A Lecturer in the Faculty of law, University of Uyo, Ekokoi Solomon, has voiced his worries over the intense criticisms faced by the NBA of its failure or refusal to promote the interest of its members.
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According to him, in recent years, the NBA has become more concerned with taking from its members and giving so little in return to show for their membership of the Association.
He also lamented how the NBA has changed from a major voice for the advocacy of Social Justice to just a mere carcass.
According to him “Since yesterday, Wednesday, 15 May 2019, I have been wrestling with myself whether or not to write this piece. I finally came to the conclusion that it will be a disservice to my students, many of whom aspire to become better lawyers, as well as society if I fail to put this out there.
In recent years, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has come under intense criticisms of its failure or refusal to promote the interests of its members, especially its young and unprivileged members who are treated as though they have no stake in the legal profession. I have had to offer office space to young lawyers who say they would rather be on their own than remain under senior lawyers who treat them like slaves. In fact, in recent years, the NBA has become more concerned with taking from its members and giving so little in return to show for their membership of the association. Yes, the NBA is an association deemed to have been registered under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA). The mere mention of the NBA in legislative instruments such as the Legal Practitioners Act and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners does not take away the fact that the NBA is an association. Albeit, I concede that the NBA is a professional association in a class of its own. As an “A” rated association, so much is expected of the NBA. For, to whom much is given, much is expected. But this is not what we get from the NBA.
The NBA used to be in the forefront of the struggle for social justice in Nigeria. It used to be the champion of the people, the downtrodden. All that appears to be gone for good as a few among the ranks if the association are the ones profiting using their status and the name of the association. Today, it appears what is remaining if the NBA is its carcass. This is why a greater number of lawyers have continually challenged their own association. They are threatening what appears to be an unwritten delegated powers of General Council of the Bar to the NBA, which have been in practice for a long time.
No one can blame them for doing so. The NBA is failing it’s own – the growing ranks of lawyers who do not see any need to continue to surrender their rights to the NBA. Today, similar to what we see in our country’s politics, some lawyers use their positions in the NBA to further their personal cause rather than promote the general interest.
Few weeks ago, I had cause to reply to an email from the NBA President, using this platform, regarding what appears to be an attempt to make the failure to pay the Bar Practising Fee on or before 31st March a professional misconduct. I wondered to my self, why is the NBA not proactive regarding issues affecting the welfare and well-being if lawyers especially the underprivileged lawyers. Why is it always quick to identify and address issues affecting or likely to affect the financial intake of the association? Yet, each year, the standard of its deliverables to its members is continually declining!
A fish begins to rot from the head and time the whole body goes bad. During the administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio, NGN 100 million was donated to NBA Akwa Ibom State with Uyo and Ikot Ekpene branches receiving NGN 50 million each. The money was specifically meant to support the building of their secretariats. Many years down the line, the secretariats have not been built.
Today, the issue of building a Secretariat for the Uyo branch has resurfaced and information reaching me has it that certain individuals who pushed for lawyers to be levied for the purpose of funding the building project are the same people who know how the donation that was made by the former governor was expended. If these individuals had used that donation judiciously, today the available funds would have been used to put finishing touches to the proposed building. The burden that is now being put on lawyers who do not know how the donations were mismanaged or misappropriated would have avoided if that donation was applied to undertake the project.
I wish to commend, however, the effort of the current Chairman of the NBA Uyo, even though I believe that she will do better by exposing the rot in the previous administrations of the branch NBA.
The problems facing governance in Nigeria are replicated across board in the land. The fact that people are lovers of self than the community they belong, they use their positions to further their personal interest to the detriment of the community. Individuals and groups are not insulated from the problems confronting governance in our country. Corruption has weakened our society. But we must not forget that corruption has social costs and it’s those at the lower layer who bear the brunt”
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