The campaigns are gathering momentum and endorsements over endorsements being received on daily basis. 

 

At the end of the day, let the winner be ready to roll the sleeve. There is so much works to be done. The outgoing administration has done much in the area of financial openness. It is time to have a high level interface with the Police High Command on demeaning treatment meted out to lawyers of recent. It is also time the NBA introduces a judicial reformation bill to decongest the Supreme Court of interlocutory appeals. Should the President perpetually starve the Supreme Court of judges which if the trends continue, we may wake up and find no judges at the Supreme Court? 

 

How innovative are we thinking on how to reinvigorate our legal profession so that we can be at the forefront? 

 

The NBA should not be a tea cup afairs but a conscious awareness that we have lost steam due to societal ills that have found their way into the temple of justice. 

 

So, while I wish Dr Ajibade SAN, Deacon Adesina SAN and Mr. Akpata success in this race.

 

To my colleagues, however has the burden to lead us requires our support, constructive criticism and high-fives. 

 
God bless the NBA. 

Ademola Owolabi, Esq.

 

Just like you, I was shocked to see the recent newspaper advert by a Nigerian commercial bank calling on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria to subscribe for legal services, including the preparation and review of legal documents.

 

Understandably, this caused quite a stir in the legal community for not only being an unlawful encroachment of the business of lawyers and a breach of the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act, but also for being beyond the statutory mandate for which banks are established.

 

What is more? Even the legal practitioners whose roles the bank's advert set out to usurp, are prevented by the Rules of Professional Conduct from advertising their services.

 

I understand that this has come to the attention of the NBA leadership and they have promised to do something about this and similar activities.

 

To complement that, in the meantime, I am glad to announce that, after my engagements with the relevant authorities of the said institution, I have been assured that steps will be taken to discontinue the programme.

 

I took this step because of my strong belief that we must rise up to the challenge of protecting and defending our turf from interference. It is a collective responsibility. Such interference seems to be on the increase in various sectors with the resultant effect of further dwindling of the pool of services statutorily reserved for lawyers.

 

This accords with what I have been saying that the Bar has a role to play in the preservation of the legal industry by ensuring that only those who have been licensed and set up to provide legal services can play in the industry. This will not only ensure quality control, it will also improve the general welfare of our lawyers as more opportunities for legal work will be unlocked.

 

This was what informed the establishment of a Task Force during my time as Chairman of the SBL that was charged with the responsibility of determining the scope of legal work that is statutorily prescribed to be the exclusive preserve of Nigerian lawyers and to work out modalities for enforcing such laws.

 

The battle to reclaim what is rightfully ours is far from being won, but with the political will and institutional & regulatory frameworks that are dynamic & fit-for-purpose, the Bar can regain what we have lost and are still losing to those who have no business meddling in our profession.

 

Preservation of the lawyer’s business is key to our collective survival.

 

*OLUMIDE AKPATA*

 

*MAKING THE BAR WORK FOR ALL* 

"No organisation can make progress without the buy-in of its stakeholders and it's imperative that we have leaders who give us reasons to believe in the NBA again"

 

*WELFARE* 

"As part of her core mandate, the NBA must ensure that her members earn decent wages, have better working conditions and enjoy improved access to healthcare under a workable insurance scheme."

 

*THE PRIME PLACE OF WOMEN* 

"The contribution of women towards creating balance in our profession is invaluable. Now more than ever it is clear that we, as a society, need this balance and therefore a woman's right to be treated as equal for all purposes is non-negotiable"

 

*THE BAR AS A WATCHDOG* "The NBA must be the bulwark against tyranny and injustice in Nigeria. If we fail to carry out this sacred duty, we would not just have failed our founding fathers, but we would also have dashed the hope of millions of our compatriots who look up to us to fight all forms of injustice."

 

*Making the Bar Work For All*

For example, the court environment in most parts of Nigeria were not designed with any consideration for the plights of lawyers with disability. This is highly regrettable, and we owe our colleagues an apology for the indignity that they suffer in accessing court buildings.

 

As President of the NBA, I will champion the creation of an NBA Lawyers with 

Disabilities Forum and also ensure that the Chairman of the Forum is given a 

statutory slot on the NBA-NEC to provide a strong voice for the interests and 

plights of our colleagues with disabilities.

The NBA Lawyers with Disabilities Forum (NLDF), in collaboration with the 

Association of Lawyers with Disability in Nigeria, shall, with institutional support by my administration, actively engage with the heads of the various courts in Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Attorneys-General of the various states to ease the plight of lawyers with disabilities including physically accessing court premises and in providing necessary facilities to ensure that they have seamless and improved access to the justice delivery system. We will also push for our colleagues with disabilities to be given special status or preferences in terms of seat allocation and priority when they appear in court. 

Overall, the NLDF in collaboration with the ALDIN will design a plan on how to achieve objectives that best suit their members and my administration will provide them all the required support to actualise those plans. 

 

OLUMIDE AKPATA

 

“Olumide Akpata is about making the Bar work for all lawyers in the various niches of legal practice in Nigeria.

 

He has said many times that as President of the NBA he will empower the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN) to adequately and effectively represent the interest of its members and will push for relevant constitutional reforms. He puts behind those words tremendous force of character and relevant antecedents.

 

Olumide Akpata fought to ensure that the voice of Lawyers in Commercial Law Practice is heard loud and clear. He did so by mainstreaming the Section on Business Law and securing for it the enviable brand it enjoys today.

 

The pedigree of passionate service, track record of relevant accomplishments and the capacity to execute a vision to detail puts Olumide Akpata miles ahead of competition.

 

We must never forget that action speaks louder than words and that talk is easy. Olumide Akpata, by his words and actions, remains to date the best potential ally of Law Officers Association of Nigeria in the struggle to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission and unionize in the best interest of members

 

This is why all law officers in Nigeria should individually and collectively adopt Olumide Akpata as the smart choice for President of the Nigerian Bar Association(2020-2022).

The stakes are too high for sentiments.This is our chance to choose the better path of our destiny and resolve the challenges facing LOAN once and for all.

 

Lets vote for capacity to deliver.Lets vote for relevant experience and track record.Lets vote Olumide Akpata come 29th and 30th of July,2020. We will look back with pride at the choice we made.

 

 

 

*-Prof. Epiphany Azinge, SAN*

Former DG of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS)