*Threatens disciplinary action against erring Judicial officials

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) has re-affirmed the commitment of the association to the eradication of corruption in all spheres of members’ professional life and national affairs.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Friday, Maikyau said, many of the ills that afflict the society cannot be divorced from corruption in its various cancerous forms, adding that, at the root of virtually every societal malaise is one form of corrupt practice or another.

He said, “Whilst anti-corruption might not be the silver bullet that will automatically transform the world into an Eldorado, there is no doubt that if we are able to use our commonwealth to tackle the menace, the world will certainly be a better place for all of us.

“Another reality that we cannot shy away from is the fact that it is going to require a synergy of all of us working together to decimate corruption and its tentacles. The responsibility for its annihilation is therefore not limited to anti-corruption agencies or the judiciary alone.

“The cornerstone of the anti-corruption architecture is a functional legal framework which ensures that corrupt practices are not only prohibited but are discouraged and penalised. It is therefore our joint responsibility, and we all have a role to play in this regard”.

The NBA boss said, the Parliament, in addition to its constitutional oversight function which must be discharged in a transparent manner, must also strive to enact legislations which are proactive, comprehensive, and effective.

“The Executive must implement these laws without discrimination and ensure that laws are not used as an arbitrary political tool. On its own part, the Judiciary must apply anti-corruption laws without fear or favour and not as an appendage of its sister arms. The media, as the fourth estate of the Realm, must give impassioned and impartial coverage to the anti-corruption war”.

As the umbrella body of members of the legal profession in Nigeria, the NBA, he said, has a formidable role to play in the national quest to liberate the country from corruption and added that, the association will continue to work with the National Assembly to ensure that comprehensive legal reforms are carried out for the purpose of enthroning a functional legal framework to combat the ills of corruption.

With the Executive, the commitment of the association, he noted, shall be to ensure that the laws are implemented without fear or favour and without abridging the rights of the citizens and with the Judiciary, the NBA will remain committed to ensure that justice is done in every case before the court.

He called on anti-corruption agencies not see themselves as special creatures who are above the law passed by the Nigerian people’s Parliament as the rights of every citizen must be respected at all times and due process must be followed in the anti-corruption crusades.

“Members of the legal profession must support all anti-corruption agencies in the fight against economic crimes; money laundering and other related crimes, terrorism and other criminal activities often funded with illicit funds.

“We must strengthen our Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners to reflect our primary call to serve the cause of justice for the benefit of the people. While we enjoy our privilege as members of the legal profession, we must remain conscious of our bounden duty to the Nation and resist any attempt to be used by any person or group of persons to abuse that privilege”.

He said this year 2022 Anti-Corruption Day is of significance to Nigeria because it provides the opportunity to mark the event in the context of the forthcoming general elections as he noted that, “Electoral malpractice is a form of corruption which we tend to ignore and which deserves to be roundly condemned.

“The truth is that corruption of the electoral practices, be it in form of vote-buying or electoral violence, undermines the democratic practices thereby circumventing the will of the people”, he said and further called on all stakeholders to recommit themselves to the patriotic duty of ensuring that the General Elections coming up in the first quarter of year 2023 is corruption free to bequeath a better Nigeria.

Maikyau said besides the need to guarantee the security of lives and properties of Nigerians as they troop out to vote in the 2023 general elections, the ultimate outcome of the election will largely depend on the interface between the Bench, the Bar and the Political gladiators and members of the Legal Profession, serving either on the Bench or at the Bar, owe Nigerians sincere and honest participation in the process.

“We must do all that is legitimately within our abilities, motivated by the desire to serve the cause of justice, to ensure that the relevant laws and rules, properly interpreted and applied, remain the guiding principles for our involvement in the process.

“While we will stand with the Courts and do everything legal to protect the integrity of the Bench against any onslaught or any form of intimidation by the political class, any person or group of persons, we will not hesitate to call out and pursue disciplinary action(s) against erring judicial officials.

“Similarly, members of the Bar who misconduct themselves while participating in the resolution of electoral disputes will face disciplinary action at the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), where Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) are involved.

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“The NBA under my watch shall remain committed to working with all other stakeholders to ensure that anti-corruption becomes a code of conduct we all subscribe to and a badge of honour we are all proud to wear. As ministers in the temple of Justice, the professional conducts of our members must be above board at all times in line with one of our aims and objective that the NBA shall maintain the highest standards of professional conduct, etiquette and discipline”, Maikyau stated.

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