Lawyers Score NBA Performance Poor On Welfare Of Her Members By Prof Ernest Ojukwu, SAN

Nigerian Lawyers have scored the Nigerian Bar Association poor on the performance of the Bar on the welfare of her members. This is based on a report of 2018 published by Prof Ernest Ojukwu, SAN based on a survey carried out between the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018. The survey report showed that Lawyers overwhelmingly scored NBA Poor to nonexistent (39% to 0%) on the three welfare aims and objectives stated in her Constitution as follows: (a) 68.6% on “creation of schemes for the encouragement of newly qualified members“. (b) 70.03% on “Assistance to aged or incapacitated members of the Association“. (c) 67.14% on “Establishment of schemes for the promotion of the welfare, security and economic advancement of members of the legal profession”. On the same welfare objectives the following percentages of lawyers assessed NBA performance as fair (average), which is score of 40-49%: (a) 13.72% on “creation of schemes for the encouragement of newly qualified members“. (b) 14.85% on “Assistance to aged or incapacitated members of the Association.“ (c) 17.01% on “Establishment of schemes for the promotion of the welfare, security and economic advancement of members of the legal profession”. Only between 8.75% and 10.42% of lawyers scored NBA “Good” on the performance on welfare issues. When segregated by year of call/status/Sexes the following “Poor” scores emerge on the three welfare objectives as follows: BY YEAR OF CALL/STATUS- SCORE 39-0%

OBJECTIVES	Under 7	7-10	10-20	20 Plus	SAN
Creation of schemes for the encouragement of newly qualified members	60.46%	67.96%	65.55%	48.12%	60%
Assistance to aged or incapacitated members of the Association.	60.51%	73.58%	73.72%	86.85%	70%
Establishment of schemes for the promotion of the welfare, security and economic advancement of members of the legal profession	59.46%	74.77%	70%	58.63%	70%

  BY SEX – SCORE 39-0%  

OBJECTIVES	FEMALES	MALES
Creation of schemes for the encouragement of newly qualified members	67.33%	65.44%
Assistance to aged or incapacitated members of the Association.	64.76%	68.71%
Establishment of schemes for the promotion of the welfare, security and economic advancement of members of the legal profession	60%	65.49%

  The report states that “the survey was conducted among lawyers on their assessment/evaluation of the Nigerian Bar Association’s performance on its constitutional objectives written in Section 3 of the Constitution”; and that “the survey took place between the last quarter of 2017 and first quarter of 2018. Hard copies survey forms were distributed at meetings of lawyers and at few law firms. The locations for the survey were: Lagos, Zaria, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Yola, Ikeja, Yenagoa, Jos, Umuahia, Onitsha, Maiduguri, Ilorin, and Kano.” The report further states that “a total of 797 completed survey forms were returned though some participants did not complete some parts of the form” and that the completed forms were in the following categories:

• Sex

Females –        229 Males –            537 Sex not stated– 31

• Call Age/Status

Lawyers under 7yrs –             414 Lawyers 7plus– under 10yrs– 106 Lawyers 10plus–under 20yrs–123 Lawyers 20 plus –                   119 SANs –                                   10 Not stated Age/status –          25 According to the report “Participants were required to rate what NBA has done or is doing to actualize the aims and objectives stated in Section 3 of the NBA Constitution. The indicators were:

1. 80 – 100%: Excellent;
2. 60 – 79%: Very Good
3. 50 – 59%: Good
4. 40 – 49%: Fair
5. 30 – 39%: Poor
6. 1 – 29%:        Very Poor
7.  0 %:       Nonexistent”

Other highlights of the report shows how lawyers rate the actions of the Association at actualising some objectives of the NBA Constitution as follows: ON RULE OF LAW/HUMAN RIGHTS: 25.42% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average); 23.87% of lawyers scored NBA Good 19.58% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 13.75% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 11.157% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 3.5% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent 2.72% of lawyers scored NBA Zero ON MAINTENANCE OF THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT, ETIQUETTE & DISCIPLINE: 30.84% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average); 26.44% of lawyers scored NBA Good 15.49% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 13.48% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 9.617% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 3.07% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent 1.07% of lawyers scored NBA Zero ON MAINTENANCE AND DEFENCE OF THE INTEGRITY & INDEPENDENCE OF THE BAR & JUDICIARY: 30.74% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average); 23.74% of lawyers scored NBA Good 19.2% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 11.54% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 8.37% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 3.24% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent 3.24% of lawyers scored NBA Zero ON PROMOTION & ADVANCEMENT OF LEGAL EDUCATION/CLE/ADVOCACY & JURISPRUDENCE: 30.41% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average); 23.72% of lawyers scored NBA Good 22.15% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 11.01% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 7.73% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 2.28% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 2.21% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent ON IMPROVEMENT & ADVANCEMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, ITS PROCEDURE & ARRANGEMENT OF COURT BUSINESS: 30.41% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average); 23.72% of lawyers scored NBA Good 22.15% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 11.01% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 7.73% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 2.28% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 2.21% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent LEGAL AID: ESTABLISHMENT, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF A SYSTEM OF PROMPT AND EFFICIENT LEGAL AID AND ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE IN NEED BUT WHO ARE UNABLE TO PAY FOR SAME: 27.34% of lawyers scored NBA Poor; 24.78% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average) 16.94% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 16.56% of lawyers scored NBA Good 7.19% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 6.16% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 1.03% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent ENCOURAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO COURTS AT REASONABLY AFFORDABLE FEES AND OF REPRESENTATION BY COUNSEL BEFORE COURTS AND TRIBUNALS: 28.84% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average) 23.27% of lawyers scored NBA Good 22.86% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 9.52% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 8.3% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 5.03% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 2.18% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL LAW LIBRARY: 30.81% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 19.32% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 18.51% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average) 13.51% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 9.73% of lawyers scored NBA Good 5% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 3.11% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF AN ENDOWMENT FUND FOR THE PROPER OBSERVANCE AND DISCHARGE OF ANY OF THE AIMS AND OBJECTS: 26.81% of lawyers scored NBA Zero 22.02% of lawyers scored NBA Poor 17.1% of lawyers scored NBA Very Poor 15.67% of lawyers scored NBA Fair (average) 12.95% of lawyers scored NBA Good 4.02% of lawyers scored NBA Very Good 1.42% of lawyers scored NBA Excellent  ]]>