(Senior Barrister Ntoko Justice Ebah)
Barrister Ntoko
Senior Barrister Ntoko Justice Ebah holds strongly to the point that the Higher Judicial Council should have both common law and civil law representation in order to better manage the country’s Bijurial system.
The very foundation of our judicial system is its bijurial nature, accepting otherwise is a blatant violation of the constitution.
His position has been commended and supported colleagues of the Fako Lawyers Association, FAKLA.
On a daily basis FAKLA members try to navigate their cross in saving the day peacefully trusting in the messianic nature of our profession. Yet my mind is stolen by the current appointments and diversify opinions one of the FAKLA members writes.
To me, the tragedy of our condition is not merely that we have been denied what rightfully belongs to us, but it is that we have been conditioned to celebrate the crumbs that fall from the table we were meant to dine and wine on.
“We have become so wounded by decades of marginalization that even alternative appointments are now received with applause, as though they were acts of extraordinary generosity rather than the bare minimum of recognition,” he says.
Such is the devastating consequence of mental captivity, when what is naturally ours begins to appear as a luxury. History bears painful witness to this reality.
From the erosion of our institutions to the gradual dilution of our identity, we have watched a people once proud of their heritage and intellectual distinction become increasingly accustomed to surviving on concessions rather than claiming their rightful representation. The struggle for meaningful representation has never been about positions alone rather it has always been about dignity, belonging, and the affirmation of a people’s identity.
It is in this light that I commend Snr. Bar Ebah Ntoko for his stipulation and magnanimity in speaking truthfully about representation. Representation is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of justice. We do not merely stand out as a people who belong but we stand out as a people deserving of representation that genuinely reflects our legal heritage, historical experience, intellectual contributions, and collective aspirations.
The words of the great Bob Marley remain as relevant today as they were when first uttered …Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds. Before any actual equitable representation can be achieved, there must first be liberation of the mind. A people who have forgotten their worth can easily be persuaded to celebrate their own exclusion. A people who have recovered their consciousness can no longer be satisfied with symbolic gestures in place of substantive justice.
The late Honorable Ayah Paul Abine, of blessed memory, captured our predicament with remarkable clarity when he observed that we have been reduced to a state of survival rather than living. Survival is not freedom. Survival is not dignity. Survival is merely the endurance of hardship while waiting for a better tomorrow. Human beings were created to live, to flourish, and to participate fully in shaping their destiny.
Perhaps one of the greatest dangers confronting us today is ignorance disguised as wisdom. He who does not know who we are, and does not know that he does not know, is part of our problem. But even more dangerous is he who does not know who we are and yet arrogantly believes that he knows. Such a person becomes an obstacle to truth, justice, and genuine understanding.
Our forebears were never contemplated as side chicks to history, nor as spare parts to be attached when convenient. They were a people with a distinct legal identity, a rich heritage, and a legitimate place in the human family. We dishonor their sacrifices when we accept permanent relegation to the margins.
However, our duty is not to mock those who have been defeated by circumstances they scarcely understand. Our duty is to rescue them from the waters of despair and unconscious submission. For many among us are drowning without even realizing it. They have become so accustomed to the crumbs that they mistake survival for comfort.
The longing for proper representation is not a charitable case and until we reclaim our consciousness, and restore our collective dignity, we shall continue celebrating fragments while the fullness of our representation remains beyond our reach.
Let’s wine and dine not to the satisfaction of our greed but in a legacy securing our children’s future.