The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has expressed concern over the depreciating rate of the Naira and urged the Federal Government to adopt stringent measures to halt the trend.
“The Federal Government must urgently tackle the fall of the Naira against other world currencies. The situation must be taken seriously to save the country’s economy from collapse,” NBA President, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), said in Jos, Plateau State on Thursday.
He made the appeal at the opening of the NBA National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in the Plateau State capital.
Alegeh said that with the depreciating rate of the Naira, the Nigerian economy was in a “dire state.”
“The value of the naira changes every minute; this is certainly not good for the economic growth the nation is envisaging.
“As at last check, it was N377 to a dollar. It could fall even further if something drastic is not done.
“The trend is not good for Nigeria, being an import-based economy.
“The regime of N1,000 to a dollar is looming ever so close; we want to appeal to the hard-working President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast to address the situation,” he said.
The NBA president, who commended the Federal Government’s fight against corruption, restated the association’s zero tolerance to corruption and pledged lawyers’ commitment to the fight.
Stressing that Nigeria must kill corruption before it kills the country; Alegeh stated that the war against corruption must be fought within the ambit of the law and the rule of law.
He said that there was no need to resort to any means other than the legal means to win the war against corruption.
He said that lawyers must not be perceived as corrupt when they defend corruption-related case.
According him, lawyers have the constitutional right to either defend or prosecute a case, adding that they must not be seen as promoting corruption when they are defending a case.
In his speech, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau, a lawyer, said that lawyers had critical role to play in making the war against corruption a success.
“We have to ensure that our common wealth is not flagrantly and arrogantly pilfered by those who should be held to the highest threshold of accountability.
“My President’s body language is clear and it is that, he is fully committed to bringing to book all those who are found guilty,” he said.
Lalong advised lawyers to honour their profession as practitioners in the temple of justice by not constituting themselves into clogs in the wheel of the progress to rid Nigeria of corrupt elements.
The governor commended the Alegeh-led NBA for adding value to the legal profession and by ensuring the enforcement of discipline and professionalism of members through accreditation and the issuance of practice stamps.
The governor of Bauchi State, who is also lawyer, attended the NEC meeting.
