The former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, FCIArb has given statutory backing that NBA President, Paul Usoro, SAN, has no power to extend the time for the payment of the Bar Practice Fee.

Osigwe made this remark following pressure from various quarters that the President of the Bar, Paul Usoro, SAN., should extend the time for Bar Practice fee and branch dues payment.

In his statement made available to TheNigerialawyer(TNL) he said the NBA President is very much in order . 

“The NBA lacks the power to extend the time for payment of Annual Practice Fee, commonly called Bar Practice Fee (BPF).

“The payment of Annual Practice Fee considering that the March 31, deadline for it was fixed by a subsidiary legislation (the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2007).

“Specifically Section 9(1) of the Rules (RPC, 2007) stipulates that “a lawyer shall pay his Annual Practicing fees not later than 31st March in every year”. 

“Considering that the RPC was made by the General Council of the Bar in the exercise of the power granted to it by Section 12(4) of the Legal Practitioners Act and not by NBA, where then will NBA derive the power to extend the time for the payment of the Annual Practice Fee?.  Since no such powers has been reserved for the NBA, it lacks powers to exercise the same and any such exercise would be a bull exercise.

The only time a lawyer can safely pay BPF after March 31, is when he//she  was enrolled after March 31.

“I say this notwithstanding the clear plight of those who may have difficulty making the payment before midnight today.  Regrettably, my sympathy for them cannot trump the law,” he said.

TheNigerialawyer had earlier reported that the Paul Usoro, SAN has directed Access bank in the 3 affected states of Stay At Home Order by Buhari to open up their branches to enable lawyers pay their Bar Practicing fee and branch dues.

He also stated that he would have on his own extended the time but he is constrained as he lacks the power to do so

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