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Lukman Olabiyi
The legal profession in the country has been embroiled in controversy since the Nigerian Bar Association cancelled the invitation it had previously given to the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to participate in the NBA2020 Virtual Annual Conference. The Open Bar Initiative (OBI), convened by Silas Joseph Onu, spearheaded the agitation to disinvite the Kaduna State governor, which was carried out by NBA.
In this interview, Onu revealed the real reasons that led to the agitation, saying that the splinter group from the NBA should not be taken seriously. Excerpts:
What is Open Bar Initiative all about?
The Open Bar Initiative is a voluntary forum of lawyers with a mission of enhancing inclusiveness in NBA activities for all lawyers and also advancing human rights in the wider society. We have a nationwide reach as our membership cuts across Nigeria.
What was the motive for your agitation against the participation of Governor el-Rufai in the NBA Confab?
First, we are so proud of the NBA for acceding to our request that Governor El-Rufai should not be allowed to participate in the NBA conference as a speaker. The reason for our agitation was clearly captured in our letter and those facts are incontrovertible. It is not false to state that the famously known “DADIYATA”, a resident of Kaduna State and a known critic of El-Rufai, has been missing for more than one year, yet the governor has not found it necessary to even acknowledge or comment on such major incident that happened in his state. How insensitive can a governor be?
Again, you begin to wonder if we are still being ruled by dictators when you consider the gurerilla tactics deployed by El-Rufai to bring his critics down to Kaduna for trial. It is a criminal offence to criticise El-Rufai and he has shown his willingness to abduct such critics from any part of Nigeria to Kaduna for a Kangaroo trial; such never happened even under the military government. The case of Audu Maikori is apt as an example of such brigandage.
Also, his penchant for disregarding court orders is legendary. Even in the Audu Maikori saga, he has been ordered to pay damages for the unlawful abduction of a Nigerian from Lagos to Kaduna for his own special kind of trial and he has refused, neglected and or failed to pay up, even in the absence of any appeal or stay order.
El-Rufai has, with his utterances, further inflamed the embers of violent killings in Kaduna. He has repeatedly attempted to justify the killings as reprisal attacks as if such attacks are lawful and permissible. How come all the reprisals are suddenly happening under his watch? I was born in Kaduna and grew up therein. We lived in the heart of Muslims in Hayin Banki and I can tell you that 90 per cent of the crisis in Kaduna are not religious, but are fueled by reckless leaders who find ways to make a simple conflict more complicated. So, anyone who understands the workings of Kaduna State will not go on national television and accuse people of killing themselves for the purpose of eventually getting “brown envelopes”, that is most irresponsible. I know how many times we have had to run into the Army Barracks for safety while growing up in Kaduna. So, it is sad to see a governor who is playing a crazy game with the lives of people who are under his protection as the chief security officer of the state.
For these reasons and many others listed in our request letter, besides many other reasons that were not even captured. It was impossible to turn a blind eye and allow El-Rufai to attend the NBA conference and use that platform to speak on who is a Nigerian, when he does not even think some people are Kaduna enough to enjoy his protection.
Apart from el-Rufai some other speakers invited by NBA were found to be guilty of the same sins you accused el-Rufai of committing, so why single him out?
We focused on El-Rufai because his problems are a growing concern. It is the most pressing and urgent. We thank God that our action has attracted the needed attention and something is finally being done about the senseless killings in Southern Kaduna. We thank the Sultan of Sokoto for his intervention on the issue.
It has been alleged that you and other lawyers who moved against el-Rufai were sponsored by his political enemies and the opposition party. What is your take on this?
I do not even know his enemies. I also didn’t make any political statements regarding this issue. The reasons are clearly spelt out and none was because he is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). No amount of rationalisation can take away the facts contained in that letter. Let’s maintain our focus therein.
Some people hold the view that the NBA was not fair to the governor. What is your view on this?
When you invite someone to dine in your house and then due to an unopposed request from your family members, the invitation is withdrawn, why should anybody introduce the issue of fairness? If he really wants to eat, he can fix a dinner for himself elsewhere. This argument is coming from ethnic jingoist and I won’t dignify their myopic thinking with any answer.
How do you feel about the formation of New Nigeria Bar Association?
I am an advocate of freedom and that includes freedom of association. If I want to form a new Bar, I will have a rational purpose for doing so, not one sparked by ethnic reasoning or religious motivation. It will fail because the driving force is a stupid one. I would have been a signatory to such a movement if they brought up benefits that could only be imagined in the NBA. So, this break up talk is also being made relevant by the media. It will only last as long as it remains in the news.
Are you satisfied with the outcome of the last NBA election?
Even the President who was sworn in recently is not satisfied with the process and so do I. I wrote a series of letters to the ECNBA on their poor preparation for the election. The pressure we mounted on the committee forced them to ensure that, at least, the voting was 100 per cent transparent. So, while the committee, as any other in the past, behaved badly during the preparation, they suddenly turned around and gave the Bar a credible voting exercise that reflected the desires and wishes of an overwhelming majority of Nigerian lawyers. The President has promised to improve on future elections and I believe that he will deliver.
On the issue of human rights, how will you rate this administration?
This government scores less than 15 per cent in my rating. I hope they’ll improve. The new Broadcasting Code is an example of the squeeze that human rights have been subjected to under this administration.
