The Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, has distanced itself from the Nigerian and Acting Chief Justice of Gambia, Joseph Wowo, who was asked to resign having been caught demanding bribe on tape.

In Nigeria, where Mr. Wowo was called to the Bar before his professional sojourn in Gambia, the NBA declared that it was not the Nigeria government that recommended the judge for the Gambian appointment.

The NBA President, Okey Wali, represented by Dele Adesina, stated this during the 2013 Annual Law Week of the Abeokuta Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association.

Mr. Wali, responding to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, stated that the embattled judge can only be investigated by the National Judicial Council if a petition is received on the case.

Similarly, while corroborating the position, Ernest Ojukwu, the Project Director of the Nigeria Bar Association's Institute of Continuing Legal Education, noted that the judge can only be disciplined as a lawyer by the NBA.

Mr. Ojukwu, who was the guest lecturer at the Abeokuta ceremony, emphasised that no action can be taken against the judge without a petition.

"We don't act on rumour, NBA can only discipline lawyer if there is a written complaint against him, so that we can be able to investigate him," he said.

Meanwhile, the NBA has said it would continue to flush out its corrupt members in order to sanitize the association.

"It will be recalled that just of recent five were suspended, while two were barred from practising in Nigeria. We are going to continue to purge ourselves of the bad eggs in vigorous manner," Mr. Wali declared.

The lawyer noted that as part of efforts to flush out bad eggs within the profession, the association recently increased the membership of both its disciplinary and prosecuting committees. He, however, called on members to contribute positively to the society, so that when they die, they would be remembered for good work.

Earlier in his welcome speech, the host chairman, Adebayo Ayodele, noted that Nigeria is a nation with huge potentials but remains a baby at over 50 years after independence.

Mr. Ayodele lamented that the constitution is unable to fight corruption and bribery, stressing that corruption has become the bane of economic growth

"It has eaten deep into our social fabric and there is no human facet that has not been affected. Due to the cancerous state of corruption in our dear country, Nigeria, the country is encircled with gloom and violence with Nigerians failing as if they were under army occupation. Due to corruption, the political class behaves as if there is neither teacher nor a class," Mr. Ayodele stated.

'Without mincing words, all sectors of Nigeria State have been afflicted by the monster known and referred to as corruption. If we don't confront and conquer corruption, it is capable of destroying the entity called Nigeria."