Every Lie Has an Expiry Date: A Rejoinder to Julius Atanawhemera Esq’s “Burning Of Ladders”

YOU LIE, YOU WILL DIE, IF YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH, YOU WILL ALSO DIE BUT WHAT MATTER IS WHERE YOUR SOUL WILL BE AFTER DEATH.

Because I was involved I will speak the truth. On last day, I will be judged for whatever I do or say.

I read with sadness the tirade supposedly written against Mazi Afam Osigwe by one Julius Atanawhemera. The nauseating falsehood compelled me to write this response. This piece will be presented under five sub-heading for easy understanding.

INTRODUCTION:

My name is Sir Marcel C. Dim-Udebuani Agams (KSJI).  Mr.Julius Atanawhemera was not only my classmate but was our class Rep from 100 level to 400 level or there about. Therefore, I personally know him and I am sure that he was not the one that wrote this piece. While his name was used to circulate the piece it was not written by him. In fact he cannot like same.
He is fearless and audacious I must admit, but I don’t know him for blackmailing people. Something must be wrong somewhere. He must have unfortunately lent his name to falsehood and mudslinging. How sad! Politics indeed make strange bedfellows!

The Julius I know cannot be spreading falsehood against somebody. It’s clearly the voice of Esau and the hand of Jacob! I would not have responded but for my recollection of Wole Soyinka admonition that ” the man dies in all who remains silent in the face of tyranny”

And of all the valuable capital the world possesses, the most valuable and decisive is the people. Man must not be a wolf to man.

Thetefore because I was involved I want you to disregard this distorted facts & treat it as untrue. It was meant to achieve a pre-determined goal. We cannot be fooled.

WHO IS MAZI AFAM OSIGWE?

Because I was involved I will take time to put the correct position before you to take a decision on the person of Mazi Afam Osigwe and the politics of hate going on in Abuja.

We formed a group within the NBA I Abuja which we called, G20 Integrity Lawyers Forum). This group took NBA to court in 2010 over compulsory payment of N2000 naira for “Verification” by all Lawyers in Nigeria. The matter was assigned to Hon. Justice Oriji then sitting in Wuse zone 5 and that was where I met Joseph Silas Onu for the first time. It was in the course of this that we began to discuss the poor treatment of junior lawyers in NBA Abuja. The branch leadership did not care about young lawyers welfare and young lawyers were not even allowed to speak during meetings. Meetings were for the benefit of a few seniors. Attendance at meetings was low
. Some seniors preferred their secretaries to colleague called to the Nigerian Bar. During NBA Monthly meetings juniors are not allowed to speak. I am narrating these stories because I was involved.

I can vividly remember on one incident one Mr. Emmanuel was threatened with Disciplinary action committee during meeting sometime in 2008 for daring to insist on speaking. As a result of nonchalant attitude to young lawyers’ welfare and issues affecting them as well as non- inclusion, we submitted an application to CAC for the registration of Practicing Legal Practitioners of Nigerian(PLPN) to be an alternative to NBA but it was refused.

We the young lawyers then insisted that in the next NBA branch Election we will make sure we use our numbers to vote somebody that is neither a senior or a junior. We needed such a person to not only allow us have a voice in the activities of the branch but also care about issues affecting young lawyers.
That person in our view will be a bridge in between the old and the young members of the branch.

When we heard that Mazi Afam Osigwe had joined the race for the Chairmanship of NBA, we were excited. Our determination to support grew when we listened to his plans for the branch. That was how Mazi Afam Osigwe came on board as the candidate we would support in the election.

Throughout the process for the selection of the candidate the Igbos would adopt in the election, I was there. Julius was NEVER there. He is not an Igbo man so he lacks capacity to speak on issue of anybody insulting the elders. At no time did Afam Osigwe insult or slight any person. In fact if he claims , Afam Osigwe insulted elders, could he please give a instance of such insult! Happily, he can never give any such example.

Mazi Afam Osigwe that I know and people that have come in contact with him will tell you better including Mr. Julius if he want to tell himself the truth about the person of Mazi Afam Osigwe. Afam Osigwe politely refused the move by the elders to force him out of the race by claiming that they had earlier adopted Okey Ajunwa as Igbo candidate in the election. He pointed out that the Igbo Lawyers had not held any meeting in more than three years, so no meeting had adopted any person. He also insisted that Ajunwa could not be purportedly adopted as candidate because he insulted and defied the group five years earlier by rejecting the elders decision that he should not run for Chairman of the branch after giving an undertaking to abide by their decision.

Because I was involved, NBA Abuja branch zoned the Chairmanship position to the Eastern part of this Country and meeting was summoned by the Chairman of “Otu Oka Iwu”, Mr. Ikechukwu Ezechukwu SAN at Mr. Chris Uche SAN’S office to adopt their preferred and anointed senior but, I Marcel Dim-Udebuani Agams was the one that poignantly opposed the adoption of Mr. Okechukwu Ajunwa whom the power that be wanted to impose on us.

As God may have it Mazi Afam Osigwe revolutionarized the Unity Bar to zenith that even his political enemies acknowledged same. Under his Chairmanship, young lawyers started talking and contributing during branch meetings and our opinions started counting. Julius was one of the big beneficiaries of this inclusive and all-encompassing leadership style. Mazi Afam Osigwe knows that all virtue is summed up in dealing justly with every man. He not only dealt firmly with all lawyers he ensured that the branch focused on lawyers’ welfare issues as well as issues affecting legal practice in the FCT.

The elders saw it as an insult but we young lawyers saw it as liberation and responsive leadership. According to Harriet Tubman ” I freed a thousand slaves; I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves”

Mazi Afam Osigwe bu ahia oma n’ ele onweya” a good product that markets itself.
He was never a secretary of the branch but PRO and he was the one that established data base for lawyers. His achievement is a nightmare to his political opponents.

MAZI AFAM OSIGWE AS A GENERAL SECRETARY OF NBA.

My good friend Julius said “he was going there for the Abuja bar as Unity bar project, everyone sheathed their swords and supported him overwhelmingly. …what a mistake. .?” . A clear falsehood.

Because I was involved in Mazi Afam Osigwe’s campaign and to show Mr. Julius that lies have expiration date with huge maintenance cost. Truth and simplicity are self maintained without any cost. It was the delegates that overwhelmingly voted for him despite different oppositions led by Mr. Muyiwa Akinboro, Ibrahim Eddy Mark, Paul Agbo (to mention a few) who are highly influential members of Abuja branch. But they preferred Mazi’s opponent. Despite the massive resources and propaganda they deployed against him
, Afam Osigwe decisively won the election.

Julius therefore lied when he said everybody supported
Afam to be General Secretary. He knows they never supported him in any election and I would be surprised otherwise.

WHAT DID HE DO AS GS?

The world suffers a lot not because of the violence of the bad people but because of the silence of the good people -Nepoleon.

As a General Secretary of the NBA Mazi Afam Osigwe distinguished himself and extolled the office to the extent that people are now comparing his tenure and what we have now.

When you are in the light, everything follows you but when you enter into the dark even your own shadow doesn’t follow you. Mazi is like currency note which is always silent but his opponents are coins they always makes sound without value.

The stamp and seal was Augustine Alegeh’s initiative which Afam implemented as General Secretary. He was loyal to his boss that today those have encountered and worked with him find him worthy to step into his shoe.

Mazi Afam Osigwe takes full care whatever is entrusted to him and deliver beyond all odds. He is a charismatic and dynamic leader who knows the way and lead the way. Support to Mazi Afam Osigwe is a support to a purposeful and responsive bar.

CONCLUSION

Mazi Afam Osigwe is not Ezenwa Esq. But because I was involved the issue in Abuja branch was tabled at Benin NEC and nobody from our branch countered the position apart from Sir, Emeka Obegolu who spoke after the decision had
been taken. I was there.

The branch also had an opportunity at the Annual General meeting in Port Harcourt 2016 to upturn the NEC decision and nobody opposed the decision and it was ratified and in line with S. 5 of our Constitution which says that the Supreme Authority of the Association SHALL be exercised by the General meeting meeting.

Mazi Afam Osigwe is a character who may agree with what you say, but will defend to death your right to say it. He believes that the only goal worthy of humility is the greatest possible enlargement of all human capacities.

Mazi Afam Osigwe we love you and no weapon formed against you that will prosper. Please let us leave the messenger of the message and follow the message. You may not like me but do not extend it to Mazi Afam Osigwe.

Thank you for reading me.