September 2019

SOWORE: ‘DO NOT INTIMIDATE JUDGES,’ UBANI WARNS DSS

The immediate past Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2nd Vice President, Mr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani has blasted the Department of State Security (DSS) for its refusal to release Mr. Omoyele Sowore, the Convener of #RevolutionNow.

He also lampooned the security agency for its alleged plan to drag Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court to the National Judicial Council over his decision to grant bail to Sowore. Justice Taiwo had refused to extend the 45 days detention order against the Sahara Reporters publisher and former students’ union leader.

Mr. Ubani said that he “is clearly at a loss as  how and when court’s decision has become a ground for petitioning NJC,” adding: “What is the allegation against Justice Taiwo Taiwo in the first place? Is it that he has no jurisdiction to release Mr. Sowore after the expiration of the detention order or that the court has lost all the powers under the law to make orders that do not favour DSS in Nigeria anymore? I cannot understand the meaning and substance of the alleged threat to petition him to NJC.”

Mr. Ubani warned that should DSS insist on the petition, “they must also not forget to report to NJC that it was the same Justice Taiwo Taiwo that granted them the detention of Mr. Sowore for 45 days in their detention centre. That information is very important to be disclosed to NJC.”

According to the human rights activist, “It is high time lawyers stood up against this calamitous destruction of the legal system by the security agencies in Nigeria. We lawyers cannot keep quiet anymore because they are trying to destroy the only area where we are operating, which is the court.

“Judiciary is the only place where we operate, so if they succeed in destroying it no one will have regard and respect for us and for the country. If lawyers allow the Judiciary to be emasculated by the executive we are finished, Nigeria is gone, the legal profession is finished.”

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ABUJA AGOG AS NBA-CLE TRAINING HOLDS TOMORROW

Lawyers and other practitioners in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja will by tomorrow have an opportunity to participate in a Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) accredited Continuing Legal Education (NBA-CLE) programme on Company Law and Corporate Governance.

Facilitated by the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) under the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education (NBA-ICLE) “Mandatory Continuing Legal Education” programme, the two courses will be delivered by senior lawyers and subject matter experts on December 2 and 3, 2019 respectively.

For the Company Law module, the sub-themes that are planned to be covered include Directors, Secretary & Officers of a Company; Rules of Federal High Court; Derivative Actions/Minority Rights; Mergers & Acquisition; Company Proceedings and Investment Disputes; Introduction to Investments & Securities Act as well as Company Securities, Capital Market Practice and Flotation of Securities.

The Corporate Governance module is billed to cover such topics as Origin of Corporate Governance; Development of Corporate Governance in Nigeria; Codes of Corporate Government in Nigeria including the SEC, CBN, NAICOM and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) codes of corporate governance. Other sub-themes are Board Evaluation and Audit as well as “Salient Points on Corporate Governance” including Corporate Governance Framework, Board Responsibilities, Separation of role of Chairman from Chief Executive, Board Committees, Conflict of interest, Corporate Social Responsibility, Board Charter, Board Evaluation, Induction Training and Succession Planning.

The training will be held at The Den Hotel, 20 Agadez Crscent, Wuse 2, Abuja.

While the course fee for the two-day subsidized training has been pegged at N40, 000, young lawyers between 1-7 years post-call will receive a further discount of 40% to be shaved off the course fee.

According to the organisers, interested participants are to pay the course fee into the “LEDAP-MCLE COURSE” Account Number 1016147835 at Zenith Bank Plc. For more information, please call 0906-000-7472 or email info@nba-mcle-ledapnigeria.org.

Founded in 1997 and led by foremost pro bono activist, Mr. Chino Obiagwu SAN, LEDAP is a non-governmental organization engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights, the rule of law and good governance in Nigeria. It has observer status with the Africa Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Copyright 2018 CITY LAWYER. All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.