President Bola Tinubu has pledged to promote the rule of law, adhere to the principles of separation of powers, and tolerate dissenting views within the ambit of the laws of Nigeria.
Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the pledge on Sunday when he declared open the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos.
He said his administration, since assumption of office, had made steady progress in rebuilding the nation through legal and judicial reforms.
Tinubu acknowledged the association’s sterling history of championing democratic ideals, as well as promoting the rule of law.
“Let me reassure you all that this administration will continue to promote the rule of law, adherence to the principles of separation of powers and tolerance of dissent within the bounds of the law,” he said.
He mplored Nigerian lawyers and other citizens to join hands with his administration to work towards achieving the Nigeria of everybody’s dream.
He said the nation must achieve sustainable development, assuring that his administration’s policies and actions would bring relief to Nigerians despite making difficult decisions to change the way things were done in the past.
He thanked the Supreme Court for consistently sustaining good governance and the tenets of democracy in the country.
He cited the recent verdict of the highest court in the land which granted financial autonomy to the local government councils.
The judgment, he noted, “will spur the much-desired developments at the grassroots level.”
He expressed confidence that more of such strategic and reform-oriented legal interventions would be achieved by the third arm of government.
Tinubu restated his administration’s commitment to continue making the welfare of the judiciary a top priority.
“I want to assure the learned members of the Bench and the Bar that this government will continue to accord top priority to the welfare of the judiciary to ease avoidable burden on their Lordships.
“And we will speed up the adjudicatory process which is sine qua non for social order and economic development.
“It is, therefore, my fervent expectation that the NBA would provide the appropriate legal compass for all persons, government and businesses towards rebuilding our dear nation,” said the President.
Tinubu applauded the theme, “Pressing Forward: A National Posture for Rebuilding Nigeria,” chosen by the NBA for this year’s annual national conference.
Earlier, the Director-General, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said efforts must be made to accelerate growth and development of the country as it had everything required to succeed.
In her keynote address titled, “A Social Contract for Nigeria’s Future,” she regretted that Nigeria was not progressing as much as it should in its over 60 years of existence.
“Strong macro economic reforms are needed in Nigeria. Oil has dominated Nigerian exports but we must diversify to agricultural and solid minerals exports.
“We need a new social contract to achieve growth in our country.
“My conviction on the need for a social contract is based on the need to tolerate different political parties and past administrations that preceded any administration in power,” she stated.
Also, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos maintained that the social contract entailed the security of lives and property.
Sanwo-Olu, who urged the judiciary to strengthen the nation’s electoral process, assured that Lagos, as a state was ready to take on the social contract.
In his welcome address, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, President of the NBA, assured that the bar would continue to work for the course of justice in the country.
According to him, the respect the bar has is a symbol of freedom in the county.
“The bar is represented primarily by the need to serve justice to the people. Our existence as a people is intricately connected to our responsibility as the defenders of the people,” he said.
He urged lawyers to ensure that they discharged their duties with determination and eschew corruption at all levels.
The conference also featured the launch of a book titled, “History of the Nigerian Bar Association,” written by a Nigerian lawyer, Olanrewaju Akinsola.
