Obi at the NBA Conference, lamented the frightening challenges facing Nigeria, calling for urgent steps to halt the slide.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has lamented the frightening challenges facing Nigeria, calling for urgent steps to halt the slide to the status of a failed entity.
Obi made the observation at the 62nd Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) opened in Lagos, on Monday. The event which was declared open by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola had in attendance five presidential candidates and a vice-presidential candidates of some political parties in the country.
Declaring the week-long event opened, the CJN who was represented at the event by the Chief Judge of Lagos State Justice Kazeem Alogba, urged lawyers to continue protect the rule of law.
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The other standard bearers in attendance, apart from Obi, were Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Peter Umeadi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party and Dr. Dumebi Kachuchu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The presidential candidate of All Progressives congress (APC), Bola Tinubu was absent. His running mate Kashim Shettima, was however present.
In his speech, Obi said: “Nigeria needs urgent transition from being a highly insecure country to a secured country and from a country of lawlessness to a country of law and order. In all these, it is important that we look at where we are today. Nigeria has qualified to be a failed state. We have indices and characteristics of a failed state.
“Today, we are among the most terrorised countries of the world. We are among the topmost countries of the world where banditry and kidnapping is prevalent. Our most important source of foreign revenue, the oil, is also being ravaged by theft. We are no longer in control of our economy, we are in fiscal mess where our expenditure is much higher than revenue”.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) noted that lawyers have a great responsibly on their shoulders, saying it goes beyond ensuring their own comfort.
The governor observed that the conference theme, Bold Transitions, resonates on several levels, particularly as the nation is preparing for another round of elections in 2023.
In his welcome address, the President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, said all crises in the Association have been sorted out.
“The Bar has made serious progress. We have come far, we are doing well and we are strong. Crises in the NBA, perceived, real or imagined, are all sorted”, he said.
On his part, Atiku said: “Since the return of democracy, Nigeria has never been in such a critical situation as we find ourselves now. The problem of poverty, insecurity, unemployment, etc is enormous but what is important is how to tackle them”.
