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Sir: The Nigerian Bar Association came out a few days ago to apologise to Nigerians for not living up to expectations. It was an apology that most Nigerian citizens must have received with a combination of amazement and amusement.
The first and only time that the NBA made popular national headlines was during the Second Republic when it came out to warn its members against defending corrupt politicians who were being rounded up and thrown into jail by the new military government, which swept aside and supplanted the wayward democratic government. The position of the NBA at the time became a big issue as one of them disagreed vehemently with such a position and headed to the court. At the end of the day, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the rabble-rouser, was able to floor his association and that marked the beginning of his national popularity. It is noteworthy that following that episode, Chief Gani Fawehinmi dedicated his entire life to the struggle of advocating for good governance and standing up against every form of human rights violations thus becoming the real Senior Advocate of the Masses. Following his demise, a large vacuum was created and all Nigerians were left with pockets of lawyers who double as human rights activists some who pretend, and a few who are sincere in their activities of standing by and defending the downtrodden.
There are so many issues bordering on human rights violations begging for the attention of a group like the NBA but which have been neglected due to the absence of a responsive legal association to take them up For instance, it has become a common practice in some local communities where the citizens’ freedom of movement is being restricted in the observance of some local traditions which is a flagrant violation of their right as guaranteed by the constitution. People are often killed in cold blood by ritualists, which also runs contrary to what the constitution stipulates concerning the right to life. All such infractions occur due to the failure of the NBA to raise its voice against them and save the citizens from undue harassment, intimidation, and sudden deaths.
The level of impunity in various sizes and shapes across Nigeria is disturbing and worrisome. Some states of the federation have taken it upon themselves to act ultra vires of the constitution and with no one to take them up have continued to inflict severe pain on the citizens. Those living in such states are subjected to various forms of taxes through task forces that harass and intimidate traders to enforce compliance.
Again, some states now issue their driver’s licenses in addition to the ones issued nationally, and drivers are being harassed to patronise the ones issued by the states, failure of which their vehicles may be impounded. One can then imagine how many licenses drivers will need to carry if all the states of the federation come up with theirs since some have already started enforcing the illegality without anyone raising eyebrows.
Having woken up from their deep slumber, what is left for the NBA is to get to work and rescue Nigerians from the hegemony of lawlessness.
Oyewusi, Is Coordinator Of Ethics Watch International, Lagos.
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