Out-going chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja, Lagos branch, MONDAY UBANI, discusses with Senior Correspondent, ISHAYA IBRAHIM, issues affecting Nigeria’s development
Monday Ubani
He did not initially set out to study Law when he applied for admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1983. His interest was politics and, incidentally, he was offered admission to study Political Science. But in his second year, the reality in the Nigerian economy hit him – the economy was dwindling and graduates were not getting jobs. Ubani felt that with a degree in Political Science in an economy experiencing recession, his chances of getting a job could even be slimmer, a situation unacceptable to him, so he changed from Political Science to Law, a decision that cost him two years in the university.
But securing a job was not Ubani’s sole motivation to opt for Law. “Second, I discovered that law profession makes you a visible voice to speak on behalf of the oppressed,” he told TheNiche in this encounter.
The fiery lawyer who has just completed his term as chairman of the NBA, Ikeja branch, also spoke on other issues.
Second-term syndrome
In Nigeria, people think that the number of years you spend in office is concomitant to the level of your achievement, that you cannot achieve anything unless you spend so many years in office. That is not true. The most important aspect of public service is for you to know why you want to serve and what you set out to achieve. Then give yourself a timeline; that within this time, I should be able to achieve this. Almost everything I set out to do as NBA chairman, Ikeja branch, I achieved them within one year.
Ethnic and divisive politics
Two things have kept us down: religion and tribalism. I suffered tribalism even in the NBA. They said I would start Biafran war if I took over. Somebody sat down, circulated it as a leaflet that if this man was allowed, he would start Biafran war in NBA. People almost bought the sentiments. They even went to Mrs. Funmi Falana to say “don’t allow a stranger to occupy the throne”. A Nigerian was being called a stranger? Meanwhile, I have been in Ikeja branch all my life. I have been in Ikeja branch since I started practising for more than 20 years. I have been participating and contributing my money. So, how did I suddenly become a stranger, just because I wanted to contest election? This is what is dividing us today. And it is the political elite that are using it against us. When they go and share the money in Abuja, they don’t look at it as you are Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba. But when they lose out, you hear them shouting because I’m Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba. Then those of us below will cry more than the bereaved and start fighting their war and start killing ourselves. When they will reconcile, we wouldn’t be aware. It is just ignorance. The moment we forget about all those useless sentiments and become mature, the country will move forward.
Problem with the Nigerian judiciary
A serious government will not joke with the judiciary, an institution that deals with life and death. The computerisation of the judiciary is still at the elementary stage in Nigeria, whereas it has gone far in developed economies. You don’t see any judge in developed countries writing anything with long hand. Everything is computerised. Here, you wonder whether we are in the 15th century because there is no intention to improve. Our leaders are so unconcerned that you wonder whether they don’t see all these things abroad and import them and change the system under few hours. These things can be done. It is just the political will that is lacking.
War against Boko Haram
If you have a problem, what I know intelligent people do to solve a problem is that they provide what they call short term and long term solutions. But even at the short term level, there is nothing they are doing. They budgeted billions of money for buying of arms and ammunition, and making sure that police and other security agents are armed. But they are not doing it. Corruption crops up again; it doesn’t get to the root. And they can’t speak because, if they do, they will be fired. In the long term, what brought about insecurity or how nations that are developed overcome insecurity in their country? Government should identify the causes of insecurity and solve them to forestall future occurrence.
State of emergency in North East
It is not working. During the emergency rule, these guys went and re-strategised. And within that period that there was no noise and killings, the president thought that he had succeeded. Now they are back in full force. Don’t you see how they bombed Nyanya? And they told President Jonathan that “we are with you in Abuja”. These guys have what we call cells all over the country. Why wouldn’t they bomb and kill people at will? We don’t even have any measure for stopping them. We don’t have cameras and our mode of intelligence gathering is zero.