In his manifesto made available to TheNigeriaLawyer, Adaramola who is a Director of Corporate and Commercial Law in the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice promised to work within the ambit of the duties highlighted for the Welfare Secretary under the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, 2015 (as amended in 2021).

Amongst other things, he promised to;

Monitor the welfare and interest of members of the Association; Bring to the notice of the National Executive Council or the National Executive Committee any matter concerning the welfare of any member of the Association whether within or outside the country with a view to protecting and preserving their rights, privileges and welfare, and take responsibility for managing the programme of assistance for incapacitated aged or other disadvantaged members of the Association.

MANIFESTOES OF GBEMIGA ADARAMOLA ESQ TO THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION FOR THE POST OF WELFARE SECRETARY.

  • Distinguished Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Life Benchers, Benchers, Learned Seniors and Colleagues. My name is Gbemiga Adaramola, a Legal Practitioner practicing in Ekiti State. I was called to the Nigerian Bar on the 28th day of September, 1999, and since then, I have constantly engaged in legal practice comprising of both litigation and other aspect of law practice. By virtue of my practice, I have garnered about 23 years’ experience in various aspects of legal practice including but not limited to litigation, commercial, dispute resolution, mergers & acquisitions, labour & employment, tax, intellectual property, general corporate advisory, Private Public Partnership and company secretarial services. I am a committed financial member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN), African Bar Association (AfriBar) and South West Bar Forum. Also, I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (FICMC),a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultant and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) I belong to the Nigeria Branch. I am a member of the Official Bar since I joined the services of the Ekiti State Government in the year 1999 as a State Counsel and I have rose through the Ranks in the Ministry of Justice, Ekiti State to become the Director of Civil Litigation; the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP); and the Director of Commercial and Corporate Law. I was a member of the Ekiti State Prerogative of Mercy Committee between 2015 and 2018.
  • As a committed member of the NBA, I have served our noble Association relentlessly in various capacities, both at the Branch and National Level. I have served the Ado Ekiti Branch of the NBA as the Branch Treasurer from 2003 to 2007; as Branch Secretary from 2007 to 2014; as Branch Vice Chairman from 2014 to 2016; as Branch Chairman from 2016 to 2018; and as Branch NEC Representative from 2018 to 2020. In addition to the elective offices as enumerated above, I have been a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA for many years (i.e. from 2007 to 2014 and 2016 to 2020 respectively) and I have been appointed into many other committees both at the Branch and National levels (i.e. I am a member of the Prosecution Team for the Nigerian Bar Association (on probono) at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), Abuja. Auspiciously, during my tenure, I discharged my responsibilities in a dignified manner, and offered laudable services and contributions toward the advancement of our dear and noble Association.
  • As a result of my legal practice, especially in the public service and in the official Bar, I am well versed in the administration, records keeping, corporate governance, regulatory compliance etc. Also, my many years of service to the Bar and as a member of the National Executive Council has illuminated my understanding on the Welfare Reforms required for this noble Association and what is expected of the National Welfare Secretary in particular. Bearing this in mind, I therefore, with the greatest respect and humility, and with a high sense of responsibility present myself as a candidate for the position of the Welfare Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association in the forthcoming NBA General Elections, scheduled to hold on the 16th of July, 2022.
  • THE GOALS.
    • I will work within the ambit of the duties highlighted for the Welfare Secretary under the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association, 2015 (as amended in 2021) and proffer areas that need reform(s) for the benefits of our members. The duties of the Welfare Secretary are spelt out in Section 9 (h) of the Constitution of the Nigerian Bar Association thus:
  1. Monitor the welfare and interest of members of the Association;
  2. Shall bring to the notice of the National Executive Council or the National Executive Committee any matter concerning the welfare of any member of the Association whether within or outside the country with a view to protecting and preserving their rights, privileges and welfare.
  • Shall be responsible for managing the programme of assistance for incapacitated aged or other disadvantaged members of the Association; and
  1. Shall be responsible for supervising the insurance and endowment programmes of the Association;
  2. Shall perform all other duties as may be assigned to him/her by the President or the National Executive Council or the National Executive Committee or the Annual General Meeting.
  • To complement the above stipulated duties of the Welfare Secretary which I earnestly undertake to perform with all enthusiasm, I further undertake to do the following within a period of three (3) months after swearing-in as the Welfare Secretary of this noble Association:
  1. I will prepare a document containing ALL the existing Welfare Packages available for our members and present same to the President, National Officers and the National Executive Council of the Association for approval, so that whenever any member (especially the Young Lawyers) pick up the document, he/she will know, at a glance, the numerous existing welfare packages available to him/her without been told by anybody; this will erase the erroneous belief by some members of the Association that the Nigerian Bar Association is only meant for the collection of Bar Practicing Fees or other fees and nothing more;
  2. I will pursue, to a logical end, the idea about the payment of Lawyer’s Fees for preparing land documentations into a dedicated bank account of the Nigerian Bar Association domiciled in each State of the Federation wherein each Lawyer will be given a Personal Code for this purpose, this code will be tied to the Lawyer’s Bank Account. By this, the Nigerian Bar Association will have stipulated fees for the preparation of land documents. Lawyers will make payment into the dedicated accounts on behalf of his client. The amount paid must correspond to the stipulated fees and charges approved by the Nigerian Bar Association, including charges by Land Registry. After payment, a receipt will be generated and an email will be sent to the Lawyer and his/her Client that payment has been made. The Lawyer will thereafter take the receipt and the land document to the Land Registry for filing. The Bank with the assistance of the Desk Officer in each State, by the rule of engagement, must transfer Lawyers’ fees to them within three days of filing. Where a Lawyer prepares the document and his Personal Code is used in payment but by reason of death, sickness or the Brief being taken away from him and he could not complete the filing, a portion of the fee (on prorata) will go to him and the Lawyer who complete the filing will be paid a portion upon filing statement of change of Counsel alongside the documents. This will have three (3) Welfare benefits for our members thus: (1) Only Lawyers can prepare and file land documents; (2) charging ridiculous fees by Lawyers will come to an end since the choice of amount to pay will no longer rests with Lawyers or their Clients; and (3) the issue of Clients owing Lawyers’ fees will be taken away.
  3. I will develop and present to the President, National Officers and the National Executive Council of the Association, further educational programme that will be suitable and enhance the opportunities of the physically challenged members of the Association in order to boost their legal practice.
  4. I will propose to the National Executive Council a Memorandum for the reduction of the fees payable to the Association by Young Lawyers below the age of five (5) years at the Bar and also exempt the Bar Leaders who are Seventy (70) Years old age and above from payment of mandatory fees to the Association but they will be allowed to pay donations according to their respective capabilities.
  5. I will also be the voice of the Law Officers at the National level and continuously echoes their demand and seek necessary assistance from the President of the NBA from time to time for the actualization of the registration of the body of Law Officers in Nigeria as a Trade Union like other professional bodies (in the government service) in order to enhance their participation in the day to day activities of the Nigerian Bar Association.

 CONCLUSION

    • I have a vision to advance the Legal Profession and enhance the welfare of lawyers through effective and efficient management of the Welfare Packages available for our members within and outside the Country. I am passionately committed to apply my experience, all the goodwill I can muster, my network of professional relationships and exposure, all my competences and core service values to ensure that with the support of God, the President, members of the leadership team, the Branches and the esteemed members of this great Association, I shall accomplish these lofty goals.

I am, with the greatest respect and humility, asking for your support and the opportunity to serve as the NBA Welfare Secretary so that I can actualize these lofty ideas and goals for our dear and noble Nigerian Bar Association.

GBEMIGA ADARAMOLA, Esq.; LL.M; FIMC; FICMC; MCIArb.(UK)

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