The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on the insecurity ravaging the nooks and crannies of the country at the moment.
According to NBA, this should be done in addition to ensuring the right investments in security in line with global trends in security without compromising our sovereignty.
The NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), made the call in Abuja on Wednesday, while addressing journalists on the state of the nation.
Maikyau said insecurity has left many Nigerians homeless and businesses destroyed, adding that citizens were losing confidence in the federal government to deal with the insecurity plaguing the country.
He said, “Some Nigerians have lost and many more are fast losing confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to deal with the security situation in Nigeria.
“At this time, when public confidence in the sincerity of the government in dealing with insecurity is at its lowest ebb, I strongly recommend a government and people engagement that will at the minimum, inform the people (to the extent that security protocol may allow) about what is being done to secure the nation. Alternatively, let there be clear indicators.
“I call on the President to show a demonstrable commitment to prioritize the security of the lives and properties of Nigerians as already committed by you.
“The government, through our Armed Forces and other security agencies, must ensure that no square inch of the Nigerian territory is left ungoverned; no part of Nigeria should be left under the control of criminal elements by whatever name so-called.
“The Federal Government must adopt a holistic approach to the issue of security while not overlooking the peculiarities of each region and design bespoke measures to deal with them accordingly.
“In this wise, the government must neither be “scared” nor “ashamed” to make the right investments in security, in line with global trends, without compromising our sovereignty.
“To this extent, we must declare a state of emergency on insecurity if we are to make any meaningful progress in this regard. It is time for the government to declare a state of emergency in the area of security and I urge you, Mr president not to waste time and spare no effort in this regard.”
He also lamented the dwindling of the economy as well as the nation’s currency.
“The Nigerian Economy is dwindling, the value of the Naira has been bastardized, prices of foodstuff have skyrocketed, and everything negative seems to be on the rise. The insecurity has equally impacted negatively on food sufficiency and food security as a nation.
“Those who rely on farming as their sole means of livelihood have been thrown into abject poverty because they no longer can go to their farms. While this administration may argue that it is only 7 months into office and is not the cause of present-day experience, the fact remains that it is this government that has the responsibility of stemming the negative tide.”
He urged the president to spell out his plans as well as efforts in revamping the nation’s economy.
Maikyau also called on the president to declare a state of emergency on the economy of the country and state deadlines for specific fundamental economic steps to be taken toward economic recovery.
He said, “Nigerians need to know, as we all are entitled to, in concrete terms, the plans this administration has for the revamping of our economy, it is the government/citizens’ engagement on the strategies for the recovery, reformation, and repositioning of the economy and all other sectors, that will give Nigerians hope to continue to persevere and remain resilient as we have always been.
“Not to do so, will cause a complete loss of confidence in the ability of this administration to truly deliver on the renewed hope agenda, and would be recorded as a monumental failure on the part of government.
“Government must, therefore, as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency on Nigeria’s state of the economy and announce deadlines for specific fundamental economic steps to be taken towards economic recovery.
”This will enable all stakeholders to assess the performance of government with regards to promises it has made and becomes a basis to hold government accountable to the people.”
The NBA president also threatened to engage in a legal battle with the FG if the Enhanced Trade Investment agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom is not reviewed.
He said, “We will fight it. We have the responsibility of protecting the legal space. I come from the village and I know what it means. Do you want those in the village who are struggling to make a living to still have competitors from the UK to take the little he has?
“There are already wholesome practices by few lawyers in this country who would come back to Nigeria and set up offices for English firms, continue to practice because they’ve been called to practice in Nigeria and that is completely unacceptable.
“I have my suspicions and nobody has allayed my suspicions over the deal. We will seek the judiciary interpretation of the propriety of that decision and we are entitled to do that. This is a matter that will go to court. There is no matter about it. We cannot be naive about these things anymore.”
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