The President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and my fellow chairmen on this platform, greetings.
My attention has been drawn to the statement by the President of NBA with regards to the proposed but now ongoing nationwide JUSUN Strike.
I thank the President for his prompt attendance to matters of national importance.
I also thank the President for his thoughtfulness and intervention in the proposed JUSUN strike.
Mr. President sir, I am not in agreement with the nature of the NBA intervention with regards to this JUSUN STRIKE.
Why is it that for 22 years now since we have been operating the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the state governors have continued to flagrantly disobey the Constitution (principal LAW) of the land by refusing to allow the other arms of government (legislature and the judiciary) and even the Local Governments in their various states the constitutional autonomy granted to them by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Even when President Mohammadu Buhari sought to give new impetus to the constitutional autonomy of the other arms of government by the enactment of Presidential Order No. 10 sometime in May 2020, the governors in one accord thronged to Abuja and torpedoed the effort.
The act of continued refusal by the State governors to obey the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in this regard is on its own an impeachable offence.
Rather than ask the JUSUN to suspend the strike, I suggest that the NBA should engage the state governors through their platform, the Nigerian Governors Forum, with a view to making them obey the laws of the land once and for all.
It is incumbent on the NBA to straighten out the issue once and for all. The much talked about disobedience to the rule of law which is the order of the day particularly with matters involving the governments, cannot be situated outside this illegal usurpation of the powers of the other arms of government by the executive arm at the State level.
In the circumstances, I submit that rather than suppress the JUSUN STRIKE which has already started, the NBA should issue a strong statement in support of the JUSUN STRIKE and also prevail on the executive arms of government at the various states as a matter of urgency to fully and unreservedly obey and commence the implementation of the autonomy of the other arms of government as well as the Local Governments in their various states.
Unless and until the NBA takes this hard stand against the assault on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the impunity by the State governors will not end.
Thank you very much Mr. President for your indulgence.
SIR S.E.C NWOSU,
Chairman,
NBA Ukwa Branch.
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