By Ibrahim HassanWuyo
A member of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, for over 40 years, Nafi’u Baba-Ahmad, has chided the body for rescinding its decision to invite Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i, saying the “development has cast a terrible smelly smear on the NBA.”
In a statement on Sunday, Baba Ahmed, a member of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies,stated that they will be surprised if other Northern State chapters of NBA do not boycott the event too, to protest the unfortunate and ill advised decision to exclude Governor El-Rufa’i, also a member of the NBA, for no justifiable reason in law or common sense, by the leadership of the NBA.
“The decision taken by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to delist Mal. Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufa’i, the Executive Governor, Kaduna State, as one of the speakers at its virtual annual national conference is,to be charitable, regrettable and irresponsible of an institution of which I had hitherto been a proud member for over 40 years.”
” This unfortunate development has cast a terrible smelly smear on the NBA,which until recently, was controversially regarded as representing the best ideals of justice,equity the good conscience of the society. We want to believe that the decision is not representative of all it’s right thinking members.”
“For, clearly it has already taken side in the Southern Kaduna crises, contrary to it’s members’ training and what it loudly preaches, without listening to the narrative from the other side. Clearly, lowly narrow political and religious Sentiments have beclouded the judgement of the leadership of the NBA,forgetting the most basic principle of their training and that its members cut across all sides of the divide.
While We are pained by the decision of the Jigawa State Branch of NBA to boycott the conference, we also believe it is not totally unjustified in the circumstance.”
“We will be surprised if other Northern State chapters of NBA do not boycott the event too,to protest this unfortunate and ill advised decision to exclude Governor El-Rufa’i, also a member of the NBA, for no justifiable reason in Law or common sense,by the leadership of the NBA.”
“For the association to have taken side in a conflict in such a blatantly pedestrian manner is demeaning of its status.”
“It’s a well known fact that the Farmers /Herders conflict is a phenomenon ravaging the entire Country. The very least one would have expected the NBA to do,is to constructively engage the government and all parties towards a resolution; not to pick one with religious and political coloration, and taking sides,without any fair hearing,” he stated.
