Friday 19 October 2018

FHC LAGOS BREAKS NBA'S AUTONOMY IN BABALOLA vs- CAC


Hon. Justice Babs Kuewunmi of the Federal High Court Lagos, has just delivered a Judgment in FHC/L/CS/1379/2017, the certified true copy (CTC) of which is attached in the link below that the consent of the Nigerian Bar Association is not required, not being a condition precedent under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to register an association of Lawyers.
The lawsuit was filed by Olumide Babalola ESQ against CAC when the Applicant approached CAC to register his association of “Consumer        Rights Lawyers Association”, praying the following reliefs:-

1.       That the Respondent’s Notice of Denial dated 2017-09-08 particularly as it pertains to consent of the Nigerian Bar Association, is illegal, unconstitutional, and violates the Applicant’s fundamental right to peaceful assembly and association as guaranteed by section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.

2.     A DECLARATION that the consent of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is not a constitutional condition precedent to the formation of an association of specialist lawyers in Nigeria.

3.     A PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent, its agents, officers, partners, employees and/or representatives from further requirement to seek and obtain the consent of NBA before his association can be registered.
His Lordship granted the reliefs. 

You voted for them as President of Nigerian Bar Association, they get into office upon being inaugurated, expropriate NBA for parochial harangue and take NBA as a platform to abuse provisions of LPA against Chapter IV Rights in the  1999 Constitution. Hitherto CAC requested NBA's consent as a policy which may have impeded Lawyers from expressing themselves in identifiable parallel associations.
ALL LAWYERS ALL IN ONE  NBA united as an association is professionally tidy though but it's the crass abuse that was addressed for checks & balances.

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