•From left: Former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Onueze Joe Okocha, (SAN); Deputy Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ode; his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ossai; President, NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe; Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah; Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Sa’ad Abubakar III; Founder, Economic Freedom Fighter, South Africa, Julius Malema; NBA National Secretary, Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara; former Secretary General, Mrs. Joyce Oduah; former President, Austin Aleghe (SAN) and Chairman, Annual General Conference (AGC) Planning Committee, Chief Emeka Obegolu (SAN) during the opening of the NBA AGC in Enugu…yesterday.
- Malema chides xenophobia
- Sultan seeks justice access for the poor
Africa needs a single economy with one currency and military command to be stronger, South African opposition leader and President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, recommended yesterday.
He issued a rallying call for the continent to stand together and resist what he called the continued subjugation by developed economies.
In a keynote speech that drew a standing ovation from thousands of lawyers attending the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu, with the theme: “Stand out, stand tall,” Malema said Africa must also break the cycle of dependency.
He deplored the situation where Africa’s minerals are processed overseas and resold to the continent at exorbitant cost as finished goods.
He believes African countries can harness their areas of strength and forge a formidable united entity.
Malema, who lauded Nigeria’s role in the anti-Apartheid battle, described xenophobia – the dislike of people from other countries – as a “betrayal” of African unity.
“Nigerians are not the cause of South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” he said in reference to the attacks that led to the evacuation of Nigerians from the country in 2019.
Malema said: “We demand one Africa, we demand a borderless Africa, we demand an Africa with one president, one currency, one military command, with one parliament.
”We know the currency of Africa will be much stronger against the American currency. We don’t care what Donald Trump or any other leader thinks of us.
“Africans must refuse to be subjects of others. We must stand together as the world changes and show the world that Africa is one and equal to all nations.”
Malema said Africa cannot be described as a “dark continent” when it is endowed with diamonds.
“How can we be a dark continent when we have diamonds shining among us?
“We must make sure that no single corner of Africa witnesses Africans killing each other.
“We must unite against the forces that seek to exploit us.
”The land belongs to Africans, and the minerals of Africa must be returned to Africans.
“We have the capacity to create industries and process our minerals here.
“We must never allow imperialist forces to divide us in order to take our wealth,” he said.
He advocated visa-free movement across the continent, adding that its salvation lies “in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided”.
Malema hailed Nigeria for standing firmly with South Africa, describing the West African country as “a comrade nation.”
“Xenophobia is a sickness borne of poverty, inequality, and government failure.
“Africans must love themselves, not kill one another. Black people are not loved in Africa, and not loved abroad either, but we must learn to treat ourselves better,” he said.
The opposition leader urged Africa to end the “debt trap to our foreign colonisers”.
Getting out of the debt burden, he said, “begins by regulating these loans that our leaders commit future generations to, because they will not be there when the colonisers come to collect them.”
Sultan seeks rule of law observance
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, who chaired the opening, said law must target justice as the ultimate objective.
He called for reforms that will bring laws closer to “our values” and address exclusion from access to justice that can result in uprising.
“Today, justice is increasingly becoming a purchasable commodity and the poor are becoming victims of miscarriage of justice while the rich commit all manner of crime and walk the streets scot-free,” he said.
Setting agenda for lawyers, he added: ““By the theme of the conference, you’re resolving to uphold the principles of the rule of law, to ensure that everyone, including those in power, are subject to and accountable under the law and that the law is applied fairly and equally, so that no one operates above the law.”
Osigwe preaches sacrifice
NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) urged Nigerians to embrace courage, sacrifice and commitment to justice and equity.
He said: “Standing tall means being unbending in our defence of the rule of law, equity and justice and being principled in the face of power and unwavering in our pursuit of national progress.
“We must have the courage of conviction in moments where silence will otherwise be more comfortable.
“To build a strong and economically viable nation, sacrifice will routinely be required of individual citizens,” he said.
Mbah: no devt without trusted justice system
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who declared the conference open, stressed that no one should be too poor to afford justice in Nigeria.
He said development cannot be achieved without “a justice system that is fair, functional and trusted.”
According to him, the theme of the conference is a timely reminder of the responsibility lawyers have.
The governor, also a lawyer, said Enugu was among the first states to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary.
He said his administration is digitalising the courtrooms and introducing verbatim recording systems.
The governor welcomed lawyers to Enugu and urged them to enjoy the state’s hospitality.
