• State workers to boycott May Day celebration
Chairmen of the eight Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Rivers State and the state government have bickered over a recent query issued to the Chairman of the NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Cordelia Eke, by the Sole Administrator of the state through the Ministry of Justice.
The NBA, in a joint statement, criticised the Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (rtd), for going against his mandate and the rule of law in Rivers State.
Angered by the NBA’s position, Ibas, in a query which was signed by the Director of Administration, the Ministry of Justice, Ebiriemg Deresima, dated April 25, accused Eke of “serious misconduct,” alleging that she co-authored a communique criticising the administration for “severe and brazen acts of lawlessness and impunity,” actions deemed unconstitutional.
The state government, in its statement, claimed that Eke’s actions violated the Public Service rules and were unbecoming of a civil servant.
However, the NBA chairmen described the query as part of a broader effort by the Sole Administrator to suppress free speech and dismantle democratic norms under the guise of maintaining peace. They reiterated their firmness to duty in upholding the rule of law, vowing not to be silenced in the face of intimidation.
The NBA branch chairmen further described the allegations as an attempt to intimidate Mrs. Eke and stifle dissenting voices among legal professionals in the state.
They clarified that Eke did not issue the controversial communique in her capacity as a civil servant, but as the elected Chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch. in line with her constitutional mandate within the NBA.
The chairmen argued that their collective statements, including the one referenced from April 9, were issued following formal deliberations within the association, which reflected the position of all NBA branches in the state. They also noted that their views align with those of the NBA at the national level, as articulated by the association’s President, Afam Osigwe.
MEANWHILE, civil servants in Rivers State said they will boycott this year’s May Day celebrations following the imposition of emergency rule in the state and the appointment of a Sole Administrator by President Bola Tinubu.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had, on Sunday, announced the cancellation of centralised May Day celebrations in Rivers and Edo states, citing the imposition of emergency rule in Rivers and alleged interference in the affairs of its Edo State council.
Confirming their decision to limit the yearly workers’ ceremony in Rivers State to an office affair, the Rivers State NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwor, in an interview with The Guardian yesterday, said the union will comply with every word in the letter issued by its national Secretariat.
Agwanwor said: “We have a letter from our national Secretariat to limit our celebration to our offices. So, we are complying with every word in that letter. It will not be a funfair that we usually observe in the Stadium. We will be limited to our secretariat. We will do a small rally and express our position on the imposition of military rule in the state and call for the restoration of democratic government.”
