By Sulieman Ibrahim
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly criticized the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for questioning the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Wike alleged that the NBA’s opposition is driven by financial interests, claiming the Rivers State government had pledged to sponsor the association’s annual general conference.
Speaking on Friday during a visit from officials of the Body of Benchers, led by its chairman, Adegboyega Awomolo, in Abuja, Wike stated, “The NBA is against the state of emergency because there would be no money to give them for their conference. What kind of hypocrisy is this?”
He also accused the NBA and some lawyers of criticizing Supreme Court rulings without properly reading the judgments, describing the trend as “unfortunate.” Wike urged the Body of Benchers to take disciplinary action against legal professionals who engage in such practices.
“Some NBA members go on national television to condemn judgments without even reading them! If you don’t discipline somebody, nobody will learn any lesson,” he said. “We shall no longer allow our profession to be pulled down. I cannot believe, as a lawyer, that you make a contribution to help the legal profession and you will be criticised by your fellow lawyers… The time has come that we need to say look, enough is enough. We cannot continue to discourage our judges and justices. It is not done anywhere.”
Wike further accused the NBA of hypocrisy, pointing out that the association had previously accepted financial support from the executive but now labels similar assistance to the judiciary as bribery.
“I was the only one who contributed to the NBA to build the national secretariat. The NBA didn’t see it as a bribe,” Wike stated. “When you contribute to the Body of Benchers, it is a bribe, but when you contribute to the NBA, it is not a bribe—they will take it! The same NBA will rely on state governments to sponsor their activities, but when the state government supports the judiciary, it is bribery.”
Wike Accuses NBA of Conference Funding Motive in Emergency Rule Opposition
