Human Rights Day: NBA President Charges Justice Sector On Need For Strong, Vibrant And Pragmatic Judiciary

– Invites Lawyers To Take Up Pro-Bono Cases From NBA-HRC
– Urges Reflection and Progress Report on Chapter 4 of the Constitution

The NBA President has called on all stakeholders within the justice sector to join the global call for the respect of human rights and civil liberties, as well as commit to the global action plan to Stand Up 4 Human Rights.

Maikyau who made the call in a statement marking the 2022 International Day on Human Rights, commemorated annually on December 10, stressed the primacy of a strong and vibrant judiciary in the enforcement of human rights, noting that ‘the concept of “justice for all” is unattainable without an independent judiciary. Individual rights and freedoms will remain a mirage without a truly independent and competent
judiciary’.

The Bar leader also used the opportunity to restate the commitment of his team to ‘carrying out one of the cardinal objectives of the Nigerian Bar association, which is the “Maintenance and defense of the integrity and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary in Nigeria’.

“For human rights to thrive, there must be in place a judiciary that commands the respect and confidence of the people – members of the society must have confidence in the capacity and integrity of the court to dispense justice. We must therefore at all times, as members of the legal profession, conduct ourselves within the bounds of our rules of professional conduct and ethics as that is the only way we can earn the confidence, and command the respect of the public” Maikyau noted.

Below read the full statement.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, YAKUBU CHONOKO MAIKYAU, OON, SAN, TO MARK THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY BEING OBSERVED TODAY, 10 DECEMBER 2022

The Nigerian Bar Association is delighted to join the global community to mark this year’s International Human Rights Day.

10 December 1948 was a watershed moment in the history of the world. It was the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since then, the date is set aside to commemorate this global milestone and the rights and freedoms it enshrines; a tradition that is observed annually all over the world, while UDHR has continued to serve as the benchmark for the inalienable rights which everyone of us is entitled to by virtue of our humanity.

The observance of International Human Rights Day however goes beyond mere platitudes of speech-making every year, it is also an opportunity for us to assess how those time-tested values and inalienable rights embedded in the UDHR, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), as well as in the Chapter 4of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have continued to provide goalposts for our collective actions, ensuring that no one is left behind.

This year’s celebration is unique as it marks the beginning of a year-long campaign counting down to the 75th year anniversary of the UDHR on 10 December 2023. This year’s theme is: “Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All” with the call to action to #StandUp4HumanRights. As an Association which has as one of its aims and objectives promotion and protection of the principles of the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, human rights, and people’s rights, the Nigerian Bar Association is particularly pleased to identify with this theme and the call to action.

Without restating the obvious, these inalienable rights are part of our defining characteristics as humans. Any detraction from these rights will therefore not only impair the person or group of persons affected, but it will also reduce our collective humanity. More importantly, these rights are not only inalienable, but they are also universal and indivisible. Any violation of human right in one corner of the country or of the globe is thus a concern for every human wherever they might be.

This year’s theme – Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All therefore serves as the watchword for our collective humanity. Our actions, thoughts, and policies, either as government or association must be benchmarked against these inalienable rights, whether they be described as fundamental rights, people’s rights, or human rights.

The commitment of the Nigerian Bar Association which I am privileged to serve as its President, is to continue to champion and uphold our fundamental human rights as enshrined in the three landmark documents we subscribe to as a Nation: Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

The concept of “justice for all” is unattainable without an independent judiciary. Individual rights and freedoms will remain a mirage without a truly independent and competent judiciary. Therefore, my administration is committed to carrying out one of the cardinal objectives of the Nigerian Bar association, which is the “Maintenance and defence of the integrity and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary in Nigeria”. For human rights to thrive, there must be in place a judiciary that commands the respect and confidence of the people – members of the society must have confidence in the capacity and integrity of the court to dispense justice. We must therefore at all times, as members of the legal profession, conduct ourselves within the bounds of our rules of professional conduct and ethics as that is the only way we can earn the confidence, and command the respect of the public

I enjoin members of theNBA to get committed to the pro bono service programme under the NBA – Human Rights Institute (NBA-HRI). I have always maintained that remuneration must never be the primary motivation for the services we render as lawyers. We must, as part of our practice make provision for free legal services to indigent citizens. Let us create the awareness in our respective communities and encourage deserving citizens to avail themselves of our pro bono service. On this I must pay tribute to Chief Chimezie Ikeazor, SAN (of blessed memory) who conceived and spearheaded the pursuit of the effort, along with a few other friends and colleagues like Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Debo Akande, SAN, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke(all of blessed memory) and Chief Felix Offia, which efforts gave birth to the Legal Aid Council in 1976. I must commend the work of the Legal Aid Council, now under the leadership of Mr. Aliyu BaguduAbubakar, for sustaining that noble initiative for nearly 5 decades, and the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, CON, SAN, for his thoughtfulness in renaming the Legal Aid Council Building in honour of Chief Chimezie Ikeazor, SAN. This is a huge source of encouragement for lawyers to engage in pro bono service as part of our primary call to serve justice to the people. It is in doing this that we can truly achieve JUSTICE FOR ALL.

As we begin the countdown to the general elections in 2023, the NBA is calling on all stakeholders to ensure that respect for human rights is paramount in all our engagements. Whilst NBA shall at all times remain non-partisan, we will be in the forefront of guarding the civil liberties of the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We must remember that the dignity of Nigerian citizens ought to be respected by all institutions and agencies. In the same vein, all the freedoms of Nigerians as enshrined in Chapter IV of the Constitution must not be derogated from before, during, and after the elections. These include the right to peaceful assembly and association, right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, righty to dignity of human person, right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing, right to freedom of expression, and above all, the right to life.

I therefore call on members of the Bar to join hands as we work other stakeholders for the purpose of advancing the human rights of all Nigerians regardless of tribe, state, gender, language, status, or political persuasion. I also call on everyone to #StandUp4HumanRights.