“Cancelling NBA-SPIDEL Conference Portrayed Us As A Worthless Partner”, NBA Sokoto Branch Tells Akpata
The Nigerian Bar Association Sokoto Branch has reacted to the cancellation of the earlier scheduled NBA-SPIDEL conference billed to hold in the State from the 23rd to 26th of May, 2022 by the NBA National President, Olumide Akpata.
Recall that The Lawyer on the 17th of May, 2022 reported that the NBA President in a statement in reaction to the gruesome murder of Deborah Yakubu on allegations of blasphemy cancelled the scheduled conference of the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL).
In its reaction made available to The Lawyer and dated 26th of May, 2022, the Sokoto Branch of the Association criticised the President for not liaising with the branch before putting out a statement on the issue. They described the statement by the NBA President as playing to the gallery.
They wrote: “To set the record straight, NBA Sokoto Branch was never consulted and/or contacted by the President before the release of the Statement on Deborah Yakubu. Unfortunately, the President of our Association ought to have liaised with us as a Branch, to find out dependable facts to substantiate his statement. That was not done. To this end, we hereby make categorically clear that the statement by NBA President is, to us, a mere play to the gallery.”
According to the reaction, the statement by the NBA President was not fair as it did not consider the religious diversities of the Association.
They said: “the NBA president would have appeared to be more fair-minded if his statement condemned both Deborah’s blasphemy and the jungle justice in a succeeding order. It is on record that the statement did not contain a condemnation of the crime of blasphemy at all. In effect, |the NBA president somewhat sees nothing wrong with blasphemy.”
They decried the resources expended by the branch in preparation for the conference which was allowed to go down the drain without consideration. They said the unilateral decision by the President to call-off the conference amounted to taking the branch as a worthless partner. NBA Sokoto Branch enthusiastically prepared for the hosting of the SPIDEL Conference to wit; set up committees and expended its time and resources. Yet, without regard to its efforts, NBA President never deemed it necessary to carry us along in decision making that affects the Branch. Undoubtedly, the unilateral action of the NBA President portrays Sokoto Branch as a worthless partner.”
The statement which was signed by the Chairperson of the branch, S. U. Mohammed Esq. and the Secretary S.S. Auta Esq, PhD urged the President to always carry members along and consider the diverse beliefs of members of the Association when making future decisions.
