A
abujagirl
Guest
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state on Tuesday said that the ongoing national conference had the capacity of healing age-long wounds in the country and strengthening national cohesion.
Ahmed made the disclosure in Ilorin at the opening of the 2014 Biennial Law Week of the Ilorin branch of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA.
"Indeed, the national conference is recommended by its capacity and potential to heal our country’s woes and give her constituent nationalities greater sense of belonging in the way our affairs are conducted'', he stated.
He urged lawyers to play a greater role in the process of refocusing and uniting the country in spite of NBA’s reservations on the composition of membership of the conference.
According to him, the role of lawyers is pivotal, not only in capturing the spirit and letter of the decisions reached, but in ensuring that such outcomes comply with the laws of our land.
Ahmed said that the problem of democracy in the country did not arise from the perceived shortcomings of the 1999 Constitution.
''Although the legitimacy of the 1999 Constitution is often challenged due to its military origin and the lack of popular participation in its emergence, I hold that the problem is not with the Nigerian Constitution. Rather, the challenge lies in our tendency to circumvent constitutional provisions and statutory laws by exploiting loopholes and unintended ambiguities,'' he said.
The governor noted that the theme of the lawyers’ conference, "A Centenary of Legal Practice in Nigeria (1914 – 2014): Legacies and Lessons for the Next Century” was timely.
According to him, this is in view of the role of the bar in national development. He urged the judiciary to live above board as the nation moved toward the 2015 general elections.
Ahmed made the disclosure in Ilorin at the opening of the 2014 Biennial Law Week of the Ilorin branch of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA.
"Indeed, the national conference is recommended by its capacity and potential to heal our country’s woes and give her constituent nationalities greater sense of belonging in the way our affairs are conducted'', he stated.
He urged lawyers to play a greater role in the process of refocusing and uniting the country in spite of NBA’s reservations on the composition of membership of the conference.
According to him, the role of lawyers is pivotal, not only in capturing the spirit and letter of the decisions reached, but in ensuring that such outcomes comply with the laws of our land.
Ahmed said that the problem of democracy in the country did not arise from the perceived shortcomings of the 1999 Constitution.
''Although the legitimacy of the 1999 Constitution is often challenged due to its military origin and the lack of popular participation in its emergence, I hold that the problem is not with the Nigerian Constitution. Rather, the challenge lies in our tendency to circumvent constitutional provisions and statutory laws by exploiting loopholes and unintended ambiguities,'' he said.
The governor noted that the theme of the lawyers’ conference, "A Centenary of Legal Practice in Nigeria (1914 – 2014): Legacies and Lessons for the Next Century” was timely.
According to him, this is in view of the role of the bar in national development. He urged the judiciary to live above board as the nation moved toward the 2015 general elections.