Nigerian lawyers under the auspices of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA will converge in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State between August 19-26, 2016 for their annual conference. The theme of this year’s conference is “Democracy and Economic Development. No doubt the theme of the conference is apt considering the challenges facing our democratic rule. With the way and manner in which things are going in this country, the citizens have lost confidence on our elective office holders.
It is very sad that seventeen (17) years of uninterrupted democracy, the political class is unable to find solutions to simple problems facing the citizenry. These problems include: power, shelter and food.
In ideal democratic nation, these basic needs are being provided. Our politicians are less concern about the welfare of the people. If not how an elected lawmaker will construct borehole in his constituency as project after fifty-seven years of Nigeria’s independence.
While the politicians are living in mansions, driving best cars, the constituents are living in penury and poverty. Moreso, it appears that the political class lacks initiatives to provide the goodies of life, because of absence of laudable and developmental policies, there are no structures that can push the economy forward.
The Nigeria’s economy is stagnated, as citizens cannot afford three (3) square meals. Foreign investors are afraid of coming into Nigeria to invest due to high rate of insecurity across the length and breadth of the nation. As a result of this, workers’ salary could not be paid by relevant authorities; existing public infrastructures are in the state of decay. Nothing seems to be working in the country.
This NBA conference we hope will scrutinize critically every sector of our economy and also proffer ways how the country’s democracy could be sustained. We wish the Nigerian lawyers, a fruitful conference and deliberations in Port Harcourt. ###
