What does Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) set out to achieve?

MULAN is an association that was formed to champion the cause of the down trodden members of the society. We are set out to assist them in actualising and protecting their legal rights.

We are out to complement the laudable objectives and efforts of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the areas of thorough disciplining of lawyers, fighting for good governance in Nigeria, not necessarily as a rival group because all our members, as lawyers, are first and foremost members of the NBA. It is to the NBA that we owe our primary loyalty and respect, because that is an association for all of us.

How old is MULAN and what do you intend to achieve during your tenure as its president?

MULAN has been in existence informally as far back as the late 80’s through the efforts of responsible members of the legal profession who traversed this country to aggregate opinions and then put the association together. But it was inaugurated in June 2005 in Gussau, the Zamfara State capital, where we had our first Annual General Conference. So, I would say that MULAN was brought into existence in 20005.

What are you priorities as the President of MULAN?

When I assumed the leadership of MULAN, I set out certain agenda for myself and that is to take MULAN to greater heights.

To build upon the solid foundation laid by my predecessors in office, Ibrahim Umar and Adekola Mustapha, who have done creditably well in putting the feet of the association on solid grounds.

I intend to digitalise MULAN, I started this by having a data base of our members, we have started that and we are nearing 98 per cent conclusion.

We also want to globalise MULAN by launching a functional and effective web site, that also has reached 75 per cent conclusion. When we launch into the Internet, it means that we are open to the entire world, they will appreciate what we stand far, what we are doing, what we intend to do and so, they can reach out to us. I also want to establish more branches of MULAN across the state Nigeria.

We are not in the east yet, but we want to come to the east very very soon. Before the end of my tenure, which is two years, we will establish branches in all the states in the east, we are already in the South West, we are in the Northern parts of the country, we are yet to go to the South South and the South East.

We also went to empower our members by giving them continuing legal education.

And how do you do this?

It is by way of organising seminars and worships and I have organised a total number of eight seminars to be conducted within my two years tenure.

Islamic Banking and Finance is the new vogue in our financial sector, and the banking sector. This is an area where well trained hands can thrive and become whatever they want to become. Therefore we have partnered with a trainer to train 40 of our members in this area. The cost of the training is 300,000.00 per participant, but due to our partnership, we have agreed that each participant in the programme will now pay the sum of N80,000.00 which is a substantial reduction of the cost.

But to enable our members to make the best of out of this, and derive maximum benefits form it, MULAN has agreed as at the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting we held in August, that we will subsidise the fee for them by paying N40,000.00 out of this, so that each MULAN member participant will pay N40,000.00. and by the time we are able to train 40 Muslims to become experts in Islamic Banking and Finance, we would have gone a long way and empowered our members.

The Childs Rights Act has generated a lot of controversy across the country, what is the position of MULAN on this?

We intend to organize a seminar on the Childs Rights Act because a lot of misunderstanding as to what marriage is in Islam were is what childs right is in Islam, we need to educate ourselves, we need to let people know that certain aspects of sharia law are being infringed upon, by the Childs Rights Act. We are going to organise a seminar on it, examine it critically and come out with a position which we will push through the National Assembly in order to protect the interest of Muslims as far as that Act is concerned. I also want to engage in a familiarisation tour of all our branches, which I have started. I visited Kwara State branch and paid a courtesy call on His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ilorin. We will continue the journey, which I have set out for myself. Within the next few months I will be able to tour round all our branches, identify their problems and know how we can come in to help them.

We heard so much about the Iftar during the last NBA Conference in Kaduna, what is its significance?

Before I tell you what Iftar means, I have to tell you something. I am a coopted National Executive Committee (NEC) member of the NBA, it was in my presence that the NEC approved that this conference held in Kaduna in the month of August. Now, a lot of our members were not happy that the conference was coming to hold in the holiest month of the Ramadan, but I told them that we are all members of the NBA. It is our association, the conference is ours, we cannot afford not to be part of it because if are not part of it, decisions will be taken in our absence and we will be bound by whatever decision the conference comes out with. The Annual General Conference of the NBA is a constitutional issue, the mode, the tenure is a constitutional thing. It is by virtue of the constitution of the NBA that its conferences hold in the month f August every year. There is no specific date stated, it could as well start on the first of August, in the middle or at the end of the month provided it is held in the Month of August.

Fortunately for us, last years’ conference was brought back to a little time from the traditional last week period that we had known for years. We appealed to them, the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) was quite sensitive to the rights of muslims. We spoke with them and they brought it backword because Ramdan commenced on the August 22, 2009. That was how we were able to bring it backwards. This year, the Lumar month is not static, it changes, so, we can only have one August in every year, we also can only have one Ramadan period every year.

Why did you not oppose holding the conference at this time?

Ramadan moves round the Gregorian calendar. Apart form being a constitutional issue, the month of August is the most convenient time for all lawyers in Nigeria to come together because that is the time superior courts of record proceed on vacation. This year, Ramdan began on August 11, so the only thing the NBA could have done could have been to again, for the second time, bring back the date.

But that again was not possible, it could have been between August 1 and 10, but I know that it is impracticable because I am a legal practitioner and l know that most superior courts of record were still in session, they had not gone on vacation.

For that reason, it could not be held at a time when some courts were sitting, that is why we could not and did not oppose the holding of the conference at this time. There was practically nothing we could do about it.

So, what is the meaning of Iftar?

Iftar means the meal you eat to break your fast after sunset. It is an Arabic word. So at our conference in Ibadan, agitations were raised as to why we allowed the conference to be held in the month of August, I persuaded our members and educated them as to why it must be and I count it as a fortunate development, it is the holiest month for us and the conference is the highest function we hold in NBA, so two of them holding together is an added advantage to us as muslims as far as MULAN is concerned. I assured them that there was no problem at all, just come to Kaduna and you will be taken care of, I will organise Iftar for you.

So, what did you do in Kaduna?

I thank God for the members of my executive who gave me a blanket approval that I should proceed to organise the Iftar. We didn’t ask the NBA for money because some people may inerprete it to mean that we are trying to break the Bar, no, far be it from that. So i had to source for money from outside because even if I could afford it, it is better that all of us join forces together, so that we can all share in the blessing of feeding a fasting person. I went all out and I can tell you that even Chrsitian Bar leaders contributed immensely to the IFTAR and I thank them for it, I commend them and pay my tribute to them, our indebtedness to them is immeasurable.

The NBA president, Joseph B. Daudu (SAN), former President Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Dele Adesina (SAN), Paul Usoro (SAN), Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), all of them are Christians but they contributed money for our Iftar. That shows that the Bar is one, we also collected money from leading muslims, it was al this money that enabled us to feed the average of 2,000 people at the Ramdan Centre in the Conference Venue from Sunday evening till the end of the conference. Sokoto State government, a very responsible government supported us with 500 meals, even christians came to eat with us. In the end, what people saw as a disadvantage came out to be an added advantage. If the conference was not held in the month of Ramadan, I wouldn’t have been able to mobilise such large number of muslims to come under the same umbrella.

How do you think MULAN can partner the NBA?

The president of the NBA, J. B. Daudu (SAN) has said it all in his inaugural speech, which, to my mind, is the best policy any president of NBA will come up with, I commend him for coming out to pointedly tell the whole world that this is what the NBA expects for 2011 elections. So, MULAN will partner the NBA to ensure that all votes count, in ensuring that there is no rigging, in ensuring that elections matters are speedily disposed of in ensuring that whoever is voted for by the electorates will get the certificate of return no matter how ugly his face may be, no matter his background, once the people vote for him, whatever the NBA will do, MULAN is ready to partner with the NBA, because we are first and foremost, members of the NBA.