BREAKING: Rivers State Of Emergency: ‘Nobody Will Give You Money For Conference’
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has claimed that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is opposing President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State due to financial reasons.
He claimed that the association was angry over the state of emergency because the Rivers State Government had promised to bankroll their annual general conference.
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?” Wike fumed.
He made the statement when officials of the Body of Benchers, led by its Chairman, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), visited him in Abuja on Friday.
The minister did not hold back his criticism of the NBA, accusing it of undermining the judiciary with reckless public statements.
He warned that the Body of Benchers must act swiftly to rein in the association before it further erodes public trust in the legal profession.
“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.
“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.
“Sir, 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.
“I have never seen where members of a profession are the ones bent on bringing the profession down,” he said.
Wike further accused the NBA of hypocrisy, saying the association had no problem accepting financial support from the executive in the past, yet now frames such assistance as bribery when it involves the judiciary.
“I was the only one who contributed to the NBA to build the National Secretariat. The NBA didn’t see it as a bribe.
“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,” he said.
The minister also lamented how constant attacks from lawyers had turned judges into targets of suspicion, making them avoid public interactions out of fear of bribery accusations.
“It has gotten to the stage that our judges are so scared of going to a mosque or church, or even greeting somebody they know, because of fear of bribery.
“They run away from shaking people’s hands because they will start accusing them of collecting bribes. This must stop,” Wike declared.
