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The Minister of
Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello
Adoke, has solicited the support and cooperation of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA) in the fight against corruption in the country.

Mr. Adoke spoke during a courtesy visit to the association’s headquarters in Abuja last Friday.

“I am therefore soliciting support of the Nigerian Bar Association so that we can move this country forward,” Mr. Adoke said.

“The fight against
corruption is uppermost in the mind of this administration. When we
were being inaugurated, the acting president said he has zero tolerance
for corruption.

“We must do
everything possible to work with all stakeholders to fight corruption,
because it is a cancer that is very terminal, and I believe that the
NBA has a lot of role to play in this respect in the days ahead.”

Working as partners

The minister promised that the ministry would keep the association informed of whatever they were going to do.

“I want to assure
you that we are going to come out with our action plan, but before we
do that we are going to call for the input of the NBA, through the
president, and whatever we do we are going to take you into confidence
from time to time,” Mr. Adoke said.

“We are not going
to attack you, we are going to work as partners to move forward, we are
not going to be partners at war, that era is past.”

Mr. Adoke said that
he was not happy with the NBA’s relationship with the Office of the
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

“I have not been
happy with the development relating to the office of the attorney
general and the bar association because [the] NBA is a very critical
member of the society and is my constituency. I believe whoever is
appointed the AG represents the NBA.”

In his response,
the association’s president, Rotimi Akeredolu, said it is going to work
closely with the AGF on a number of issues.

He said that issues
of the administration of justice are very important to both offices,
adding that the association has a very important role to play in the
profession, but has been more or less relegated to the sidelines.

Mr. Akeredolu said the NBA would rally round the minister to ensure
that his tenure yields many dividends. He also urged lawyers to see one
another as friends and to avoid allowing arguments in court to create
disaffection among them.