues with the Chairman of the Exco in which he served and they had their political differences which led to Petitions being written to the NBA which affected the workings of that Exco. It will be terribly wrong for anybody to attribute that to me. And I think I should say this, first time, I attended meeting of the then aspirant for NBA Abuja Chairman (under whose tenure Joseph served), it was Joseph that convened that meeting to inform us that, that Agada Elachi was running for Chairman. So to that extent, I can say they were very very close. They were friends and if they fell out, I can’t be blamed for what happened between them and whatever maybe the other blow-out from it. And you don’t just wake up and throw mud at somebody and say “He is sponsoring people to insult elders” and no single instance is mentioned. T

Those who caused problem in the unity Bar know what the cause of the problem is. It is attempt to tamper with the democratic process where people sit down before candidates have picked nomination forms to say that Mr A will be disqualified and will never be Chairman. And if people want to say that, people should be bold enough to say that, that is what is causing division in the unity Bar. A decision of a group of people that the Electoral process must be tampered with and then refusing to take a legitimate directive from the NBA National Secretariat overruling their position to unlawfully disqualify a candidate Ezenwa Anumnu, who was otherwise qualified run for that office. The same people who argued then that the national Secretariat cannot direct the branch Electoral Committee, when it came to Bwari Branch where the Electoral Committee cleared I. O. Peters to run for Chairman wrote to the General Secretary to say, this man is not qualified, Electoral Committee cleared him and the General Secretary of NBA not a committee set up by NEC wrote a letter directing Electoral Committee of Bwari to disqualify that person. The same people applauded it but in Abuja Branch, they ignored it and claimed that they cannot be directed and they went ahead to conduct election for a candidate they knew was not qualified. Instead of accepting their role in the crisis, they want to outsource it to me, because I happened to be the General Secretary as at the time the crisis erupted. So the problem in Abuja is not abuse to elders or anything, it is about people feeling that they can play God with the branch and determine who can run for office and who will not run. Who will be shot down before he/she attempted to run. A past Chairman who was a member of the Branch Electoral Committee invited me to a meeting late at night at a time the electoral Committee was yet to call for nominations to inform me according to him that ‘Elders of the branch had decided that Ezenwa Anumnu will not be Chairman of the branch because I was ‘supporting him, and that in fact he would be disqualified’. The crisis has more to do with undemocratic forces who arbitrarily decide that a candidate will be disqualified not minding he is yet to pick nomination form or that the call for picking of nomination forms has not been made.

Abuja branch crisis is simply a clear case of lawyers not respecting the rule of law. When you sit down and say “he he will not be Chairman” even when that candidate has not picked nomination form, you can only forment crsis when that candidate is ultimately disqualified and he challenges it.

In Abuja, they went ahead to disqualify Anumnu. There is every wrong with such a process. And such a thing can only lead to division in a branch. And people who also go ahead even in the face of court orders to disobey court orders, to say, ” we must do what we want, you can’t do anything, we will keep you out” When NEC and AGM said that a person is Chairman of a Branch and the national Secretariat of NBA refuses to accredit him as Chairman, even in absence of a court order removing him or a superior decision. Those are the persons causing division not me because I didn’t do that.



Bridget: Many Branches of the NBA had Pre-Election Controversies: Unity Bar, Bwari Branch, Ikeja Branch, and Even Lagos Branch all attributable to the Uniform Bye Law. What will be your advice to Branches on how to avoid these controversies?

Afam: Lawyers must learn to respect the law, The NBA constitution together with the uniform Bye Laws, I believe have enough provisions to resolve disputes and people should not be allowed to subvert the will of the people or refuse to obey the laws and get away with it. People should not be unlawfully stopped from ascending power through popular votes. Look at Lagos Branch, since they held the election, there is no dispute from it because the branch conducted its elections in accordance with law. When you look at the law and feel you can bend it to suit you or that the law does not count, you will keep on having problems in branches. If act as a people ruled by law and will respect this law, we will be able to move forward. Some of these issues will no longer arise. And when people think that they have listening ears either at the National Secretariat or somewhere who can say ” Do it, nothing will happen”, and nothing actually happens when they do it, then this crisis will continue.



Bridget: From your response; does it mean that only a group of people decide what happens at NBA Branches?

Afam: There are branches that have what they call CABAL who feel that it is either their way or the high way, who feel that if they did not anoint you, you cannot amount to anything and who see any attempt by any person to win an election without their anointing as an affront that must be crushed. And who may go to such desperate length as getting the person disqualified because he is not their preferred candidate and then, they ensure that nothing happens that even that wrong doing will never be addressed. These are some of the challenges we face and it is pervasive in many branches.



Bridget: What is the way forward in resolving these issues in Branches?

Afam: Our motto is promoting the rule of law, respect the law, allow democratic process even if you have formed a group in your branch, if you have a candidate, make sure he is a good candidate who will be acceptable to the people. Do not tamper with the law. Do not use your influence to get persons who are not qualified to be qualified or to disqualify qualified persons. Allow the law to take its course. Allow the people to have their say. If it favors you or your candidate, you rejoice, if it doesn’t, you accept the decision of the people.



Bridget: What can you mention as the major achievement of Austin Alegeh SAN Regime?

Afam: Well, I will say quite so many things. We are able to introduce an insurance scheme which for many years NBA does not have in place. Any lawyer who pays practice fee in a particular year, automatically got an insurance scheme for 1 million Naira. Then completion of the NBA house which I consider a milestone, a monumental achievement of that administration and being able to successfully introduce a personalized stamp for lawyers which has been in the works for many years and which was an improvement on the one proceeding it which only had a serial number and also introducing the affinity card and some other membership benefits for members. And also running an administration that focused more on making members have a sense of belonging, a sense of knowing that the association is looking out for them. By applying the monies they pay to render services to lawyers. I think these are some of the great achievements of that administration which I am proud to be part of recorded.

Bridget: There is this accusation that the NBA House , though a great achievement, was hurriedly finished and as such , many fixtures were not done up to Standard. How do you react to that?

Afam: Well, the building is there and it is left for people to take a visit to know whether it was of substandard quality but it still stands out there as a symbol of what the NBA can do by prudently applying its resources. It may well be that there is some areas that may still need a little bit of attention but it will be unfair to say that the building was hurriedly done. Now, when you do a building, there may be issues that may also bother on maintenance like lift. When you install lift, you have to have a service with the installers to maintain it. I don’t know whether it is the kind of things you are referring to but the building is fully functional with three lifts installed and I do not know whether NBA went ahead to sign and pay for the service agreement for the maintenance of the lifts. Every owner of a lift will tell that you must pay for servicing of lift, you have to periodically service it so that if there is any problem, the service providers will come and fix it. I have not been to that building in a while, so I will be unable to comment. And I also know that people were interested in renting some floors in that building and those that contacted me, I referred them to the Secretariat to make enquiries and if it was poorly or hurriedly done, they wouldn’t want to rent it. One of the entities that wanted to take it was a bank. I may never know what came out of that discussion. And you can take a visit to that place and see for yourself. It is just like buying a brand new car, lovely condition, it will now depend on how you run it. The car is well built but if not well maintained and run, the car could become a jalopy in one or two years. But I know that the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the now acting President who commissioned it commended the NBA and noted that if it was a government project, it would probably have taken more than 5 years to be completed. And we did it below budget. That building was estimated to be a 2.5 billion naira project. We completed it at 1.7 billion including some outstanding payments that were to be made because NBA didn’t have enough money to install the big transformers. So it was taken that those payments will be made complete it. So this 1.7 billion naira included some outstanding payments to be made to those who will install certain equipment to complete the work. So at the time we left the completion level was at 95 percent.


Bridget: Austin Alegeh SAN Regime under which you served did a lot to improve members welfare. Members paid very little to attend AGC, Insurance package upon paying practice fees etc. What really inspired this welfarist Approach?

Afam: Now we realized that lawyers feel that they make make payments and have nothing to show for it. Lawyers believes that NBA collects so much money especially for conferences and still make them pay so much and we felt that since NBA is a brand and has ability to get corporate entities to partner with it and donate money and even some government entities, that conferences should be subsidized in such a way that money gotten from third party sources towards funding of the conference should be used to defray this cost. So we shifted the cost from members to encourage greater participation. When you are a brand, that people want to do things with you. It becomes easy for you to do some things, so it was not rocket science. Some people were willing to partner with us and put in money. So members didn’t have to pay so much to be part of it. We are not unmindful that some in some international conferences, people pay higher but this is Nigeria and for as long as lawyers want to feel that the association cares about them. That they are the centre piece of the attention of the association for so long was it imperative that those things be done for people to say ” Yes, we have reason for paying practice fees and we benefit from it”.



Bridget: 2016 Annual General Conference was hailed as World Class by members because it brought so many exciting features without any major cost to members. How was your regime able to do that without any cost on members?

Afam: It is back to what I was saying, being able to raise fund and also apply what you get judiciously. Knowing what to prioritize. Knowing what to do to get your members involved to know that you made elaborate plans to accommodate them, to make them a fine part of it, especially young lawyers. Having a young Lawyer go home with a brand new car which was won in a fair and transparent process. So when you put all these things in mind, you will see how it is easy for an association like us not to impose great financial burden on members to participate in conference and still be able to deliver on all these.



Bridget: What is your advice to this present administration of NBA?

Afam: My advice to the present administration is to remain focused. To carry out the manifesto that ensured it won election And also listen to what lawyers have to say. And also have an open door policy and be accessible and at all point in time, to keep to that which it has promised lawyers and then deliver on them. And also speak at critical moments and continue to let lawyers know the primacy their office roles in their practice life.



Bridget: The 2015 NBA Constitution passed under your watch as the NBA General Secretary has been embroiled in controversy due to a case by Mr. Olasupo Ojo at the Federal High Court. Has the anomaly complained of been resolved and rectified?

Afam: Well I understand the constitution has been registered. I think it is important to say this, there were two prior amendments before 2015 which it has come out were not registered. Ordinarily it is the work of the legal adviser to register the constitution and companies and Allied matters Act did not specify the time frame within which that registration should be made but before we left office, we commenced the process of the registration of the constitution. Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened in the course of that matter in court and the attention of the Court was not drawn to the fact that application to register that constitution has been made and all outstanding annual returns filed with the CAC and requisite application made. And be that as it may, I understand that matter is on Appeal and will therefore not like want to comment on it. But NBA appealed the judgment of the Court and still proceeded to complete the registration process. My understanding is that the judgment is to the effect that all actions based on the unregistered constitution before be void and not that the Constitution is void. Olasupo Ojo admitted in his court processes he filed that the constitution was passed at an Annual General Meeting. So my understanding of his complaint is that it was not registered. So there are two things CAMA required, that the constitution be passed in a general meeting and it be registered. These things are conjunctive. So if one is done and one is partially done, to my mind without commenting on the case, I do not think the actions ought be void. But that is matter for the court to determine. But I can say, relying on Information supplied by the NBA president at a forum, that the registration of the constitution has been completed. And that in a case, increasing the course of it, they were also able to compete the registration of two previous constitutions that was not also registered. So the constitution is fully registered and to me, that should address the issue.

Mazi Afam Osigwe is the immediate past General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Branch, A Notary public and a member of Body of Benchers. He is the Founder and Managing partner of Law Forte, a law firm based in Abuja. In this Second Part Exclusive and no hold barred interview, He shared with Bridget Edokwe of www.barristerNG.com, his thoughts on issues around the Nigerian Bar Association, his 2018 Presidential Ambition, His view on SAN and many other issues.



Bridget: You appear very popular in NBA particularly among Young Lawyers. How did you achieve this massive popularity?

Afam: Well, I wouldn’t know whether I am popular or not but I have done service to the Bar as Chairman of NBA Abuja Branch and as the General Secretary of NBA. I have done my little best in contributing in service to the NBA and service to lawyers. If in the course of doing these works, lawyers have a fair view of me, it is something I may not be able to do much about. The little I can say is that whatever position of responsibility I find myself in, I try to make sure that I discharge the functions of such office to the best of my ability, that I am accessible, responsive and responsible to lawyers. I try to make sure that I address complaints brought my way either through phone calls, text messages, email or whatever means and I try to be fair to all that I have dealt with. For the offices that I campaigned for, I did my best to ensure that I kept my campaign promises and I remain open to the people and I make myself highly accessible to them and I am always open to listen to their suggestions and their criticisms. If that has in any way made me popular, I am Grateful to God for that but I am not able to judge. I can only rely on what I am told and not that I can tell you that I know this personally. I have tried to do my best in all circumstance without fear or favour I always discharged my duties diligently and to justify the confidence reposed in me by the majority that gave me the votes and also the minority that did not have that confidence but still gave me room to act in such capacity after being elected. And to them, I owe gratitude for whatever I may have been able to achieve and continue to trust them that all of us will always endeavor to make for a better Nigerian Bar Association and indeed a Nigerian nation.



Bridget: There is a strong rumour mill on Social media that you will be contesting for the NBA presidency next year. What is your reaction to this?

Afam: Well, I don’t rule that out because I believe that legally, I am qualified to run for NBA President and I am consulting and since the ban on campaign has not been lifted, I will not be able to make a categorical statement but I can really say that when the ban is lifted and we are to confirm those who are running, I will likely be found amongst them, that is among those jostling to head the NBA in 2018. So to that extent, I can say that suspicion is not entirely wrong or misplaced.



Bridget: I came across an article on social media accusing you of hating and despising the revered rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. How do you respond to that?



Afam: There is a saying in my place that if you want to ask about me, don’t ask a man who hates me because he will tell you that I am dead. Those who don’t see anything good in what you do right, will manufacture a false story and go into overdrive to spread falsehood against you. In their quest to do maximum damage to you they take their insidious story to social media. They shamelessly put out their fabrication because they know that our courts are not really strong in terms of what they award as damages for defamation. People defame others without blinking an eyelid. In answering your question, I will say that as an Igbo man, if I were living in the village, I would have taken the ọzọ title and it is a title people take when they have distinguished themselves and achieved some level of excellence. And if could take that in a traditional Igbo society, the thing that is similar to it in the legal profession is the rank of Senior Advocate. Even though I am a member of the Body of Benchers, nothing will please me than to take the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I cannot therefore hate and despise that which I aspire to. To suggest otherwise concerning me, can only emanate from a dark and mischievous mind.

In any case the allegation should not be surprising in a season of politics. Those who are not able to fault your stewardship, will only rake up mud against you. Despite the false allegations intended to distract me, I must maintain my cool. At times like this, I find comfort in the words of Mitchelle Obama that “When they go low, you go high”. People must be able to make a distinction between what I believe in concerning the leadership of the Bar and my respect for the rank of SAN. My belief which is being distorted is that going by the NBA Constitution, aspiration to the leadership at the Bar is not conditional on one being a senior advocate. In other words, senior advocate is not a sine qua non for one attaining leadership at the Bar. So whether back to the question, yes, I have reverence for the rank of SAN. Yes I hope to be a senior advocate. As soon as I meet the minimum requirements of having the number of cases, I shall be applying to be a senior advocate. I cannot condemn that which I desire. I mean it is irreconcilable, it doesn’t make sense and anybody who knows me knows that I strive for excellence both in my practice and in everything I do. One of the biggest achievements I will take at the bar is being conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate but I do not think that one must have it in order to be able to contest for leadership positions at the Bar. There has been so many presidents of the Bar who never attained that rank or who were not SAN when they were elected NBA President. There is no suggestions that they were bad Presidents because they were not Senior Advocates or they shouldn’t be because they were not senior Advocates. People should not muddle that up so that they will give a dog a bad name to hang it. But I know that lawyers are discerning and they know when people sell them a lie. And this is an entirely falsehood fabricated from the figment of the imagination of whoever wrote that. Whose name I would not want to mention because I don’t think it is important. They are actually trying to distract us from issues at hand. But we will remain focused.



Bridget: So the Allegation that you are Anti-SAN is false?

Afam: It is totally unfounded. None of them will tell you that he had a conversation with me or I issued a statement. I subscribe to the view that to attain leadership at the Bar. If you are a Senior Advocate, that’s fine, if you are not, that’s also fine. That If the NBA thought it was important for you to take the top Job, you must be a senior Advocate, We should have put it in the constitution. It is a not there and my view is merely an interpretation of the position of the NBA constitution which has set out qualifications to be a president of the NBA at 15 years post call, you must have been in NEC for 2 years, you must have paid your practice fees for the last 3 years, paid your branch dues. Nothing more than these.

All I understand people to be simply doing is to elaborate on that view by saying “It is not a Constitutional requirements” and that was actually in reaction to those who say ” before you aspire to lead the Bar, you must be a Senior Advocate”. It has nothing to do with whether it is good to be a senior advocate or not. It has more to do with ” Is it imperative that one be a senior advocate to aspire to be president” and we remind them that Dr Mudiaga Odjeh, Alao Aka Bashorun, Prince Bola Ajibola, Charles Idehen to name a few were NBA Presidents without taking Silk at the time of their election. And that tradition has continued to be maintained in our constitution. So we are merely interpreting the law. Why would you detest a position of distinction? I support the rank of Senior Advocates and by the grace of God, I will take it some day. I don’t think that one’s inability to get it at the time of running for office should be counted against him or should be used to say ” oh you are not qualified, you can’t run”. No and my holding such views is legally founded on the NBA constitution and therefore unassailable and nobody should read a so called custom that does not form part of the law into the constitution to defeat the clear wordings of the constitution. And I think we are lawyers, so we are only interpreting the NBA constitution and nothing more.



Bridget: Do you support the Abolition of SAN privilege?

Afam: I do not support that. I had a recent meeting with Pa Tunji Gomez and I said ” look, I do not share your views but If the issue is that there are abuses, that there are certain wrong-doing by some persons who hold that rank, then, I agree with you that NBA could do more to ensure that no such abuses occur, that people do not use that rank to the disadvantage of other lawyers who are not senior Advocates or even to the disadvantage of clients “. And I said even in our society, we revere elders, that’s a rank. In churches, in mosques, elders are revered. So there is always some form of title taking in the society and if at the Bar, we have chosen to make our own Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Benchers, then among Benchers, life Benchers, there is absolutely nothing wrong in them. But if in the operation of this ranking system, there are abuses, there are unfair advantages, there is injustice meted out to those who are outside of those ranking systems, we address them but not to say, because we have a headache, we chop off our head. No, I don’t think so.



Bridget: There is another social media article alleging that you are supporting Young Lawyers to insult and rubbish SANs. How do you react to that?

Afam: I am not aware anybody is insulting any person but I think people for political reasons try to attach me to articles written by persons saying that you don’t need to be an SAN to be President. That you could be be an SAN or non SAN. And people gave it a spin to mean an insult and like I said, people could play politics with anything but they can’t play politics with the truth because at some point the truth will come up, no matter how long you suppress it. The articles are out there and if they can link me with any insult of any young lawyer or person insulting the elders, I will like to see it. I also think I am not a young Lawyer and I have been thoroughly insulted by persons I believe are being paid by some senior lawyers to write rubbish against me. Forgive my choice of words but for want of a better way of describing it. And I have not suggested that senior lawyers are now insulting some other senior lawyers or young lawyers. But it is a season of politics where emotions can get high and I have not sponsored any persons and I never will sponsor any person to insult another person whether senior or young lawyer.

In my place, we say that the elders should not die young so that the vultures will not be mistaken for chickens. Knowing that I am also gradually inching into that class of senior lawyers, I mean, this is my 18th year post call, I am a past General Secretary and a life member of NEC, and a Bencher. So by my ranking in the profession, I am Elder. It will be inconceivable for me to sponsor young lawyers to attack people within my bracket in the profession. It beats my mind and if they can find any such person, please let me know. But people will try to paint you black, throw mud at you, I have read so many things, some persons try to post a funny article that I abused his wife, I have heard so many things but it is not everything you respond to because there is what is called propaganda and people try to throw out propaganda and knowing that by my nature, I don’t respond to most of those things, they keep sending them out in the hope that they will fool some gullible persons into believing that what they are saying is the truth. But it is not unrelated to the suspicion that I will be running for NBA President but I welcome them but we will remain focused on issues affecting the Bar. Not on mudslinging.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, and the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf, have continued to dare each other through letters and press statements over Yusuf’s suspension from office.

Adewole had last week slammed a three-month suspension on Yusuf to pave way for an independent probe of the ‘mountains’ of petitions against him.

However, the NHIS boss fired back at the Minister in a daring tone, pointedly telling him to his face that he could not proceed on the suspension as the minister lacks the power to sanction him.

Yusuf maintained that it was only the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who appointed him, that could remove him from office, which has tenure of five years in the first instance and another five, if renewed.

The embattled NHIS boss further advanced five reasons why Adewole could not suspend him and why he would not leave his office to anyone else.

Yusuf said in a July 12 letter written to Adewole, “By virtue of the NHIS Act particularly section 4 and 8 thereof, my appointment and removal from office whether by way of suspension or otherwise is at the instance of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Except removed from office by the president under circumstances specified in the NHIS Act, my appointment is for a period of five years subject to further term of the same period at the discretion of the president.

“Although by virtue of section 47 of the NHIS Act, you are empowered to give directives of a general nature to the Governing Council of the Scheme and in the absence of the Council, you have Presidential mandate to exercise the powers and functions of the council, but since the powers and functions of the Council do not include discipline, suspension or removal of the Executive Secretary of the Scheme from office, the directive in your letter under reference cannot find comfort under the said section or presidential mandate; and “The letter of suspension is not in accordance with Public Service Rules as no prima facie case has been established against me in respect of the petition referred to in the letter. The mere fact that there are pending petitions against a public officer which is yet to be substantiated does not constitute a ground for suspension under the Public Service Rules. Otherwise, with over 18,000 petitions pending against public office holders before the EFCC and ICPC as at the end of June 2017, the total number of public officers who would have been on suspension by now including Honourable Ministers is left to be imagined.

“As you are aware, the petitions referred to in your letter are currently being investigated by the ICPC which is yet to submit its report. In view of the criminal nature of most of the allegations in the petitions, security/investigative agencies like ICPC are the appropriate agencies for investigation contemplated in your letter; not a Ministerial Committee. I have cooperated fully with the investigations so far and will continue to do so.”

Copies of the letter were sent to the Acting President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Katsina Governor, Attorney General of the Federation, Director of DSS, Head of Service of the Federation, the Chairman of the EFCC and the Chairman of the ICPC.

But in a swift reaction to Yusuf’s response, Adewole in a press statement on Friday said he dissociates himself and the ministry from Yusuf’s letter.

According to the statement signed by the health ministry’s spokesperson, Boade Akinola, Yusuf, being a public officer, is bound by the regulations governing the Public Service.

“The NHIS is an agency supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health and the Administrative Panel of Inquiry raised by the Ministry to investigate activities of the agency has commenced its assignment with specific terms of reference,” the spokesperson said.


You Lack Power to Suspend Me, You are not ICPC: Usman Yusuf Slams Health Minister - BarristerNG.com
http://www.barristerng.com/you-lack-power-to-suspend-me-you-are-not-icpc-usman-yusuf-slams-health-minister/

Burning Of Ladders! – A Brief Response to Joseph Silas Onu on the 2018 NBA Elections By Julius Atanawhemera Esq

One Joseph Silas Onu, most recently on Facebook and preemptive of the 2018 NBA Elections, in a post by that title, called on ‘Juniors’ to join him in supporting the candidature of Afam Osigwe, the immediate past General Secretary of NBA, for the office of President of NBA.

The entire fulcrum of the call is hinged on the said Osigwe purportedly being a champion of the ‘lowly’ lawyers…! Is this how low the honour of the legal profession has plummeted…? This was a post to the world at large…! ‘Lowly’ is a description Onu happily ascribed to members of our noble profession…? And Onu thinks he is doing his best to project Afam Osigwe…? What a crying pity…?

Thank God Afam Osigwe, is well known to many in the profession. He is one person any lawyer, whether they like him or not, would easily describe as bright, ambitious and upwardly mobile. If anyone identifies him with ‘lowliness’ of any sort, it is because that person has been lulled into a state of mediocre ‘zombiism’, an attribute every lawyer found worthy in character and learning by this noble profession ought to cringe away from…

Osigwe, was called to the Bar in 1999. Since then, he has been a branch secretary and Chairman, before his last position as General Secretary of NBA. He has done an LLM and has practically finished a PHD in Law. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is a Bencher… He is very much on the way to becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He has done very well for himself…!

If you are a lawyer, meaning that you have been called to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, you need to place your own credentials beside those of Afam Osigwe and very CAREFULLY calculate your progress vis-à-vis his.

Ask yourself what you need to do to get to where he is now. If you have been listening to characters like Joseph Onu, do yourself a favour and quickly retrace your steps.

Afam Osigwe is not an SAN, not because he is averse to the title. He just has not obtained that status YET. If you deceive yourself into choosing him for Presidency of the Bar simply because he is not an SAN, how do you think the public should rate your intelligence…?Rather, take a look at some of Afam Osigwe’s antecedents and find that it is usual with him to spin these tales to get to where he wants.

Burning the ladder by which you reach your goal is not an attribute I would want to applaud in a person I choose for leadership. Follow me down a few steps please…

When Afam Osigwe wanted to become Chairman of Abuja Branch, he faced oppositions. He got past it by raising and sponsoring the humiliation of the Bar. He called out Elders who had habitually borne the burden of building up Unity Bar to an enviable status, insulted them and pitted young lawyers who were yet to imbibe the practice of respect for seniority at the Bar against these revered seniors. He and the Squad he sponsored were ready to go down to fisticuffs and were also ready to descend to any level to force the hands of the lawyers in Abuja. Many respected Elders, self-consciously ran away from exercising their franchise, wary of ruining their cherished reputation. Afam, became Chairman.

On his way to becoming General Secretary of NBA, the tale turned on how he was going there for the Abuja Bar and how everyone should see him as Unity Bar Project. Everyone sheathed their swords and supported him overwhelmingly… What a mistake…? From the first day he stepped into office, Osigwe, used the machinery of that office to continue tele-guiding the branch to the point of its current dismemberment. The Unity Bar is now in tartars, sustained by the machinations of Afam Osigwe who almost single handedly funds a faction that has defied all entreaties to allow peace in the Unity Bar, Abuja. He is currently almost the only ‘elder’ in that faction of the Unity Bar. As a Bencher, the irony that he is now an ‘Elder’ is inescapable. He has changed the refrain of his song from being anti-Elders to anti-SANs.
Must Afam Osigwe whip up selfish and self-serving narratives to enable him get on…?
Afam Osigwe, in a manner of speaking, has burnt and torn down the House built by the Elders of his home branch. Is he now going to be allowed to wear that as a badge of honour and accuse his fellow more experienced prospective co-contestants that his rascally way will bring honour to NBA…? Does him not being an SAN yet better qualify him to Presidency of the Bar…? What absurd audacity…? How ludicrous can one get…?

Every well-meaning lawyer in Nigeria should please come out and stop hirelings like Joseph Onu from deceiving young lawyers. Someone who tells you to rubbish the ultimate privilege of the Bar while himself acquiring several other privileges should be viewed with suspicion, not emulated. It is early days yet towards 2018, let us look out for a senior with leadership and nurturing qualities that encourages fellow feelings and sharing in respectable environments. Let us look out for seniors who would not encourage rancor, but would present themselves with dignity as evidence of what one can become if one strives for co-existence with ones’ fellows; learn the practice of law and excel.

Lawyers are not trained to become touts. Let us find for ourselves, a President who readily sues for peace and progress. If you are not a member of the Abuja Branch of NBA, please ask your friends who are members to explain to you the effect of the rabble rousing efforts of Afam Osigwe. We used to have a well-equipped Branch Office bot NOT anymore. We used to have Buses but NOT anymore. We even have a proposed site with big plans for a Bar Centre on a large parcel of land with certificate of occupancy which the Elders of the Bar have enabled and were ready to make sure it functionality at about this time but unfortunately, that is not happening anymore at the moment…

Afam Osigwe and the breakaway faction which he sponsors, has the Abuja Bar in disarray. The Unity Bar is currently being dragged from one Court to the other… Is that who we want for the President of NBA…? Definitely NOT….



Julius Atanawhemera, Esq, NPN, Dip.

(Elected and NEC Recognized Publicity Secretary, NBA Abuja, Unity Bar).


http://www.barristerng.com/burning-of-ladders-a-brief-response-to-joseph-silas-onu-on-the-2018-nba-elections/

The Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, on Friday, rejected suggestions that there were plans to Islamise the country. He said Muslims had been canvassing to make Islamic Religious Knowledge a compulsory subject in schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar spoke at a national symposium and launching of 2025 Vision by Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria.

The Sultan said, “When Umar Yar’Adua was President, Christians and Muslims leaders wrote, asking him to make Islamic and Christian Religious Knowledge core and compulsory subjects in schools.

“When Goodluck Jonathan took over, we presented a paper making the same demand, which was approved, but the then minister of education refused to implement it for reasons best known to him.

“So, I wonder why a controversy suddenly surfaced over alleged attempts by Muslims to force Islam on Christians by compelling students to learn Islamic religion in schools,” he said.

He urged the DCCN to propagate Islam to non-Muslims in a non-combative manner.

“Tell people what Islam is; tell them why they should be Muslims and what difference it could make to their lives,” he stated.

The Sultan also said the recent crisis in Mambilla Plateau, Taraba State was not targeted at any tribe.

“The crisis was not planned by individuals or groups to eliminate any tribe; as an ex-military officer, I can only believe that the crisis was planned when I see a document to confirm that,” he said.

He said he had met with some leaders in Taraba and cautioned them against playing politics with the lives of the people.

“As leaders, we must study situations during any crisis before commenting. We must avoid comments that will worsen already bad situations,” he said.

He urged government to strive to bring culprits of the Mambilla violence to book, and warned against derogatory terms like “Islamic fundamentalists or extremists, Fulani attackers, Berom or Mambilla terrorists.”


http://www.barristerng.com/asked-fg-make-crk-irk-compulsory-sultan/

sdindan:
Abokii with Afonjas blood!

Buhari is risen.


he will be going back to London soon to die again.

Can we discuss national issues without sounding like this?

The Legal Profession Regulation Review Committee inaugurated by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association AB Mahmoud SAN is considering Memos that advocated that compulsory wearing of wig and gown be discarded by Lawyers in Nigeria. Consequently, the committee is conducting an informal survey to determine whether lawyers support discarding wig and gown or not.

Click on the link to Take the survey now

http://www.barristerng.com/lawyers-wig-gown-discarded-take-nba-survey/

BUHARI SHOULD NOT REST, HE SHOULD RESIGN- Umar Hassan Esq

---

"Honor is like an island, rugged and without a beach.Once we leave it,we can never return”-Nicolas Boileau-Despereaux

President Muhammadu Buhari announced soon after returning from a medical leave lasting a month and 19 days that Acting President Yomi Osinbajo was going to continue in that capacity as he still needed to ‘rest’.
I totally understand the need for that as a lot of us already knew he was battling something serious for the Presidency to keep the nature of his ailment under wraps. If it were a medical condition not worth losing any sleep over, I trust Femi Adesina to have disclosed it to us in a bid to allay fears,dispel mischief and assure us we weren’t sold damaged goods. But what we kept getting instead were updates on test results and who was visiting.
Mr Lai Mohammed as the publicity secretary of the Action Congress in 2009 demanded that the then Minister of Information updated Nigerians daily on the state of President Yar’adua’s health. It is ironic that in consonance with the hypocrisy we have now grown accustomed to, he didn’t do so when Buhari was away.
Soon after the President arrived 10 hours late to an APC Presidential campaign rally in Delta state, reports surfaced complete with a medical report on how the President was been treated for acute prostrate gland cancer at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria in Kaduna state. Nobody took them serious and we all waved them off as one of the PDP’s numerous antics at fighting off its most potent opposition ever. It felt like a desperate move at a most desperate time but in the present circumstance,those reports deserve a lot more attention than they got then.
Governor Ayo Fayose and others that warned us to choose life over death and not vote a man that could die in office now seem special recipients of messages from above. What we have to work with suggests we have a 74 year old President who suffers from an ailment grave enough for his doctors to refuse to release him before his test results are out and also grave enough to be kept secret from everyone.
If Buhari is half the man almost everyone thought he was, he would have tendered his resignation and gone on to cater full time to his health. If not for anything but for his love for this great nation.
The Buhari sold to Nigerians was one who believed we deserved the best from our leaders and one who was modest, contented and didn’t deem the Presidency a do-or-die affair.
A lot of those who clapped back at Governor Fayose back then actually vouched for his integrity by claiming the Buhari they knew wouldn’t spend an extra day in office if his age or health would constitute a hindrance to the effective discharge of his duties.That doesn’t seem to be the case.
In the end he is no different from the other politicians out there who would cling onto power at all costs. He is not more honorable than your average Nigerian politician who would rather die on the sick bed in his office than relinquish power. I saw a recent photo of the ex-Taraba state governor on a wheel chair and I wondered if Tarabans were actually waiting for the man to get well and resume in office.
Buhari’s man of integrity toga only makes it difficult to rationalize his reluctance to step down. He cannot claim to worry about what would become the fate of Nigerians if he does so as the acting President has proved more than equal to the task with the yeoman’s job he has done so far.
Virtually every poll I saw online ended with the majority wanting Osinbajo to continue in a substantive capacity. The Ag.President’s surprise visit to the Murtala Mohammed International airport Lagos to inspect facilities gave a lot of us an insight into what it felt like to have a vibrant leader on the good side of age.
And talking about age,the President himself has admitted it would limit his capabilities in honouring his bond with the people. Add that to his health state and you have a man who is guaranteed to serve us at a minimal capacity. This ought to have been the clincher if indeed he has sat down to consider towing the path of honour.
The theory that the profligacy of the PDP is responsible for all of our current problems has been disproved by none other than his Vice-President who needed just the amount of time the President was away to pay strategic visits to the Niger-Delta to meet the right people and pull the right strings in a more diplomatic approach a lot of us feared a ‘hard man’ like PMB wasn’t capable of adopting to ensure none of our oil installations were bombed ever since. He pursued rigorous enforcement of the CBN policy on foreign exchange and thanks to that its A lot of us remember even without this new policy,he was able to help the Naira claw back 14 points during President Buhari’s first medical leave.
The President’s performance quite sincerely has been below par and it would be better to leave and have Nigerians attribute it to whatever reason his honourable act propels them towards, most likely illness than to give them less than they deserve.


Umar Sa’ad Hassan Esq is a lawyer based in Kano.
He can be reached on Twitter:@alaye26
Email:uhassan077@gmail.com


http://www.barristerng.com/buhari-not-rest-resign-umar-hassan-esq/

Visit Nigerian Prime Law and Politics blog www.barristerNG.com for more.

Good governance group Sues The President, National Assembly, Others over allocation of Revenues to LG Caretaker Committees

---

A good governance group, The Total Support for Rule of Law & Justice Initiative, has dragged the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Clerk of the National Assembly and 4 others to the Federal High Court over the allocation of Revenues to Local Government Council Caretaker Committees.

The suit filed before Hon. Justice Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja is seeking among other things, an order restraining the President and other Defendants from further allocating and making payments of such amounts standing to the credit of the Local Government Councils, from the Federation Account to all the States in Nigeria without Democratically Elected Local Government Councils.

The Plaintiff in the Suit further invites the Court to resolve the question whether the payment of the amount standing to the credit of Local Government Councils in the Federation Account by the Defendants to States without Local Government Councils as provided for in Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.

Responding to questions from newsmen about the Suit, Human right Lawyer and Counsel to the Organization, Mr. Chukwudi Igwe said the suit is in line with the organization’s mandate in ensuring that the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other relevant Laws are observed and complied with by the Government. The suit also targets at ensuring that Government at all levels are accountable to the Nigerian People.

Other defendants in the Suit are The Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, The Accountant General of the Federation, The Federal Ministry of Finance and The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

http://www.barristerng.com/good-governance-group-sues-the-president-national-assembly-others-over-allocation-of-revenues-to-lg-caretaker-committees/

International Women’s Day 2017: Women should be treated as those with “penis” – Chimamanda Adichie

Adichie stated that her aim for feminism drive was to ensure that marriages change for good, and that women are treated same as “someone who has penis.”

Speaking with The Guardian of London, the novelist noted that having a feminist label attached to her has changed things.

She said, “I was opened to a certain level of hostility that I hadn’t experienced before as a writer and public figure.”

The award-wining writer recounted her encounter with a young male admirer during an official outing in Nigeria.

Adichie said, “I used to love you. I’ve read all your books. But since you started this whole feminism thing, and since you started to talk about this gay thing, I’m just not sure about you any more. How do you intend to keep the love of people like me?”

In her response, she told the man, “Keep your love, because, sadly, while I love to be loved, I will not accept your love if it comes with these conditions.”

http://www.barristerng.com/international-womens-day-2017-women-should-be-treated-as-those-with-penis-chimamanda-adichie/

Visit our Law blog www.barristerng.com for more courtroom news.

Two lawyers Barrister Okechukwu Nweze and Barrister Ken Obi have been docked for Court contempt for engaging in physical fight while arguing their client’s case before a magistrate court in Kano on January 31st 2017.
The lawyers, in the presence of Chief Magistrate, Muhammad Jibril, in the middle of court proceedings, were said to have started a verbal altercation, which escalated into a scuffle that only stopped when the magistrate gave an order for their temporary detention.
The Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association on Saturday, expressed disapproval and dismay at the lawyers behaviour and ststed the readiness of the Association to refer the two lawyers to the Association’s disciplinary Committee whenever they are through with the Court Comtempt proceedings.
The state NBA Chairman, Ibrahim Mukhtar, and the Publicity Secretary, Yusuf AbdulSalam, in a statement, described the behaviours of both lawyers as “unruly, un-lawyerly, damnable, condemnable, disrespectful and utterly unprofessional.”
The NBA reassured members of the public that the alleged misconduct did not in any way represent the disposition of lawyers and that other members of the profession were embarrassed by the “unruly conduct.”
Both lawyers are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for contempt proceedings.


http://www.barristerng.com/misconduct-two-lawyers-fight-in-court-during-proceeding/

todayboy:


http://punchng.com/suleman-dss-arrests-arraigns-ssouth-can-chairmans-son/

Punchng.com stole our story.

The premium Lawyers Blog in Nigeria www.barristerng.com reported this story first.

http://www.barristerng.com/dictatorship-lawyer-detained-by-dss-in-asaba-for-mobilising-support-for-apostle-suleiman/

and later reported an update on the story.

http://www.barristerng.com/dss-charge-lawyer-to-court-for-mobilizing-for-apostle-suleiman/

Anybody interested in courtroom and lawyers news should please visit our blog

we forgive punchng