NBA serves no meaningful purpose, says Lawyer

A lawyer, Dr Chinedu Oburu, has berated the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), saying it has lost its fiber and no longer serves any meaningful purpose in Nigeria.

Oburu of the Nigerian Law Society, Class of 2004, in a short statement on Sunday by Dr. Chinedu Oburu, said when a professional association like NBA needs hundreds of millions of Naira to contest and conduct its presidential election, its purpose becomes unclear.

The statement reads, “We need more than one law society. The NBA has lost its fiber and serves no meaningful purpose in present day Nigeria.

“When you need tens or hundreds of millions of Naira to contest an election as president of a professional association, then the purpose is not clear.”

In July, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former NBA General Secretary, Afam Osigwe, emerged as the president-elect in the just-concluded 2024 NBA election.

He polled 20,435 votes to beat his closest contender, the Chairman of the NBA-Institute of Continuing Legal Education Governing Council, Tobenna Erojikwe, who got 10,998 votes.

Osigwe succeeded Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) as NBA President.

The position of the 1st Vice-President went to Mr. Sabastine Anyia while 2nd Vice-President went to Mrs Bolatumi Olasunbo Animashaun.

In August, the Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) charged the NBA to ensure that the right to protest was not criminalised in Nigeria by judges and magistrates who had been issuing remand orders for prolonged detention of protesters.

ASCAB Chair, Femi Falana (SAN), made the appeal in a message to the 2024 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), titled, “Appeal To Nigerian Lawyers To End Illegal Arrest And Detention Of Citizens.”

He urged the NBA to direct the members of the Human Rights Committee of the 128 branches to accompany Chief Magistrates during their monthly visits to all police stations in the country.

He said, “Such visits will end the incessant arrest and detention of suspects and other people as the Magistrates are empowered to grant bail to suspects, order the release of suspects or direct that suspects be arraigned in appropriate courts.

“Let the NBA leadership pressurise the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to designate Judges to conduct monthly visits to the detention facilities of the Armed Forces, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Customs, State Security Service in line with the provisions of section 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and section 70 of the Police Establishment Act.”

Falana noted that the President and National Officers of the NBA are official visitors to all the correctional centres in the country by virtue of section 21 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, and asked them to take the opportunity to visit custodial centres regularly.

He said, “The NBA leaders should visit the nation’s correctional centres regularly and ensure that the rights of convicts and other inmates are respected in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act and the Constitution.”

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