Wike tackles NBA, says emergency rule opposition motivated by conference funding

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for faulting the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state.

He alleged that the NBA’s stance was driven by financial interests, claiming that the Rivers government had promised to sponsor the association’s annual general conference.

Wike spoke on Friday when officials of the Body of Benchers, led by its chairman, Adegboyega Awomolo, visited him in Abuja.

“The NBA is against the state of emergency because there would be no money to give them for their conference. What kind of hypocrisy is this?” Wike said.

He accused the NBA and other lawyers of criticising supreme court rulings without reading the judgements, describing the trend as “unfortunate”.

He urged the Body of Benchers to take disciplinary measures against legal professionals who engage in such practices.

“Some NBA members go on national television to condemn judgments without even reading them! If you don’t discipline somebody, nobody will learn any lesson,” he said.

“We shall no longer allow our profession to be pulled down. I cannot believe, as a lawyer, that you make a contribution to help the legal profession and you will be criticised by your fellow lawyers.

“Sir, the time has come that we need to say look, enough is enough. We cannot continue to discourage our judges and justices. It is not done anywhere.

“I have never seen where members of a profession are the ones bent on bringing the profession down.”

Wike also accused the NBA of hypocrisy, saying the association had no problem accepting financial support from the executive in the past, yet now frames such assistance as bribery when it involves the judiciary.

“I was the only one who contributed to the NBA to build the national secretariat. The NBA didn’t see it as a bribe,” the FCT minister said.

“When you contribute to the Body of Benchers, it is a bribe, but when you contribute to the NBA, it is not a bribe—they will take it!

“The same NBA will rely on state governments to sponsor their activities, but when the state government supports the judiciary, it is bribery.”