The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressed disappointment with the continued inability of Nigeria to harness its abundant natural resources to create wealth for the people.
The NBA noted that Nigeria’s economic potential had been constrained by many structural issues, including inadequate infrastructure, tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, fundamental obstacles to investment, uncertain government policies and reluctance of previous governments to take the necessary bold steps required to achieve sustained economic growth.
The position was contained in a communique issued at the end of its weeklong Annual General Conference in Abuja which had the theme: “Getting it Right; Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation Building”.
Reading the communique yesterday, the President of NBA, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), said the conferees made recommendations on the economy, security and administration of justice in Nigeria.
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He said the conference resolved that sustained broad-based economic growth and poverty reduction were critical to Nigeria’s economic growth and stability, with greater attention to youth employment through education and skills training, infrastructure, power generation, agricultural productivity and expanded jobs in rural areas.
On justice administration, the conference called for a review of the key institutions such as the judiciary, police and correctional services, noting that “every aspect of the infrastructure of our justice system requires fundamental rethinking including our approaches to policing, adjudication, bail, sentencing and imprisonment.
Maikyau further said, “Conference affirmed the need for an urgent upward review of judicial remuneration. Conference recommends the separation of judicial remuneration from the public sector including the removal of the remuneration of judicial officers from the purview of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).”
The NBA also acknowledged the severe impact of insecurity on the nation’s development and examined the various factors contributing to this challenge like “the devastating effects of terrorism, non-participation of communities in security efforts, unemployment’s link to unrest, and the need for regional cooperation and intelligence sharing.”
The NBA president also dismissed social media reports of financial impropriety against the association, explaining that the AGC was the best managed with over 16,330 registered participants.
