John Ameh, Abuja
An Abuja Federal High Court has stopped the House of Representatives from investigating the refusal of the Nigerian Law School to call a graduate, Amasa Firdaus, to the Bar.
The decision of the school had generated controversy in December last year after Firdaus chose to wear hijab, an Islamic veil, for the Bar ceremonies as against the traditional wig worn by lawyers.
The University of Ilorin graduate was due to be called to the Bar on December 12, 2017.
However, the Law School stopped her after she insisted on wearing the hijab.
On its part, the school insisted she must adorn a wig, the conventional head cover worn by lawyers.
Firdaus had been quoted as saying that she opted to wear the Islamic head scarf to challenge the status quo.
The House later intervened to douse tension by passing a resolution to conduct a public hearing on the issue.
The House’s action followed a motion moved by a member from Kano State, Mr. Abubakar Danburam-Nuhu.
The public hearing was to be conducted by the House committees on Justice and Judiciary chaired by Mr. Razak Atunwa and Mr. Aminu Shagari, respectively.
However, there was a dramatic twist on Wednesday at the National Assembly when the public hearing was set to begin.
Officials of the law school, Firdaus and several religious bodies were in attendance.
Atunwa made a surprise announcement that the hands of the committee had been tied by an injunction served on members by an Abuja Federal High Court.
The court stopped the hearing on the grounds that the subject was already a matter of judicial litigation, asking the committee to halt proceedings until the suit had been disposed of by the court.
Speaking to the disappointed audience, Atunwa said the House, another arm of government, was not compelled to accept the decision of the court, another arm of government.
However, he said in the interest of democracy and to protect the institution of the Judiciary, the committee would defer to the injunction.
“I am a lawyer, even for that singular reason, I am bound to admit here that we cannot go on with this hearing today.
“I sincerely apologise to all of you, particularly those who came from very far distances,” Atunwa added.
There was a mild protest by the members of some religious organisations, who came for the hearing as the lawmakers rose.
“This is a travesty of justice. The National Assembly must be allowed to do its work.
“The truth is that even if you give them till 2019, they will still come up with another reason why they are against this hearing,” they shouted.
A member of the committee from Ogun State, Mr. Bode Ayorinde, calmed them down, assuring them that the committee would reconvene as soon as the matter had been dispensed with by the court.
In December last year when he debated his motion, Danburam-Nuhu had told the House that under Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, Firdaus was entitled to dress the way she liked.
“The section supersedes any provision by any government agency or institution,” he stated.
He argued that the wig or the dress mode of lawyers was borrowed from the West, adding that Nigeria must not impose it on its citizens because it came from the West.
Danburam-Nuhu claimed that in the UK and some African countries, including Kenya, graduates were allowed to use the hijab during graduation or other similar ceremonies.
However, many of his colleagues also disagreed with him, saying that allowing Firdaus have her way might be setting a precedent that could come with unsavoury consequences.
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