Precious Ndidi Nwadimuya Releases Manifesto For NBA Asaba Branch Secretary, Lists 14 Innovations To Achieve

Mr. Precious Ndidi Nwadimuya, Esq., has released his manifesto in a bid to contest for the position of Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Asaba Branch in the forthcoming Branch Elections.

The manifesto dated the 2nd day of June, 2020 was made available to TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL) and signed by Mr. Precious.

According to the manifesto, Mr. Precious disclosed that if elected as the Branch Secretary, he has decided to bring 14 key innovations that would serve the greatest good for the greater number of members of the Branch.

The manifesto reads:

MY SERVICE COMPACT WITH MEMBERS OF THE NBA ASABA BRANCH

WATCHWORD

My constant watchword shall be pursuing the greatest good for the greatest number of our members and it is the index upon which I wish to be judged at the end of the tenure.

In view of the above, I offer myself for the service of the great Asaba Bar as Secretary and I believe my servant’s heart will help me fulfill this noble aspiration of mine only if you lend me your support and give me your VOTE.

QUALIFICATION

I have been a consummate bar man since my initiation into this noble profession (and if you like, before I was even called to the bar). As a law student, I was elected *Secretary for Information* of the Law Students’ Association (LAWSA) and later as *President* of the Law Students’ Bar Association (LAWBA) both at the University of Benin, for which I received certificates of meritorious service.

Also, during my sojourn with the Premier Bar at the ancient and modern city of Ibadan, I had the privilege of serving in various committees including the Organizing Committee for the Law Office Management Workshop organized by the NBA Section on Legal practice in Ibadan. I joined this bar in December, 2010, and served as a member of the NBA, Asaba Branch Complaints and Reconciliation Committee, Human Rights Committee, Secretary to the Committee on Decaying Judiciary Infrastructure in Asaba and environs and the Coordinator of Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON), Asaba Chapter between 2011 and 2012. I also served this branch between 2012 and 2016 as Financial Secretary and as Treasurer. Furthermore, in the year 2018 I served as the Secretary of the Electoral Committee, one which birthed innovations in the electoral history of Asaba Branch Elections. Earlier, in the same year, I was drafted to serve as the Secretary of the Strategy Team set up to rescue the 2018 Law Week from failing. The testimonies from that cutting edge and world class event is still reverberating in the realm of time and would not be forgotten in a hurry. In all my years of service to the Asaba Bar, I distinguished myself in terms of innovativeness, availability, accessibility, efficiency, accountability, humility, loyalty to the generality of the bar and to my leaders.

Apart from my service to the Bar, I have also served and currently serve in some other organizations. Details of these organizations and positions held are as contained in my CV which is attached to this manifesto. Indeed, mine has been a life of meritorious service and impact, in the circles I have been privileged to find myself.

INNOVATION

I have read over and over again with the aim of internalizing same, Article 7(3) of the Nigerian Bar Association Uniform Bye-law for Branches which is contained in the Third Schedule to the NBA Constitution, 2015 (as amended). It contains the duties and functions of the Secretary of a Branch of the NBA and beyond the practice in the branch as it relates to those functions of the Secretary, I intend to propose certain other innovations incidental to my assignments as contained in the Constitution, for the purpose of achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of NBA Asaba Branch members.  In this regard, in conjunction with the Branch Executive Committee, I shall propose the following;

1. Prompt circulation of minutes of meetings to members after every meeting using electronic means, to enable committees/members pursue action points that may arise from each meeting before the next meeting.
2. Establishment of a whatsapp platform of all Court Registrars/Clerks within the jurisdiction of our branch. This platform would greatly ease the dissemination of cause lists and other vital court information particularly information about courts that would not sit on any given day.
3. Engineering a people-led Bar. In executing my responsibility of preparation of the Agenda of every meeting in consultation with the Chairman, I will ensure that at all times, we have serious issues of concern on the table which should engender robust debates which would translate to healthy executable resolutions capable of improving our lot as practitioners and citizens.
4. Introduction of discussions on the “State of the Judiciary/Bar” and “State of the State” into the Agenda of our monthly meetings, where members would raise matters of concern as it affects the judiciary and the Bar in Delta State, Asaba in particular and the State of Delta State, in keeping with our role of watchdogs of the society. Appropriate resolutions reached in such meetings would receive wide publicity in form of circulars and communiqués. I am convinced that the regular publication of these important resolutions which would provide searchlight for society, will improve the estimation of Asaba lawyers in the eyes of all and sundry and particularly our clients and law enforcement agents and restore back to us a pride of place once more in society. This will go a long way in impacting positively on our earning capacity as lawyers, and our clients may then stop asking the question of “wetin lawyers dey do sef?”
5. Establishment of a Law Hub/Digital Law Library/Reading Room at the Secretariat/ Bar Centre with wifi connectivity for use by Young Lawyers and other members. This will definitely improve the quality and speed of research by young lawyers and better their earnings from such briefs.
6. Setting up a lounge /waiting area/ friendship centre at the Bar Centre/Secretariat for lawyers
7. Development of a template and design of protocols for the effective Monitoring and Evaluation of all our committees to ensure they give mandatory monthly reports in all our meetings concerning their activities within a given month. The Uniform Bye-Laws established about 9 Standing Committees and other Ad-hoc committees for the branch. Our committees are the service organs of the Association and they must be deliberately organised to deliver on their mandate. Membership of committees must be carefully selected and peopled by passionate Bar men, with the committee objectives in sight, and not just on the basis of friendship. I believe that the Secretary being the engine room of the Association and an Ex-officio member of all committees must provide supervision for the committees to deliver on their mandate. I promise to supervise, monitor and evaluate all our committees to deliver on their terms of reference.
8. Set up a special committee to look into and make recommendations on the conditions of service of our members in government establishments and the law enforcement agencies and ensure they enjoy the pride of place among other professionals in the service.
9. Publication of a monthly E-Newsletter which shall be circulated electronically. It will contain vital bar news, legal tit-bits, available opportunities for young lawyers, home and abroad and major resolutions of the branch. That way, no member of the branch will be left out of the corporate decisions taken by the branch which should be binding on all members.
10. Promotion of legal scholarship and advocacy by mounting sponsored competitions to engage the young lawyers in intellectually stimulating exercises with prizes attached.
11. Maintenance of a comprehensive and accessible database of lawyers and law firms within the Asaba judicial division and environs which can be accessed online by lawyers and prospective clients.
12. Development of a unique ID card and car stickers for members of the branch which will be known and launched in the presence of law enforcement agents.
13. Take advantage of membership of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA to strike strategic partnerships, linkages and networks for the overall interest and benefit of the branch.
14. Holding of stakeholders meeting at the branch every quarter and before attendance to any NEC meeting, to generate issues that may be brought before NEC on behalf of the branch and to provide effective representation at NEC via meaningful contributions on the floor.
15. Aggressively follow-up all our valuable and the least of our members at the branch, to ensure maximum attendance at our monthly meetings. And ensure that every meeting has a host.

CONCLUSION

With utmost humility and modesty, I, PRECIOUS NDIDI NWADIMUYA, wish to express my sincere aspiration to serve you and the general body of the Nigerian Bar Association, Asaba Branch as SECRETARY for the next two years beginning from June, 2020.

VOTE FOR PRECIOUS NDIDI NWADIMUYA as SECRETARY.
MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT !!!!!!!!
Yours sincerely,
PRECIOUS NDIDI NWADIMUYA