NBA president pledges to weed out bad eggs

Tasks Buhari on rule of law

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said that the bar is doing everything possible to weed out bad eggs from the legal profession and the judiciary.

It also reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to wage his battle against graft with strict adherence to due process and the rule of law.

President of the association, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmood told journalists in Minna, venue of the National Executive Council meeting of the association yesterday that the allegations of corruption against the bar and the bench should not undermine the significant contributions of the judiciary and the legal profession to nation building. “A few bad eggs should not lead to total condemnation of the institution.”

According to Mahmood, “NBA will always cooperate with the Federal Government to fish out bad eggs, but this should be done in accordance with due process and the rule of law.”

“There are problems in the judiciary and the entire legal profession that need to be addressed,” the NBA President admitted, pointing out that the association was working round the clock to address these problems.

“NBA is making efforts to ensure the integrity of the profession and the judiciary is restored and improved upon. The allegations against members are under investigation, if the allegations are established NBA will come out with disciplinary measures against those concerned,” he assured.

Mahmood, therefore, called on the Nigerian public to give the much-needed respect to the legal profession, which he maintained had played vital developmental roles in the nation’s political and economic lives.

He said part of the agenda for the meeting was to “set in motion the machinery of building a brand new bar association.”