The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) convened in the ancient city of Benin, where NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, highlighted the association’s strides in defending members’ rights, advancing judicial reforms, and raising Nigeria’s legal profile internationally. The historic gathering underscored lawyers’ role as “defenders of justice, custodians of dignity, and instruments of order.”
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Osigwe’s report, delivered on Thursday, emphasized the NBA’s intensified efforts since the August 2025 Annual General Conference (AGC) in Enugu. Key achievements span litigation, advocacy, legal education, and stakeholder engagement, positioning the NBA as a vanguard for welfare, democracy, and pan-African progress.
Central to the report were two high-impact lawsuits filed by the NBA’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), fulfilling NEC’s mandate from the pre-AGC meeting.
In the first, Suit No: NICN/ABJ/264/2025 was instituted on September 3, 2025, at the National Industrial Court in Abuja against the Police Service Commission and five others. It challenges the denial of automatic conversion and promotion for police lawyers to the legal specialist cadre under Sections 18(9) and (11) of the Nigeria Police Force (Establishment) Act, 2020, and Force Order 137 (2013). These officers, who prosecute and defend cases nationwide, are often stuck in junior ranks like Corporal or Sergeant. The suit seeks judicial orders for their upgrade to Superintendent of Police. Osigwe praised SPIDEL Chair Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, and Public Interest Litigation Committee Chair Mr. Olukunle Edun, SAN, for their leadership, calling it a fight for “justice, respect, and recognition of the legal profession within the security architecture.”
The second suit, No: FHC/ABJ/CS/182/2025, filed on September 2, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, targets the Inspector General of Police’s April 2025 tinted glass permit policy. Mandating annual online renewals via possap.gov.ng (with enforcement delayed to October 2), the policy has sparked widespread harassment, extortion, and rights violations, especially against youth. The NBA argues the policy—and the underpinning Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, 1991—is unconstitutional, a military-era relic failing democratic justification under Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution. Key contentions include:
- Lack of National Assembly legislative competence.
- Potential for police-induced disorder, extortion, and extra-judicial abuses.
- Revenue generation by the non-revenue police force, adding to tax layers amid 2026 reforms.
- Disregard for factory-fitted tints on imported vehicles.
- Funds routed to a private account (PARKWAY PROJECTS, No: 4001017918), raising corruption red flags.
- Nullification of existing permits without legal basis.
Post-filing, a high-level NBA-IGP engagement led to temporary suspension of enforcement pending court hearings. A Police-NBA committee was also inaugurated to foster collaboration, urging vehicle owners to regularize documents. Osigwe hailed this as “litigation combined with constructive dialogue for impactful outcomes.”
Osigwe spotlighted multifaceted advocacy:
- Road Safety Partnership: On October 12, 2025, he paneled at the FRSC’s 8th Annual Lecture in Abuja, themed “Advocating for Safer Roads, Stronger Laws.” He pledged NBA collaboration on enforceable traffic rules, public education, and rights awareness, framing road safety as constitutional protection of life.
- Correctional Justice: Accompanying Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to Kuje Facility on October 15, Osigwe noted rehabilitation successes, including 150+ inmates in NOUN programs (one pursuing a PhD). He committed to an NBA Pro Bono Centre-led Post-Custodial Rehabilitation Fund for ex-inmate reintegration via skills, grants, and support—seeking NEC approval to formalize it.
- Defending Freedoms: The NBA intervened in the “criminal defamation” arrest of ex-NBA Owerri Secretary Chinedu Agu, securing his release via senior lawyers led by Mr. Stanley Imo, SAN. It condemned abductions of lawyers Onyesom Peace Udoka (Kogi) and Isyaku Danjuma (Niger), demanding protection, and sought justice for colleague Somtochukwu Maduagwu’s murder and alleged medical negligence—termed “practical advocacy” for democracy.
- Pan-African Push: Leading the NBA delegation to the African Bar Association Conference in Accra (October 2025), themed “Foreign Interest in Africa: Exploitation or Investment?”, Osigwe urged prioritizing integrity in global engagements. “African countries will not be exploited if we do not allow it,” he declared, advocating competent representatives at UN tables and resisting neocolonial pacts. The NBA recommitted to regional integration and Afrocentric advocacy.
- Hospitality Sector Alliance: On October 16, Osigwe hosted NIHOTOUR DG Dr. Abisoye Fagade, positioning the NBA as a partner in regulatory compliance and consumer protection. Lawyers, heavy hospitality users, will join the first Induction Ceremony for professionals to boost job creation and sustainable tourism.
- Constitutional Reforms: In an October courtesy to Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu (Constitution Review Chair), Osigwe pushed merit-based judicial appointments, funding, and NJC/FJSC restructuring, alongside independent candidacy and electoral tweaks to curb litigation.
- Supreme Court Address: At the September 28, 2025, Legal Year opening, Osigwe critiqued nepotism in appointments, urged internal judicial integrity, access reforms (e.g., digital systems, virtual hearings), and anti-corruption measures to rebuild public trust.
- Economic Summit: His October 3 goodwill message at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit invoked Dubai’s rule-of-law transformation, stressing institutions, accountability, and legal integrity for prosperity.
- Global Networking: Self-funded at the IBA Conference in Toronto (November 2–7, 2025), with five NBA officials sponsored, discussions covered tech-law intersections and climate justice, enhancing Nigeria’s global legal footprint.
Announcing the 2026 AGC in Port Harcourt (August 22–29), contingent on a democratically elected governor, Osigwe named Abdul Mohammed, SAN, as Chair; Sammie Somiari, SAN, Co-Chair; Barbara Omosun, Secretary; and Emeka Obegolu, SAN, Consultant—seeking NEC ratification for an innovative, inclusive event.
Raising alarms on judicial appointments, Osigwe decried the “endangered species” status of private practitioners in shortlists (e.g., 90% judiciary/Ministry staff for Delta, Plateau, Ekiti High Courts, and Federal High Court). He renewed calls to amend Rule 3(4) of appointment guidelines, criticizing provisional shortlists that favor insiders over courtroom-tested lawyers.
BENIN NEC REPORT NOVEMBER 2025The report, spanning welfare defense to institutional reform, underscores the NBA’s resolve amid shifting sands. As Osigwe concluded, Benin reminds us: In a world that “constantly shifts,” lawyers must affirm commitments and chart justice’s course. NEC deliberations continue, with expectations for endorsements on key initiatives like the rehabilitation fund.
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