ABUJA — BAR leaders from West African sub-region including President of the African Bar Association cum Speaker of Republic of Ghana Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey, at the weekend, gathered in Abuja, to establish West African Bar Association (WABA) for promotion of rule of law, fundamental human rights and democracy in West Africa.
The association delegates which met in Abuja on Saturday also elected its leaders in a keenly contested poll with a Nigerian lawyer, Mr Femi Falana emerging its pioneer president.
Falana, at an inaugural briefing with newsmen, yesterday vowed that the association would soon take a definite position on the legal push for extradition of the Liberian warlord, President Charles Taylor.
To take the decision with him are five other newly elected executive members of WABA, including Messrs Waidi Mustapha, the association’s secretary-general, Paul Adu Gyamfi its first vice president, Abdul Kabele Camara, its second vice president, Councillor Marcus Jones, its treasurer and Mrs Ogugua Ikpese, a deputy secretary of the association.
The quartet of Abdul, Waidi, Paul and Marcus are bar leaders of Guinea, Benin, Ghana and Liberia respectively while Ogugua is the outgoing second assistant secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association. Besides, a draft constitution for the association was also debated and adopted on Saturday.
With the inaugural steering executive in place, professional links among members of the legal profession in West Africa sub-region is expected to be strengthened while the honour, independence and integrity of the legal profession stand the higher chance of being maintained.
The expectations are so because WABA is formed to see to the respect for human rights in the West African sub-region and the adherence to international human rights instruments particularly the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The association is also to see to provision of improved legal services to the public including efficient legal aid services to the poor in the sub-region, encourage co-operation with other professional associations and bodies throughout the world like Pan African Lawyers Union(PALU) and International Bar Association (IBA), among other crucial roles.
Throughout the inauguration ceremony which lasted about one and a half hours in a conference hall on ECOWAS Secretariat premises in Asokoro, Abuja on Saturday, encomiums poured in torrents on the initiators and sponsors of the meeting where the association was formed.
For instance, the incumbent General Secretary of the African Bar Association, Mr Femi Falana and now the pioneer President of WABA was singled out for commendation over the role he played in the formation of the association while Dr Nana Tanko of OSIWA was commended for sponsoring the meeting.
