 |
| Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud |
Inaugural
Speech By
Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, OON,
SAN, FCIArb, SFNLI
On
Assumption Of Office As 28th President Of The Nigerian Bar Association
PROTOCOLS
Your
Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Your Excellency
Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR, Life
Bencher (Mutawallen Sokoto)
Distinguished Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, My Lord, the Chief Judge of
Rivers State, Other Chief Judges here present, My Lords, the Judges of the various Courts here present, My dear
wife, My Lord Patricia Mahmoud, My Illustrious predecessor Past President
Augustine Oyarekhua Alegeh, SAN;Past President OCJ Okocha, SAN; Past President
JB Daudu, SAN; Past President Okey Wali,
SAN, our out-going National Officers, the newly sworn-in National officers, our
various distinguished past National officers here present, Learned Senior Advocates of Nigeria here
present, Honourable members of the Body of Benchers, Distinguished members of
the Nigerian Bar Association, Gentlemen of the Press, Invited Guests, Ladies
and Gentlemen......
INTRODUCTION
What
we are witnessing today is more than just a change of baton. The Nigerian legal profession, by this
election, has signified its intention to turn a new leaf. It has chosen to re-invent itself. It has chosen to win back the confidence of
the Nigerian people. Throughout the
campaigns in the last few months, everywhere we visited across the length and
breadth of this country we realized that the majority of our colleagues were
eager and determined to build a new legal profession. They want a legal profession that is
respected and that enjoys the confidence of the Nigerian people. Our campaign messages with the hashtag
#ABraveNewBar, and our messages of “A Clean Judiciary” - a judiciary that will
deliver consistent and predictable outcomes; “No to Corruption”, whether in the
Executive, Legislative or Judicial branch of government resonated very well
with most of our members. It became
clear to us that, for the legal profession in Nigerian, it can no longer be
business as usual. Lawyers want to be
respected. They want a country that works and works for everyone; not just for
a selected few. Lawyers want to be prosperous, therefore they want a country
that is ready for business. Majority of
our members are beginning to appreciate that there cannot be rich lawyers in a
poor country. They realize that their prosperity is somehow linked to the
prosperity of the country. It is clear
to our colleagues, that to have all these, the legal profession must play its
part. There appears an appreciation that
to regain the confidence of the Nigerian people, the legal profession needs to
go back to its core values of ethics, courage, integrity and
professionalism. This election, appears
to me, a clear resolve by our members to turn a new leaf and to begin to build
a brave new bar.
Let
me admit however, that this journey did not just begin. The outcome of this election was only
possible because of the role played by our past leaders. President Augustine Alegeh must be singled
out here for special commendation. His innovation, his foresight and doggedness
made this election possible. The
introduction of universal suffrage for lawyers, on a new and innovative
electronic platform is clearly a revolution of some sort. Universal suffrage gives a voice to every
member. It changes the dynamics of the
association. Although the legal profession is steeped in tradition and respect
for seniority, one lawyer one vote compels leaders of the association to respond
to the specific issues affecting all segments of the membership. The electronic platform means that our
members could cast their vote from virtually any location. Several of our
colleagues cast their votes from the comfort of their homes, offices and hotel
rooms across the country and from different continents around the globe. Here is a testimony from a senior lawyer: Mr.
Asamah Kadiri <asamahkadiri@aol.com> posted on the internet on Saturday,
July 30, 2016 at 5:37 PM with Subject: Re: NBA 2016 National Election: “This is
amazing! I can't just believe that I could just cast my vote in the NBA
national election from my hotel room in a far away country overseas. This
e-voting is the best revolution in NBA for years to come. Thanks to the
Augustine Alegeh led NBA presidency, for making this revolution a reality. Even
the online voters verification exercise I did about three weeks ago, as well as
the final online accreditation exercise I did yesterday, were very easy, smooth
and seamless. As soon as I received the email from the "elections@nba-agc.org"
email address, requesting me to complete the accreditation exercise, I just
clicked the button and did it smoothly, without any hitches.… We all have to
support this laudable jet age system of voting, which is surely the best way to
go, if indeed, we must move our country Nigeria out of the doldrums. Perhaps,
those that have had challenges with logging into the NBA e-voting system to do
their verification and/or accreditation, and voting, should actually first
check the capacity of their own internet service systems. Universal Adult
Suffrage through Electronic/Internet Voting has come to stay. Good riddance to
the archaic and anachronistic erstwhile "Delegates Conference"!Yusuf
Asamah Kadiri, Esq.FCIArb (UK); LLM (BU, Boston, USA); DipICArb (Oxford, UK);
LLB (Benin, Nig); BL (Nigeria); Int'l Comm Mediator (CEDR, UK)”
This
is only one of the several messages which
commended the innovation that made it possible for lawyers to reject the
old system built on inducement, undue influence and other Machiavellian tactics
that some of our colleagues had perfected.
It made it possible for our lawyers to reject form over substance. It
made it possible for our positive messages to reach the vast majority and for
the majority to express their rejection of negative and divisive messages. I therefore wish to specially congratulate
Mr. Alegeh for this transformational initiative.
I
will also like to thank our various past Presidents and other Bar leaders for
their very noble role in standing up for what is right. I thank President OCJ Okocha,SAN who
graciously nominated me for the election. I thank President T.J.O. Okpoko SAN, President Olisa
Agbakoba,SAN President JB Daudu,SAN President Okey Wali,SAN for their
unflinching support. My special thanks to Mrs. Funke Adekoya,SAN ; Prof.
Konyinshola Ajayi, SAN; Chief Kanu Agabi SAN, Mr. Albert Akpomoje, SAN, Chief
Niyi Akintola SAN, Mr. Charles Edosomwan SAN, Mr. O.A. Omunuwa SAN, Mrs. Funmi
Roberts, Mrs. Boma Ozobia, Chief Linus Ejiozofor SAN for their support.
But I
must also seize this opportunity to express my debt of gratitude to the
leadership of my Campaign
Organisation who played very key roles
in our quest to achieving #ABraveNewBar.
I thank Mal. Yusuf Ali SAN, Dr. Garba Tentengi, SAN, mni, Muritala
Abdu-Rasheed, Lady Debbie Obodoukwu, J.S Okutepa, SAN; Dr. Muiz Banire SAN;
Muyiwa Akinboro, SAN; Chief Arthur Obi Okafor SAN, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Mr. O.
O. Olowokure, Mr. Festus Okoye, Tob Kekemeke, Alex Mouka, Reuben James, Mr.
Mustapha Abubakar, Mr. Ibrahim Lawal, Dominic E. Obozuwa, Mrs. Patricia
Igwebuike, Tajudeen Oladoja, Ibrahim
Mark, Anthony Oka, Kunle Adegoke, Hajiya Fatima Oiza Idris, Linda Bala, Mrs. Bukola Ajao, Dele Abbass,
Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, Prof. Mohammed Tabiu, Prof. Ikpeze Ogugua, Prof. Wahab
Egbewole, Mohammed Tabiu, Dr. Mamman Lawan Yusufari, Mr. Andy Odum, Fatima
Mohammed, Aisha Mohammed, Mal. Ibrahim Mukhtar, Mal. Aminu Sani Gadanya, Bukar
Alhaji Waziri, A. Y. Musa, L. S. Wali, Murtala Kankia, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna,
Ikeazor Akaraiwe, Okey Owhonda, Nurudeen Ogbara, Mrs. Awele Ideal, Pastor D. O.
C. Ezigwe, Akeem Aponmade and so many
other distinguished colleagues who participated actively in our campaigns. Many
of them travelled with us to all the nooks and crannies of this country, others
played very active roles in numerous ways.
I thank you all most sincerely.
But
perhaps the real heros of the campaigns were the very determined young men and
women, who worked on our campaign. They manned our secretariat, our technical
and situation rooms, reaching our many colleagues via social media, or worked
in our help desk educating colleagues on the electronic voting processes. We also have the foot soldiers who walked
from door to door in all the major law firms in Lagos, Ikeja, Port Harcourt,
Abuja, Jos, Kano, Maiduguri etc. I thank
all of you most sincerely.
Your
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, the elections are now over; though
admittedly the dust is yet to settle. At
many campaign speeches, I have heard my brother JK Gadzama, SAN speak of his
several qualities one of which is that President Goodluck Jonathan learnt from
him how to accept electoral defeat. I
did say to him teasingly, in Ilorin during our visit in July that I will be holding
him to his promise to accept defeat graciously in the spirit of sportsmanship
just as I had also publicly committed myself to that. As a senior member of the
Bar, I am sure that he appreciates that, in situations like this, it is
imperative for us to put our personal disappointments behind us and move
on. Any prolonged contestation can only
hurt our Association and indeed the country.
I will therefore once more appeal to him to join hands with me as we
work to uplift the Nigerian Bar Association and the legal profession in
general. As President Alegeh will say, we are all one big Family. The Nigerian people are watching us. As I said in my acceptance speech early
morning of 1st August, 2016 for every contested position, one person gets
elected, but everyone is a winner.
Permit
me at this stage to congratulate my fellow colleagues who were elected to serve
with me as national officers of our association for the next two years. I am confident that we will commit to working
together collectively in spirit of brotherhood to discharge our mandate and
deliver the promise of #ABraveNewBar.
THE
TASKS AHEAD
Undoubtedly,
the task ahead is arduous. In the course of my campaigns I pledged to put in my
sincere best efforts. I am sure with
your continuing support and the help of Almighty God, we will succeed. Let me
therefore reaffirm my commitment to work assiduously to pursue our programs and
implement our campaign promises in line with our constitution. We will do this work collectively with other
elected National Officers, with a high sense of responsibility, honesty and
integrity. The NBA is without doubt the foremost professional body in
Nigeria. The entire nation looks up to
the NBA for leadership and guidance in all matters of national importance and
interest. We will pursue our mandate with a sole objective: promoting the
welfare and development of our members and the pursuit of the overall national
interest of our country. We have made
giant strides under the leadership of Augustine Alegeh, SAN; I pledge to continue his progressive programmes
and build on them. Many of his
initiatives stand out. The Stamp and
Seal program has been a great innovation. It has helped to bring about sanity
in the profession where entry by quacks had become common place. We are now reclaiming the legal market not
only from quacks, but also from intrusion by other professionals. The
Completion of our National Secretariat is without doubt a monumental
achievement. It provides us a befitting
and modern infrastructure that we can deploy effectively for the development of
the profession. The introduction of electronic voting and the Universal
suffrage for all lawyers may perhaps be the Past President’s greatest
legacies. Once again I congratulate
him.
Our
Vision for #ABraveNewBar
Let me in the next few minutes
attempt to set out even if with a broad brush, our vision for a brave new bar
and to speak to some of our programmes.
As set out in our campaign manifesto, our programs will be anchored
broadly along four areas: Reform of the Regulation of the legal profession,
enhanced representation of our members’ interests, the reform or re-engineering
of the NBA as an organization and finally the greater and more active pursuit
of the public interest.
Our
country is today at cross roads! With
deepening economic crises fueled by unprecedented corruption, widening
inequalities, increasing inter-communal conflicts, threats of secession,
insurgency and other forms of criminality, it is clear that we are facing
daunting challenges. These challenges belie our potential as a country richly
endowed with human and natural resources.
A few days ago, we listened to the President of Rwanda, HE Paul Kagame,
speaking through his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Busingye Johnston
how he has led his country out of the depth of human tragedy to now emerge as
one of Africa’s model countries in reforms and transformation that is ushering
in a new era of prosperity and national pride for all Rwandans. Rwanda is a small country of about 11.8
million people. Put in context,
Nigeria, with a population of nearly 170 Million, Nigerians do not have to wait until we sink
to the depth that Rwanda did, or follow other tragic examples in Africa like
Somalia or even South Sudan before we get our act together, before we make that
singular concerted effort to rescue our country from further decline.
Perhaps
no other profession has the potential to really impact on national development
and transformation as the Legal Profession.
Our motto “Promoting the Rule of Law” is at heart of securing security,
good governance, development and prosperity.
Our skills in a variety of fields of legal knowledge place us uniquely
in a position to understand and impact positively in various spheres of national
development and guaranty the security of our citizens and the prosperity of our
country.
Historically,
lawyers in various capacities and the legal profession in general have played
pivotal roles in crucial phases of our national development. We played key roles in the anti-colonial struggles,
in the struggles against military dictatorship.
The question we must ask ourselves now is: what is the challenge of
modern day Nigeria? How can we assist as
lawyers in meeting this challenge? I
think in a nutshell that challenge can be summarised as “Nigerians’ right to
Development”. The right to live in
peace, in security and in prosperity.
What can lawyers and the legal profession do to usher in this era? I think it is precisely this sort of
realization that has informed the choice of this year’s annual general
conference: “Democracy and Economic
Development”. Positioning NBA and the
Nigerian Legal Profession to play this role of ushering in a new era of social and
economic transformation and providing the legal support or structure for this
transformation of our country is what the vision for #ABraveNewBar is all
about. In other words, to enable the
legal profession play its key role in the next phase of our National
Development, the NBA must reinvent itself.
The legal profession must retool itself.
It must re-establish its core values whilst at the same time realigning
itself with new global trends, equipping members with new knowledge and new
skills needed to operate in an increasingly integrated yet competitive
world. In our campaign manifesto we
articulated four broad thematic areas around which we will pursue our agenda
for These are Regulation, Representation, Re-Engeneering and Public Interest.
And hence we reduce them to 3Rs and P. I will try to elaborate on this.
The
3Rs and P
Regulation
With
respect to Regulation, it appears clear that the regulatory architecture of the
legal profession is out of date and out of sync with modern day Nigerian
realities and indeed the size and complexity of the legal profession today. We must interrogate this and build a
consensus on the direction to go. We
need more rigorous and effective framework for establishing professional and
ethical standards, reining in erring unethical lawyers and rebuilding
confidence in the legal profession. In
doing this we will look at current global trends and trends on the African
Continent. We cannot assume leadership
role, regain our respect, nationally, across the continent and indeed globally
if we do not change the current perception of the profession. We will review all current models of
regulation and attempt to adopt new models or revamp the existing model. But this in our view is something we must do
in our overall best interest. If the Nigerian Bar Association must retain its
self-regulatory status, sufficient internal mechanism must be devised and
adequate resources deployed to ensure that regulatory responsibilities are
carried out effectively and efficiently and in line with accepted global
standards. The major task of the Bar should be in enhancing its standards at
professional and ethical levels and ensuring that bad eggs do not find
sanctuary in its ranks.
Representation
With
Regards to Representation, our objective is to enhance the protection of the
interest of our members. We will quickly
establish programmes and strategies necessary to enhance the welfare of our
members particularly the young members of the profession. A major aspect of
this will comprise educational and professional development of our members. We
will bring proposals to establish a Legal Education and Development
Programme that will be IT driven and
will be structured to reach as many lawyers as possible. We will establish a
mentoring programme both at Individual
and at firm levels. Senior Lawyers and
more developed firms will be encouraged and incentivized to mentor younger
lawyers and smaller firms to take on for complex and sophisticated legal work
as a strategy of enhancing legal capacity across the country. The Nigerian Bar
Association under my leadership shall also focus on preparing its members to
meet the new challenges of globalization, creating new opportunities and
preparing the economy for greater investment and wealth creation. We will also
work to develop a minimum standard and practices for the employment of younger lawyers
in law firms across the country. We hope by the next meeting of the National
Executive Committee (NEC) in November 2016, proposals will be in place for the
consideration and approval of NEC on this.
Your
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, several of the
programmes of my predecessor Mr. Alegeh align very much with our vision. The Stamp and Seal programme for instance has
been very successful in assisting us to reclaim the legal market both from
quacks and from intrusion by other professionals. I am aware however, that there are a lot of
complaints from our members regarding some practical matters on the operational
aspect of the programme. In fulfilment
of our campaign promises, I will constitute a committee immediately to review
the operations of the Stamp and Seal programme and to recommend ways of
enhancing it to serve our members better.
I
have already commended President Alegeh for the introduction of electronic
voting. We are all agreed that this is the only direction for the NBA. There is
no going back on this. We will as part
of a general review of the NBA electoral process however, undertake further
studies with the objective of enhancing electronic voting and generally improving
the electoral process where possible.
NBA electioneering campaigns have remained expensive, tasking and risky.
Even more importantly they have become acrimonious and divisive. Needless to say, as a professional
association, this is not good for us. We
must conduct ourselves with the highest regards to the ethics and demands of
our professional calling. We are
neither a political party nor trade union. I will engage Bar leaders to examine
how we can further reform the process and make it more compliant with what
happens in other advanced law societies and bar associations.
One
of the major legacies I will be inheriting from my predecessor is the new
imposing NBA National Secretariat Building in Abuja. I want to assure all our colleagues that we
will put the edifice to good use. We
will set up a framework for the efficient management and maintenance of the
building to ensure that it remains a veritable resource for us and a symbol of
pride for all lawyers.
Distinguished
colleagues, In the course of the coming
weeks, we will engage in extensive consultations with all segments of the
membership of the association to fine tune and roll out our programmes. We will count on your support and
participation as we move forward. I am
aware that there are some rumblings here and there especially involving some
branches following recent elections of branch executives. We will appeal to all parties involved to put
the overall interest of the Association first. We will take appropriate steps
to achieve speedy reconciliation in the affected branches.
Re-Engineering
With
regards to Re-Engineering the NBA, the broad objective is to quickly transform
the NBA to become better structured and more efficient. It is only a well structured and efficiently
managed institution that can drive our programmes and activities. We will
quickly commission a needs assessment, organisational and human resource audit
of the National Secretariat to see what needs to be done to position the
Secretariat to deliver on our programmes.
A major component of the re-engineering of the NBA will also comprise the review of the
structure and functioning of our branches.
With 120 branches across the country, the branch structure appears
unwieldy and cumbersome. Whilst the idea
is to bring the association closer to its members, yet, this current structure
of branch proliferation does not allow for efficient utilization of
resources. We would encourage branches
to work in every State to achieve greater synergy. The Branches should become the main delivery
agents for our programmes and services.
These will be more effective if there is greater coordination and
synergy at State level. We will devise
strategies for achieving these goals. In
addition to this, we will review the activities of the Sections and fora and
see how best to encourage them to do more to aid the attainment of their
specific mandates and also the broader objectives of professional development
of our members.
Public
Interest
The Public Interest dimension of
our programme will focus on certain key areas.
First is the promotion of a Clean
Judiciary. The NBA will work closely
with the Judiciary to attain this goal.
President Augustine Alegeh in his speech at the opening ceremony of the
AGC 2016, decried the spate of conflicting Judgments as we have seen most
recently in our courts. I am aware that
the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria has expressed similar concern and has
been working on specific proposals. This development brings the Nigerian
judiciary and the legal profession in general to ridicule, contempt and
undermines the Rule of Law. We will galvanize the concerns of all Stakeholders
and confront this problem head on.
Judges found complicit in this must be sanctioned. On our part, we will constitute a high
powered committee to review all such cases in particular with respect to the
role and conduct of our members. Any
member found complicit in this will face disciplinary action and sanctioned
appropriately.
Let
me now move to broader public interest matters.
I want to speak on four key problems, the fight against corruption, the
reform of the judiciary, the Insurgency and reconstruction of the North East
and the Resolutions of the crisis in the Niger Delta. As Nigerians, as lawyers, we are all directly
affected, alongside millions of our compatriots by these major challenges our
country is facing.
The
Nigerian Bar Association commits itself to the fight against corruption in
Nigeria. We will put our knowledge,
skills and all other resources to combat corruption and reclaim the dignity of
Nigeria and Nigerians. We recognize however that the fight against corruption
can only be achieved if we do so within the frame work of the rule of law and
by strong institutions. The critical
institutions involved must be repositioned, re-equipped and re-tooled to
confront the problem of corruption on a consistent sustainable basis. As a
start, we commend the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) for the work it is doing and for its modest achievements. However, going forward the NBA must demand
the reform of the institution itself. We
need to define its mandate more narrowly and more clearly. In my view its broad operations as an
investigative and prosecutorial agency should be reviewed. I recommend strongly that the EFCC be limited
to investigation. The decision to prosecute and the conduct of the prosecution
must be by an independent highly resourced prosecution agency. In addition, the EFCC and the prosecution
agency must be secured from political interference in their activities. There is absolutely no reason for it to
report operationally or otherwise to the Presidency. The NBA Anti-Corruption Commission will be
mandated to develop clear recommendations towards enhancing the fight against
corruption and improving the effectiveness of all the agencies involved. These, we shall present to the Federal
Government of Nigeria.
On
the Reform of the Judiciary, the NBA
will advocate for urgent reforms that will reposition our judiciary and equip
it to play its future role. A clean, efficient, knowledgeable, effective and
transformative judiciary is at the foundation of building an orderly, peaceful
and prosperous society. It is the only way we can guarantee the rule of law and
an egalitarian society for our people. The notion that a judge could be bribed
either by a lawyer or litigant is completely obnoxious and unacceptable. In
many countries it is unthinkable! The NBA under my watch will fight judicial
corruption. We shall also make the legal profession unattractive for corrupt
lawyers. We will ensure that the NBA
does not become a safe haven for miscreant lawyers.
As a
strategy for rebuilding public confidence in the Judiciary and the legal profession,
we will encourage greater public interest representation in our activities.
Therefore, whether in the Judiciary or at the Bar, there must be sufficient
infusion of public participation or public interest representation in our
activities. What happens in the legal profession must be everybody’s
business. Appointment of judicial
officers should be more open and subject to public scrutiny. The affairs of the
Judiciary need to be conducted in more open and transparent manner. The public
should be aware of what goes on at all levels. We must devise ways of
identifying and flushing out bad eggs at all levels of the Bar and the Bench.
And this we must do as a matter of urgency. In the two years of my presidency,
we shall advocate for the reform of the method of appointment of judicial
officers across the country. Promotion to higher appellate courts should not be
a ‘cab rank affair’. That is every one awaits his turn. The method should be
more open competitive and transparent based on intellectual ability, integrity
and competence. We shall also advocate vigorously that the Appellate Courts be
enriched with the appointment of quality Lawyers and Academics into its Bench.
The Judiciary should evolve a credible system of review of judicial
performance. To this end we shall set up a high powered committee to assess the
state of justice delivery in all the States of Nigeria with a view to drawing
attention of all governments and stakeholders to areas of concern.
Your
Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, We think the NBA should take a more active
interest in the happenings both in the North East Region of Nigeria and the
Niger Delta Region.
The North East Region of Nigeria
has remained a flash point of conflict and theatre of humanitarian crises as
the country struggles to contain the insurgency in that region. We have in the course of our campaigns visited
the region after my initial visit led by President Alegeh on 30thNovember,
2015. I have been back in the North East
at least twice since then. The destruction and human suffering cannot be
overstated. Millions of Nigerians have
been affected and others displaced. The
internally displaced persons in the region are estimated to be 2.3Million which
is the third largest in the world after Syria and Columbia. The NBA will set up a North East Task Force
with the following mandate:
i. To assist our members affected by the conflict
ii. To provide pro bono legal services to individuals and
communities in the region who are victims of the conflict to aid the process or
rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation.
iii. To provide expert services to Federal and State Governments
in the region and the National Assembly on devising appropriate legal framework
and other legal services for the reconstruction of the region.
iv. To advise on broader issues of transitional justice to
assist the process of reconciliation and reconstruction.
v. To monitor the region especially human rights
observance and flag issues requiring the attention and engagement of the
Nigerian Bar Association.
With
regards to the situation in the Niger Delta we note the devastating impact of the
conflict on the various communities and citizens living the region. It is clear
that the environmental destruction and the human suffering and the general
impact on the national economy are huge.
The NBA will similarly put at the disposal of all communities and all
parties to the conflict in the Niger Delta, its resources, knowledge and skills
towards achieving a resolution, reconciliation and rebuilding of the
region. I will constitute an NBA Niger
Delta Task Force with the following mandate:
i. Providing legal assistance and support to our members
affected by the conflict;
ii. Providing pro bono legal assistance to individuals and
communities within the region affected by the conflict;
iii. Providing pro bono legal assistance to all parties in
the conflict working towards negotiated resolution and reconciliation;
iv. Providing legal support to advise on the general
challenges in the region with a view to enhancing environmental protection and
the quality of life in the region;
v. Monitoring developments in the region especially human
rights observance and flagging issues needing immediate attention and
engagement by the Nigerian Bar Association.
These
Task Forces will be manned by volunteers from our membership. The NBA will also mobilise resources from
donor agencies and development partners to support the work of the Task
Forces. We hope that these initiatives
will help in addressing the humanitarian crises in the two regions and lead to
lasting solution and reconciliation.
Your
Excellencies, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, colleagues. I assure you, the
NBA under my leadership will be vigilant and will speak up courageously on all
matters of national interest and in the overall best interest of our country.
CONCLUSION
Ladies
and gentlemen, I want to assure you that 2016-2018 will be a shift for the NBA
as we will do all within our powers to re-engineer and re-position it into a
bigger, better, more efficient, more responsive, cohesive and globally
competitive Bar Association. Nigeria needs a new and robust legal profession
fully conscious of its pride of place and historic obligations. The NBA must position itself to lead the
change required in our country and this requires the right leadership. The
legal profession has a crucial role to play in setting the stage for the next
phase of our journey in democracy and development. We must guarantee the right to development
for all our citizens by ensuring the right institutions, systems and processes
that guarantee good governance and balanced sustainable development. This is our mandate for the next 2 years and
I must say; be rest assured that we will work assiduously to achieve these
goals. I wish to state clearly, that we
shall run this new administration on the core values of integrity and ethical
Lawyering; Nigerian Lawyers have voted for #ABraveNewBar and indeed “it shall
no longer be business as usual”.
Your
Excellencies distinguished ladies and gentlemen, before I take my seat, let me
place on record my depth of gratitude for the unflinching support I have
received from my wife Justice Patricia Mahmoud on this project. She has spent endless days fasting and
seeking for divine protection and guidance for me and my colleagues in the
campaigns and in the election. I thank her very much. I must also thank our children; Salim, Sadiq,
Zainab, Zubaida and Hauwa and indeed their friends who all made it their
project by contributing in various ways.
I thank you all.
God Bless Us all!
God Bless the NBA!!
God Bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria!!!
Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, OON,
SAN, FCIArb, SFNLI
President, Nigerian Bar
Association
Friday, August 26, 2016
At the Alfred Diete Spiff Civic
Centre
Port-Harcourt, Rivers State,
Nigeria.
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