Warri (Delta) -Mr John Aikpokpo, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Warri branch, has urged Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta to consult the legal profession before appointing the State Attorney-General.
Aikpokpo gave the advice on Wednesday in his address at the NBA Law Week in Warri, Delta.
The theme of the three-day programme is “Nigerian Enduring Democracy: The Challenge of Effective Electioneering and Independence of the Judiciary.’’
He said the position of the Attorney-General was crucial to the maintenance of cordial relationship between government, the bar and the bench.
“The immediate past three Attorneys-General have raised the threshold and it will be a tragedy and a disservice to fall below the high standards already attained by them.
“We, therefore, strongly advise you consult widely within the legal profession before appointing an Attorney-General for the state, who must be bar friendly, accessible and grounded in hard core litigation.
“To do otherwise and appoint a greenhorn and a stranger is to cause disaster,’’ he said.
Aikpokpo also urged the governor to cancel the abandoned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project along Effurun/Sapele road inherited from his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan.
He said that the project was causing daily hazards to vehicular movement, loss of man-hours and other inconveniencies.
“This has negatively affected the commercial and social life of the metropolis, and has inevitably made the city unattractive to investors and visitors,’’ he said.
The guest speaker, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), said that the desperation among the politicians had rubbished the nation’s democratic process.
Azinge, who spoke on the topic, “The challenges of effective electioneering vis-à-vis effect of the independence of the judiciary on our democratic experience thus far,’’ said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not done enough.
However, Mr Mike Igini, former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Edo assured that there would be improvement in subsequent elections with the introduction of the Card Reader Machines.
Mr Joseph Ogeah, the Delta Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, who represented Okowa, said he would communicate all the discussions at the event to the governor.
Events lined up to mark the Law Week include a novelty football match between the host and NBA Port Harcourt branch at the Warri township stadium. (NAN)