NBA in focus: Agenda for the new Exco

At its Annual General Conference held in Lagos penultimate week, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) perfected the change of guards, between its former President, Mr Olumide Akpata and Mr Yakubu Maikyau, SAN.

Without any doubt, the emergence of Mr. Olumide Akpata as the President of the NBA in 2020 was a landmark attainment, given his sterling performances, his laudable achievements and the various activities that the Bar witnessed under his tenure. Mr. Akpata made a vow to devote two years of his life to the service of the NBA and I believe this was part of the reasons behind his many achievements.

He was bold, assertive and I dare say, very daring. He ignited the firebrand active Bar and made several landmark pronouncements.

Mr. Akpata continued on the template of the transparency that his predecessor-in-office, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN entrenched in the management of the affairs of the Association. Though bogged down with the unnecessary junior/senior counsel controversy, his was a largely successful tenure. This piece is not about the Akpata administration but rather an attempt to set the agenda for the new Executive Council of the NBA.

The expectations are high indeed, given the promises made by the candidates during their electioneering campaigns and the status of those constituting the new Exco, especially the principal officers. Mr. Maikyau has been involved in NBA affairs for a long being very active in NBA matters ever before he indicated an interest in the presidency of the elite organisation.

The same goes for the new General Secretary, Mr. Adesina Adegbite, also an accomplished Barman. The team parades several other experienced and tested hands which give no room for any excuse as the Exco is not entirely new, at least not to NBA matters. What this means is that Exco should hit the ground running. This piece is only advisory for the new Exco, as a guide.
 
By its aims and objectives as stated in its Constitution, the NBA is to be preoccupied with: 
1.‘Maintenance and defence of the integrity and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary in Nigeria;

2. Improvement of the system of administration of justice, its procedures, and the arrangement of court business and regular law reporting;

3. Promotion and protection of the principles of the rule of law and respect for the enforcement of fundamental rights, human rights and people’s rights.’

Of course, there are other objectives but I have only highlighted these ones to guide my thoughts on the issues that I consider urgent and germane.

The new Exco should prioritise its goals and not fall into the same trap as professional politicians who promise everything but do nothing. It is worth stating that the Motto of the NBA is: ‘Promoting the Rule of Law.’

This is similar to the Motto of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which is captured in the Latin maxim ubi jus ibi remedium, (where there is a right, there is a remedy).

The NBA, by its nature and composition, is different from all other professional associations and pressure groups, because it is also an interventionist agency for the protection of the rights of others, beyond its registered members. It cannot but be pro-people, especially for the masses and the underprivileged in society.

For this and many reasons, the NBA has become the mouthpiece of the oppressed of the society, the official defender of the judiciary and judicial officers and indeed the conscience of the nation.

Two eminent lawyers and nationalists of old, have given us some guides on how lawyers should function, namely Sir Christopher Alexander Sapara Williams and Pa Tunji Gomez. Sapara Williams was the first Nigerian to be admitted into the Inner Temple on November 17, 1879.

He came back to Nigeria to help liberate his people from oppression and injustice, he campaigned vigorously for press freedom and for the abolition of the notorious Seditious Offences Ordinance of 1909, which fortified Colonial authority.

According to Sapara Williams, “the legal practitioner lives for the direction of his people and the advancement of the cause of his country.” For Pa Tunji Gomez, everything a lawyer does should be “a matter of conscience.”

To be continued tomorrow
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).